What are some important aspects of Elie's first experiences of the concentration camp?

Chapters 2 and 3 of Night recount Elie Wiesel's first experiences at the concentration camp. Upon arriving at Birkenau by train, he and his fellow passengers witness flames extending from a tall chimney in the sky, accompanied by the foul odor of burning flesh. Men and women are immediately segregated upon exiting the train, and Elie is forever parted from his mother and younger sister, who are murdered that night. New arrivals are taunted and sorted into two groups by soldiers bearing machine guns. Elie and his father are sent to the barracks to sleep, while the majority of new arrivals are murdered en masse directly after arriving at Birkenau. These horrible events occur within a time span of a few hours, and in the first section of chapter 3, Elie describes the lifelong effects of his first night in a concentration camp. The following words highlight the trauma and heartache of this first night, an omen of many more horrors that follow:

Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.
Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.