Bible Books

Wise Men and Their Tales

Elie Wiesel (New York: Schocken Books, 2003) 337 pp., $26 (hardcover)

Elie Wiesel is older, his subjects have darker tones and his stories are more introspective. In this volume, a collection of portraits of biblical, talmudic and hasidic masters, his focus is on the midrashim, that vast body of little known, fascinating, sometimes bizarre, and frequently contradictory legends of the Hebrew Bible that were not included in the biblical canon—and for good reason. While the Bible usually offers a straightforward storyline, and its style has a professional writer’s finish, many midrashim read like first drafts—confusing and rough. Their combinations and recombinations of biblical personalities and episodes often strain credulity, and they reproduce the exaggerations and colorful hearsay of folktales, apparently without much checking of sources. At its best, the Bible is history and its principal characters are pulsing with life and offer verisimilitude. The reader can feel that he or she is right there, and the men and women are flesh and blood. However, when a midrash soars, it is usually a fantasy.