Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler - Wikipedia Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (1892[1] – 30 December 1953) was an Orthodox rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Jewish philosopher of the 20th century. He is best known for being the mashgiach ruchani ("spiritual counselor") of the Ponevezh yeshiva in Israel and through collections of his writings published posthumously by his pupils. Contents 1 Lithuania 2 London 3 Gateshead 4 Ponevezh 5 Philosophy 5.1 Michtav me-Eliyahu 5.2 Influences 6 References 7 Bibliography Lithuania[edit] Eliyahu Dessler, who was known throughout his life as Eliyahu Leizer or Elya Lazer, was born in 1892 (5652) in Gomel.[2] His father, Reuven Dov Dessler,[1] was a disciple of one of the main leaders of the Mussar movement, Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv, best known as the Alter (Elder) of Kelm. Eliyahu was orphaned of his mother at a young age. His father remarried, and would become a successful timber merchant in the city of Homel over the ensuing years, although he would lose virtually his whole fortune after the Russian Revolution, which would prompt his son to relocate to England. The young Elya was taught by private tutors. At the age of 13[3] (in 1906), he was to be one of the youngest students at the yeshiva of Kelm, which was then being led by Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Braude, the son-in-law of the founder. Rabbi Dessler would later speak in fond terms on the study and self-perfection in the Kelm yeshiva. It was unusual in the sense that it provided its pupils with a secular education parallel to their religious studies, enabling them to earn a livelihood rather than having to take up rabbinic positions. In Kelm, Eliyahu was a diligent student, and received semicha (Rabbinic ordination) from his uncle, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, who became the spiritual leader of Orthodox Lithuanian Jewry until his death in 1939 and rarely granted ordinations. In 1920 Rabbi Dessler married Bluma, a granddaughter of the "Alter" of Kelm. He entered business with his father, and declined a position as a rabbinical judge in Vilna. After the death of his stepmother in 1928, Dessler was obliged to accompany his father to London for medical treatment, and decided to remain in the United Kingdom. His wife and children stayed behind for the time being. London[edit] In London Dessler served in the rabbinate, initially in the East End and later in Dalston, Northeast London. His family joined him in 1931. In Dalston he started tutoring a number of young people, and for a while he was the private tutor of the children of the wealthy Sassoon family. A pupil from this time, Aryeh Carmell, became one of the main disseminators of Dessler's ideas after his death. His son left London in the early 1930s to study in the yeshiva of Kelm. During the war they escaped to the Far East, and eventually settled in the United States. Several months before the outbreak of World War II, his wife left for Lithuania with her daughter to visit relatives. The war separated them, and the women spent the war mainly in Australia. Gateshead[edit] In the early 1940s, Dessler assumed leadership of the newly formed Gateshead kollel, an institute of religious study for married men, then a novelty in Western Europe. During the ensuing years he led the kollel, raised its funds, and also tutored small groups of young people. Ponevezh[edit] In the late 1940s, the leadership of the Ponevezh yeshiva in the Israeli town of Bnei Berak convinced Dessler to become mashgiach ruchani (spiritual counsellor and lecturer on ethical issues). He relocated to Israel, again gathering a small circle of students. One of his pupils, Chaim Friedländer, would later fill his position as Ponevezh mashgiach. Rabbi Dessler died quite suddenly in 1953 (Hebrew date 24 Tevet 5714),[4] presumably of ischemic heart disease. He had suffered from peripheral vascular disease in the months prior to his death. Philosophy[edit] Part of a series on Jewish philosophy Hellenistic Positions: Hasmonean Sadducean Pharisee Boethusian People: Philo of Alexandria Medieval Positions: Positions in Rabbinic Judaism: Maimonidean / Anti-Maimonidean Tosafist Kabbalist Talmudic Karaism Positions in Western philosophy: Rationalism Averroism Neoplatonism Avicennism Topics: Mutazilites Ismailism Kalam Avempace Brethren of Purity