Alerts Sign-up
Menachem Z. Rosensaft, author and former general counsel for the World Jewish Congress, offers a profound exploration of faith in his latest work, “Burning Psalms: Confronting Adonai after Auschwitz.” Rooted deeply in the Jewish tradition, Rosensaft's book reflects on his personal history as the son of Holocaust survivors and questions the presence of God amidst the horrors of Auschwitz.
Rosensaft crafts the book in the form of modern Psalmic verses. He uses these "Burning Psalms" to confront challenging questions about God, such as, "Why did he turn away his face? Why was he silent? Why did he not use his mighty power to save his people?”
In the preface of the book, Rosensaft points to Pope Francis' interpretation of the Psalms as being voices of suffering transformed into questions during his 2020 papal audience. "The Psalms are 'invocations, often dramatic, that spring from lived experience,'" Rosensaft quotes as a guiding principle for his work.
Through “Burning Psalms,” Rosensaft embarks on a personal spiritual journey and seeks to engage the reader in a dialogue with the divine. He pushes readers to not only question the presence of God in their own lives but also to see the glimmers of divine presence even in the darkest times, pointing out that seeing God involves recognizing "divine sparks" within humanity itself.
In the book's Coda, Rosensaft addresses not just the Holocaust, but also other genocides like Srebrenica, highlighting human complicity through silence in the face of atrocity. He emphasizes how witnessing acts of goodness during times of evil can be manifestations of God among us.
Pope Francis, in a note to Rosensaft, expressed gratitude for the insights shared in the book, stating they provide an "only possible hermeneutic interpretation" of God's presence through acts of goodness and mercy.
“Burning Psalms” does not provide simple answers but invites ongoing reflection and dialogue. By exploring these themes, Rosensaft encourages readers from all backgrounds to seek the "divine sparks" that bring hope and goodness amid suffering.
Peter Jesserer Smith, national news and features editor for OSV News, provides this analysis.
