Reuven Dov Dessler
Encyclopedia
Reuven Dov Dessler was a rabbinic leader of the Musar movement and the director of the Kelm Talmud Torah
from 1918 until 1931.
He was born in 1863 in the city of Liepāja
(Libau) in Courland
, Latvia
. His parents were strong supporters of the Musar movement and especially of the efforts of Rabbi
Simcha Zissel Ziv
, who directed a yeshiva known as the Kelm Talmud Torah
. In 1874, at the age of eleven, Reuven Dov became a student at the Talmud Torah, and he remained a student there as a student of Ziv for many years.
While continuing to study at the Talmud Torah, Reuven Dov also took a position in the timber industry. In 1891, he married Hene Freidel Grodznsky, the daughter of Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Grodzensky, and they had a son, Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler
. Hene Freidel died in 1895. Reuven Dov later re-married to Frume Rochel Rabinowitz, the daughter of Rabbi Ya'akov Rabinowitz of Telsiai. Frume Rochel died in a terrible domestic accident in December, 1922.
In 1918, Reuven Dov became the director of the Kelm Talmud Torah, a position he held until 1931.
In 1931, he moved to London, where his son Eliyahu Eliezer was living. Reuven Dov died in 1935.
Kelm Talmud Torah
The Kelm Talmud Torah was a famous yeshiva in pre-holocaust Kelmė, Lithuania. Unlike other yeshivas, the Talmud Torah focused primarily on the study of Musar and self-improvement.-Under the Leadership of Simcha Zissel Ziv:...
from 1918 until 1931.
He was born in 1863 in the city of Liepāja
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
(Libau) in Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. His parents were strong supporters of the Musar movement and especially of the efforts of Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Simcha Zissel Ziv
Simcha Zissel Ziv
Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv Broida , also known as the Alter of Kelm , was one of the foremost students of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter and one of the early leaders of the Musar movement...
, who directed a yeshiva known as the Kelm Talmud Torah
Kelm Talmud Torah
The Kelm Talmud Torah was a famous yeshiva in pre-holocaust Kelmė, Lithuania. Unlike other yeshivas, the Talmud Torah focused primarily on the study of Musar and self-improvement.-Under the Leadership of Simcha Zissel Ziv:...
. In 1874, at the age of eleven, Reuven Dov became a student at the Talmud Torah, and he remained a student there as a student of Ziv for many years.
While continuing to study at the Talmud Torah, Reuven Dov also took a position in the timber industry. In 1891, he married Hene Freidel Grodznsky, the daughter of Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Grodzensky, and they had a son, Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler
Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler
Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler was an Orthodox rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Jewish philosopher of the 20th century. He is known as mashgiach ruchani of the Ponevezh yeshiva in Israel and through collections of his writings published posthumously by his pupils.-Lithuania:Eliyahu Dessler Eliyahu Eliezer...
. Hene Freidel died in 1895. Reuven Dov later re-married to Frume Rochel Rabinowitz, the daughter of Rabbi Ya'akov Rabinowitz of Telsiai. Frume Rochel died in a terrible domestic accident in December, 1922.
In 1918, Reuven Dov became the director of the Kelm Talmud Torah, a position he held until 1931.
In 1931, he moved to London, where his son Eliyahu Eliezer was living. Reuven Dov died in 1935.