Al-Ma'arri Al-Kindi Muhammad al-Fazari People: Isaac Israeli ben Solomon Saadia Gaon David ben Merwan al-Mukkamas Hasdai ibn Shaprut Chananel ben Chushiel Nissim Ben Jacob Samuel ibn Naghrillah Solomon Ibn Gabirol Abraham bar Ḥiyya Joseph ibn Migash Natan'el al-Fayyumi Bahya ibn Paquda Yehuda Halevi Hibat Allah Abu'l-Barakat Abraham ibn Daud Maimonides Joseph ben Judah of Ceuta Shem-Tov ibn Falaquera Gersonides Moses of Narbonne Isaac ben Sheshet Hasdai Crescas Yosef Albo Mansur ibn Sulayman al-Ghamari Moses ben Isaac ha-Levi Minz Elia del Medigo Judah ben Eliezer ha-Levi Minz Isaac Abravanel Judah Leon Abravanel Francisco Sanches Uriel da Costa Moses Almosnino Modern Judaism Positions: Orthodox Sephardic Chabad Conservative Reform Existentialist Reconstructionist Chassidic Holocaust Renewal Neo-Hasidic Mussar Rambamist People: Baruch Spinoza Salomon Maimon Joseph Solomon Delmedigo Elijah Ba'al Shem of Chelm Eliezer ben Elijah Ashkenazi Tzvi Ashkenazi Jacob Emden Samuel Hirsch Shneur Zalman of Liadi Samson Raphael Hirsch Jacob Abendana Isaac Cardoso David Nieto Isaac Orobio de Castro Moses Mendelssohn Samuel David Luzzatto Elijah Benamozegh Moses Hess Eliezer Berkovits Eliyahu Dessler Daniel Rynhold Monsieur Chouchani Emmanuel Levinas Martin Buber Gershom Scholem Abraham Isaac Kook Joseph Soloveitchik Menachem Mendel Schneerson David Hartman Thomas Nagel Jose Faur Jacques Derrida Hilary Putnam Leo Strauss Topics God Faith Eschatology Ethics Messiah Chosenness Holocaust Tzadik Happiness Anger Philosophical schools and traditions v t e Michtav me-Eliyahu[edit] Most of Rabbi Dessler's work has reached the public through the pupils he reared in England and Israel. Together, they edited his collected correspondence and ethical writings posthumously in the six-volume Michtav me-Eliyahu ("Letter from Elijah" which alludes to the letter that the prophet Elijah sent to the King of Judah that arrived after Elijah ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire), later translated into English and published as "Strive for Truth". Perhaps one of his most influential ideas, discussed throughout his works but especially in an essay in the first volume of Michtav me-Eliyahu entitled Kuntres ha-Chesed (Heb. קונטרס החסד "Pamphlet [on the topic] of Lovingkindness), is the "Jewish philosophy of love." He observes that the perfect love from the point of view of Jewish philosophy is not "give and take" but focuses exclusively on giving. Other points are his stance against preoccupation with materialism and technology, which, in his view, distance mankind from spirituality. One idea of his, expounded on in Michtav me-Eliyahu, is the Nekudas Habechira (point of free will). He states that a man has one point in his service to G-d where he has to fight his evil inclination, while at other points there will be no struggle, for the levels below this have already been conquered, and he will easily win those battles of will; whereas levels higher are not yet within his grasp. (For example, someone who adheres to Orthodox Judaism will have no problem keeping kosher, but may sometimes be tempted to rely on unreliable kosher supervision, while somebody farther away from religious practice will have to struggle with whether to eat a ham sandwich (which is non-kosher regardless of supervision).) Each time one defeats the evil inclination by choosing to do good over evil, his Nekudas Habechira is raised a bit higher, and that choice will be easier for him to make in the future. Consequently, Man's task in life is to consistently raise his Nekudas Habechira, thus growing ever greater in his service of God.[5][citation needed] Influences[edit] While it is difficult to determine which teachers had most influence on Rabbi Dessler, it is apparent that he is a child of the yeshiva world of the early 20th century, which was then influenced heavily by the ethical Mussar movement, but has similarly gained proficiency in Kabbalah and works of Hasidic Judaism and Jewish philosophy. His method in interpreting tenets of Jewish philosophy reveals an adherence to the principles of the Maharal (Rabbi Loeb of Prague, 16th century). A minor influence appears to have been the 19th century Hasidic work, Tanya.[citation needed] Rabbi Dessler did, however, maintain that it is acceptable to believe that the Zohar was not written by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and that it had a late authorship.