
Sharing the Burden
Rabbi Sim?ah Zissel Ziv and the Path of Musar
Geoffrey D. Claussen(Author)
State University of New York Press
Published on 2. July 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
260 pages
978-1-4384-5834-2 (ISBN)
Description
Examines a fascinating and important figure in the history of modern Jewish ethics.
Sharing the Burden analyzes the rich moral traditions of the nineteenth-century Musar movement, an Eastern European Jewish movement focused on the development of moral character. Geoffrey D. Claussen focuses on that movement's leading moral theorist, Rabbi Sim?ah Zissel Ziv (1824-1898), the founder of the first Musar movement yeshiva and the first traditionalist institution in Eastern Europe that included general studies in its curriculum. Sim?ah Zissel offered a unique and compelling voice within the Musar movement, joining traditionalism with a program for contemplative practice and an interest in non-Jewish philosophy. His thought was also distinguished by its demanding moral vision, oriented around an ideal of compassionately loving one's fellow as oneself and an acknowledgment of the difficulties of moral change. Drawing on Sim?ah Zissel's writings and bringing his approach into dialogue with other models of ethics, Claussen explores Sim?ah Zissel's Jewish virtue ethics and evaluates its strengths and weaknesses. The result is a volume that will expose readers to a fascinating and important voice in the history of modern Jewish ethics and spirituality.
Sharing the Burden analyzes the rich moral traditions of the nineteenth-century Musar movement, an Eastern European Jewish movement focused on the development of moral character. Geoffrey D. Claussen focuses on that movement's leading moral theorist, Rabbi Sim?ah Zissel Ziv (1824-1898), the founder of the first Musar movement yeshiva and the first traditionalist institution in Eastern Europe that included general studies in its curriculum. Sim?ah Zissel offered a unique and compelling voice within the Musar movement, joining traditionalism with a program for contemplative practice and an interest in non-Jewish philosophy. His thought was also distinguished by its demanding moral vision, oriented around an ideal of compassionately loving one's fellow as oneself and an acknowledgment of the difficulties of moral change. Drawing on Sim?ah Zissel's writings and bringing his approach into dialogue with other models of ethics, Claussen explores Sim?ah Zissel's Jewish virtue ethics and evaluates its strengths and weaknesses. The result is a volume that will expose readers to a fascinating and important voice in the history of modern Jewish ethics and spirituality.
Reviews / Votes
"...a thorough study of the life and work of one of the most influential figures in the history of Musar ... This book is a welcome and needed addition to the study of the Musar movement and its seminal figures." - New Books Network"This is an important contribution not only to understanding modern East European Jewish thought but also to general issues of ethics and religious modernization." - Religious Studies Review
"Claussen's writing style is clear, accessible, and engaging. He greatly succeeds in making Sim?ah Zissel's work understandable to a wide audience ... an essential background to both contemporary Jewish thought and the growing field of Jewish studies today." - Journal of Jewish Ethics
"Highly edifying, this book exposes the reader to a diverse spectrum of Torah thought. Recommended for academic libraries with Jewish studies collections." - AJL Reviews
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Albany, NY
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student and over
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
363 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4384-5834-2 (9781438458342)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2015
1st Edition
De Gruyter
from
€84.99
Available for download
Person
Geoffrey D. Claussen is Lori and Eric Sklut Emerging Scholar in Jewish Studies and Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Elon University.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Rabbi Sim?ah Zissel Ziv and the Talmud Torah
2. Virtue and the Path of Happiness
3. Sim?ah Zissel Among the Philosophers
4. The Great Effort of Musar
5. Learning to Love
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Introduction
1. Rabbi Sim?ah Zissel Ziv and the Talmud Torah
2. Virtue and the Path of Happiness
3. Sim?ah Zissel Among the Philosophers
4. The Great Effort of Musar
5. Learning to Love
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index