Simcha Zissel Ziv
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv Broida (1824–1898), also known as the Alter of Kelm (the Elder of Kelm), was one of the foremost students of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter
and one of the early leaders of the Musar
movement. He is best known as the founder and director of the Kelm Talmud Torah
.
, Lithuania
. His father, Reb Yisroel, belonged to the well-known Lithuanian Braude family. His mother, Chaya, was a descendant of Rabbi Zvi Ashkenazi, the Chacham Tzvi. Chaya's family name was Ziv, and her son took on his mother's family name when he moved to Grobin in 1880.
Rabbi Ziv married Chaya Leah, the daughter of Reb Mordechai of Vidzh, a small town near Kelm. Following his marriage he travelled to Kovno, where he studied under his foremost mentor, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter
, the founder of the Musar movement, at the Nevyozer Kloiz. Among the other outstanding students were Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer
, Rabbi Naftali Amsterdam, Rabbi Eliezer Gordon
, Rabbi Yerucham Perlman and Rabbi Jacob Joseph
. Rabbi Ziv established himself as one of Rabbi Salanter’s closest disciples and Rabbi Ziv devoted his life to furthering Rabbi Salanter’s teachings.
During this time, Rabbi Salanter sent Rabbi Ziv to Zhagory, to strengthen the Beis HaMusar (Musar
study house), which had been established there. He also delivered lectures in the town of Kretinga.
At the time, Kalman Zev Wissotzky (who later became famous as a tea magnate) was another of Rabbi Salanter’s students living in Zhagory. Wissotzky had studied in the Volozhin Yeshiva
and had become very wealthy and had many connections within government circles. He was a great supporter and benefactor of many Jewish causes. When Wissotsky decided to move to Moscow, Rabbi Salanter instructed Rabbi Ziv to accompany him, out of concern that the move to Moscow might have a negative effect on Wissotzky’s spirituality. Rabbi Ziv then moved to Moscow, where he lived for two years.
Following his time in Moscow, Rabbi Ziv moved to St. Petersburg, then the largest city in Czarist Russia. After spending almost a year there, the communal leaders brought Rabbi Ziv a signed document appointing him as their Rabbi
. He was unwilling to accept the position, however, and proposed that his friend from the yeshiva
in Kovno – Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer
– be appointed to the position.
. At the time, Rabbi Ziv was almost forty years old.
The Talmud Torah opened in approximately 1865 and attracted young students, mainly thirteen and fourteen year olds. Rabbi Ziv’s teacher – Rabbi Yisrael Salanter
– had taught Rabbi Ziv the importance of Musar and so the Talmud Torah aimed not only to enhance its student’s Torah knowledge but also to shape their personalities and develop their character traits using the Musar approach. Indeed, much of daily study at the Talmud Torah focused on Musar, while comparatively little time was devoted to the conventional study of Talmud.
Rabbi Ziv also introduced general subjects such as geography, mathematics, and Russian into the Talmud Torah curriculum. These subjects were studied for three hours a day, which was unprecedented in traditional Lithuanian yeshivas. Rabbi Ziv did not view general studies as a "necessary evil" but rather argued that such studies would encourage "better living" and "a better understanding of religious teachings as well."
In 1872, Rabbi Ziv purchased a plot of land and erected a building for the Talmud Torah. A few short years later, however, in 1876, the Talmud Torah was denounced to the authorities, who began to watch it closely and to hound it. Rabbi Ziv decided to open elsewhere, and re-established in Grobin, in the Kurland province. He arranged for the purchase of a fine building, situated in a spacious yard. There was a main study hall, smaller rooms for classes, a dining room and dormitories. The school in Grobin opened in 1880.
Rabbi Ziv, suffered from failing health which necessitated his spending long periods in his home, which was in Kelm. In 1881 he returned to Kelm, leaving his son, Rabbi Nochum Zev Ziv to run the Talmud Torah in Grobin. Young men from Kelm and the surrounding areas flocked to study under Rabbi Ziv and the town once again became a center of Musar.
From his home in Kelm, Rabbi Ziv continued to play a role in the running of the Talmud Torah in Grobin. This, however, began to be too difficult and Rabbi Ziv decided to close the yeshiva. He sent a member of his family to consult his teacher, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter
who was living at the time in Germany.
Rabbi Salanter disagreed with the idea and the Talmud Torah remained open in Grobin until 1886. In that year, Rabbi Ziv’s health took a turn for the worse and his doctors warned him that there was real danger to his life if he continued making the effort that the running of the yeshiva in Grobin required. At this point, Rabbi Ziv was forced to close the Talmud Torah in Grobin.
With the closure of the Grobin Talmud Torah, the focus of his work shifted back to Kelm, which now reassumed its former prominence. Rabbi Ziv established a group that was known as "Devek Tov," comprising his foremost students. He shared a special relationship with the group's members and he worked on writing out his discourses for them, which required more strength than he had.
A number of his students settled in Palestine
in 1892, opening the "Beis HaMusar" in Jerusalem, under Rabbi Ziv’s auspices and with his support.
Rabbi Ziv died on Wednesday 26 July 1898 – the eve of Tisha B'Av
, shortly after having recited the morning Shema. He died while in the middle of the paragraph “Ezras avoseinu”.
At Rabbi Ziv’s funeral, his friend and colleague Rabbi Eliezer Gordon
, the Rabbi
and Rosh Yeshiva
of Telz
, said that aside from Rabbi Ziv’s greatness in Torah, he had never heard a single word from him that was not related to Torah and to fear of Heaven.