[6] References[edit] ^ a b "Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler". Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler was born in 5652 (1892) to Rabbi Reuven Dov ^ then within the Russian Empire today in Belarus ^ introduction to Michtov M'Eliyahu ^ text on monument ^ Michtav me-Eliyahu vol. 1 pp. 113 ^ An Analysis of the Authenticity of the Zohar (2005), p. 39, with "Rav E" and "Rav G" later identified by the author as Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler and Rabbi Gedaliah Nadel, respectively (Rabbi Dr. Marc Shapiro in Milin Havivin Volume 5 [2011], Is there an obligation to believe that Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai wrote the Zohar?, p. יב [PDF page 133]): "I approached Rav A [Aryeh Carmell] with some of the questions on the Zohar, and he responded to me - 'and what about nikud? Nikud is also mentioned in the Zohar despite the fact that it [is] from Geonic times!' he said. I later found this comment in the Mitpachas Seforim. I would just add that not only is nikud mentioned, but only the Tiberian Nikkud - the norm in Europe of the middle ages - is mentioned and not the Yerushalmi nikud or the Babylonian one — which was used then in the Middle East, and is still used by Yemenites today. Also the Taamay Hamikrah - the trop - are referred to in the Zohar - only by their Sefardi Names. Rav A told me a remarkable piece of testimony: 'My rebbe (this is how he generally refers to Rav E [Elijah Dessler]) accepted the possibility that the Zohar was written sometime in the 13th century.'" Bibliography[edit] Michtav me-Eliyahu collected correspondence and ethical writings, published posthumously by his pupils Rabbis Chaim Friedländer and Aryeh Carmell. Selected translations into English have appeared as "Strive for Truth" and "Sanctuaries in Time" (Feldheim publishers, inc.); Chiddushei ha-Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer al ha-Shas (novellae on the Talmud, published posthumously, 1986). Rosenblum J. Rav Dessler; the life and impact of Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, the Michtav M'Eliyahu. Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd, 2000. ISBN 1-57819-506-3. v t e Ponevezh Yeshiva Founder of yeshiva Yitzhak Yaakov Rabinovich - founded yeshiva in 1908 in Ponevezh, Lithuania Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman - re-established yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel. Roshei Yeshiva Shlomo Berman Dovid Povarsky Shmuel Rozovsky Elazar Menachem Shach Baruch Dov Povarsky Gershon Edelstein Mashgichim Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler Chaim Friedlander Yechezkel Levenstein Other leaders Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman v t e Musar movement People Yisroel Salanter Simcha Zissel Ziv Yitzchak Blazer Nosson Tzvi Finkel Naftali Amsterdam Yosef Yozel Horwitz Yeruchom Levovitz Shlomo Wolbe Reuven Dov Dessler Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler Ira F. Stone Geoffrey Claussen Alan Morinis Yechezkel Levenstein Eliezer Gordon Yechiel Perr Moshe Rosenstain Chaim Leib Shmuelevitz Naftoli Trop Nosson Meir Wachtfogel Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg David Jaffe Yeshivot Kovno Kollel Lomza Yeshiva Novardok Yeshiva Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka) Mir Yeshiva (Belarus) Kelm Talmud Torah Hebron Yeshiva Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim Books Musar literature Practices Jewish meditation Jewish ethics Tzedakah Teshuvah Niggun Terms Mashgiach ruchani Category Authority control GND: 137227825 ISNI: 0000 0001 1405 9343 LCCN: n80082547 VIAF: 18523922 WorldCat Identities: lccn-n80082547 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eliyahu_Eliezer_Dessler&oldid=983365711" Categories: 1892 births 1953 deaths People from Liepāja People from Courland Governorate Latvian Orthodox rabbis British Orthodox rabbis 20th-century rabbis Haredi rabbis in Europe Haredi rabbis in Israel Mashgiach ruchani Philosophers of Judaism Ponevezh Yeshiva Writers of Musar literature Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2012 Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages Čeština Deutsch Français Italiano עברית Norsk bokmål ייִדיש Edit links This page was last edited on 13 October 2020, at 20:47 (UTC). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers Contact Wikipedia Mobile view Developers Statistics Cookie statement