Sharing the Burden: Rabbi Simhah Zissel Ziv and the Path of Musar

261 Pages·2015·1.239 MB·English

by  Geoffrey D. Claussen

Sharing the Burden
SUNY series in Contemporary Jewish Thought
Richard A. Cohen, editor
Sharing the Burden
Rabbi Simhah Zissel Ziv and the Path of Musar
.
Geoffrey D. Claussen
Cover: Charcoal drawing, Reb Simcha Zissel Ziv’s Talmud Torah in Kelm by
Loren Hodes. Used by permission.
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2015 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval
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without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Ryan Morris
Marketing, Anne M. Valentine
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Claussen, Geoffrey D., 1979- author.
Sharing the burden : Rabbi Simh.ah Zissel Ziv and the path of musar /
Geoffrey D. Claussen.
pages cm. -- (SUNY series in contemporary Jewish thought)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-5835-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4384-5836-6 (e-book)
1. Broida, Simh.ah Zissel ben Israel, 1824–1898--Philosophy. 2. Rabbis—
Lithuania--Philosophy. 3. Ethicists--Lithuania--Philosophy. 4. Jewish ethics.
5. Musar movement--History. I. Title.
BM755.B755C53 2015
296.3’6--dc23 2014045866
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In memory
Elsie Young Lerner
(August 30, 1912–February 7, 2006)
Martin Paul Claussen, Jr.
(April 12, 1942–April 21, 2007)

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Rabbi Simh.ah Zissel Ziv and the Talmud Torah 11
Chapter 2 Virtue and the Path of Happiness 41
Chapter 3 Simh.ah Zissel Among the Philosophers 73
Chapter 4 The Great Effort of Musar 109
Chapter 5 Learning to Love 141
Conclusion 183
Notes 197
Bibliography 223
Index 233

Acknowledgments
I have worked on this project for many years, and I am grateful to
the many individuals and institutions that have helped with its devel-
opment. I began to think about the questions that have inspired this
book when I was an undergraduate student at Carleton College, study-
ing with Professor Louis Newman, and I owe particular gratitude to
him. My first serious intellectual engagement with the Jewish tradition
took place in Louis’s classroom, and over the years Louis introduced
me to the field of Jewish ethics and to the questions that brought me
to write this book. He has continued to offer his time, his wisdom, and
his friendship throughout the years, serving on my PhD dissertation
committee and guiding me through the completion of this project.
I was first introduced to the writings of Rabbi Simh.ah Zissel Ziv in
classes with Rabbi Ira Stone at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS)
in New York. Ira introduced me to the study of the Musar movement
and pointed me to the great value of the literature produced by that
movement and especially by Simh.ah Zissel. He encouraged me to take
Simh.ah Zissel seriously and to embark on this project, and I have
been deeply grateful for his inspiration, guidance, and friendship as
I have worked on it.
Professor Alan Mittleman served as my dissertation advisor at JTS,
and I am fortunate to have worked closely with such an outstanding
Jewish philosopher as this book first took shape in the form of a dis-
sertation. I am incredibly grateful to Alan for all of his time, support,
and good judgment. He has provided constant mentorship, kindness,
and friendship. He has taught me much about how to approach Jewish
thought charitably, critically, and with philosophical rigor. I thank him
for all the knowledge that he has shared with me, for his clear-sighted
wisdom, and for helping me to transform my dissertation into this
book.
While I was studying at JTS, Professor Neil Gillman also provided
much advice and encouragement to pursue this project. Professor
ix