Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters

By Elie Wiesel

Categories: Religion & Spirituality

In Souls on Fire (1972), writer Elie Wiesel retells the stories and teachings of the Hasidic masters of Eastern Europe, beginning with the movement's founder, the Baal Shem Tov, in the eighteenth century. Wiesel moves through figures such as the Maggid of Mezeritch, Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev, Nachman of Bratslav and the Kotzker Rebbe, blending legend, history and memories of the tales he heard from his grandfather as a boy. He presents Hasidism as a movement of joy and fervour born amid poverty and persecution.

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• Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks: “There are several collections of stories about these colourful figures, and Wiesel's is probably the most accessible. Touching, humane and profound, they are an essential dimension of a fully rounded Judaism.”