Rabbi Ziv was not only great in Musar but also in his knowledge of Torah and Talmud. Rabbi Gordon, who was known as a fiery and tempestuous genius, would repeat his Talmudic thoughts to Rabbi Ziv and seek his opinion on them, for he valued Rabbi Ziv’s scholarship highly. Rabbi Gordon said that his friend had been fluent in three orders of the Talmud
, to such a level where he knew every comment of Rashi
and Tosafot
word for word. He was also fluent in all four divisions of the Shulchan Aruch
and could locate any given Halacha within it with pinpoint precision.
Rabbi Ziv offered his students the following advice: "Take time. Be exact. Unclutter the mind."
Rabbi Dov Katz described Rabbi Ziv’s approach to learning as consisting of three guiding principles:
, Rabbi Aharon Bakst, Rabbi Reuven Dov Dessler
(whose son Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler
authored the classic Michtav M'Eliyahu), Rabbi Nachum Ze'ev Ziv, and Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Braude.
There were many other great Rabbis who only spent a short period in Kelm, yet were greatly influenced by Rabbi Ziv. Among these are Rabbi Yosef Leib Bloch, the Rabbi
and Rosh Yeshiva
of Telz
, Rabbi Yeruchom Levovitz the Mashgiach
of Mir
, and Rabbi Yosef Yoizel Horowitz
of Novhardok
.
Other students of Rabbi Ziv entered professions including medicine, law, and engineering. One of his students, Israel Isidor Elyashev
, became a well-known literary critic.
. Additional letters, as well as transcriptions of his words by his disciples, appear in a series of volumes under the title Kitvei Ha-Sabba Mi-Kelm.
An English translation of the opening letters of Hokhmah U-Musar by Rabbi Ira Stone appears in Stone's, A Responsible Life: The Spiritual Path of Musar.
Yisrael Salanter
Rabbi Yisroel Lipkin, better known as "Yisroel Salanter" or "Israel Salanter" , was the father of the Musar movement in Orthodox Judaism and a famed Rosh yeshiva and Talmudist...
and one of the early leaders of the Musar
Musar
Musar, may refer to* the Hebrew word for “ethics"* Musar literature, Jewish moral literature* the Musar movement, a Jewish religious ethical, educational and cultural movement* Château Musar, Lebanese winery...
movement. He is best known as the founder and director of 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:...
.
Early life
Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv was born as Simcha Mordechai Ziskind Broida in 1824 in KelmėKelme
Kelmė is a city in central Lithuania. It has a population of around 11,000 and is the administrative center of the Kelmė district municipality.-History:Prior to World War II, Kelmė was home to a famous Rabbinical College, the Kelm Talmud Torah....
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. His father, Reb Yisroel, belonged to the well-known Lithuanian Braude family. His mother, Chaya, was a descendant of Rabbi Zvi Ashkenazi, the Chacham Tzvi. Chaya's family name was Ziv, and her son took on his mother's family name when he moved to Grobin in 1880.
Rabbi Ziv married Chaya Leah, the daughter of Reb Mordechai of Vidzh, a small town near Kelm. Following his marriage he travelled to Kovno, where he studied under his foremost mentor, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter
Yisrael Salanter
Rabbi Yisroel Lipkin, better known as "Yisroel Salanter" or "Israel Salanter" , was the father of the Musar movement in Orthodox Judaism and a famed Rosh yeshiva and Talmudist...
, the founder of the Musar movement, at the Nevyozer Kloiz. Among the other outstanding students were Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer
Yitzchak Blazer
Yitzchak Blazer , also known as Reb Itzelle Peterburger, was one of the early leaders of the Musar movement, a Jewish ethical movement based in Lithuania. He was a student of the founder of the movement, Yisrael Salanter, and was responsible for publishing many of Salanter's letters in Or Yisrael...
, Rabbi Naftali Amsterdam, Rabbi Eliezer Gordon
Eliezer Gordon
Eliezer Gordon also known as Reb Laizer Telzer, served as the Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva of Telz, Lithuania.-Early years:...
, Rabbi Yerucham Perlman and Rabbi Jacob Joseph
Jacob Joseph
Jacob Joseph served as chief rabbi of New York City's Association of American Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, a federation of Eastern European Jewish synagogues...
. Rabbi Ziv established himself as one of Rabbi Salanter’s closest disciples and Rabbi Ziv devoted his life to furthering Rabbi Salanter’s teachings.
During this time, Rabbi Salanter sent Rabbi Ziv to Zhagory, to strengthen the Beis HaMusar (Musar
Musar
Musar, may refer to* the Hebrew word for “ethics"* Musar literature, Jewish moral literature* the Musar movement, a Jewish religious ethical, educational and cultural movement* Château Musar, Lebanese winery...
study house), which had been established there. He also delivered lectures in the town of Kretinga.
At the time, Kalman Zev Wissotzky (who later became famous as a tea magnate) was another of Rabbi Salanter’s students living in Zhagory. Wissotzky had studied in the Volozhin Yeshiva
Volozhin yeshiva
The Volozhin Yeshiva, also known as Etz Chaim Yeshiva, was a prestigious Lithuanian yeshiva located in the town of Volozhin, Russia, . It was founded by Rabbi Chaim Itzkovitz, a student of the famed Vilna Gaon, and trained several generations of scholars, rabbis, and leaders...
and had become very wealthy and had many connections within government circles. He was a great supporter and benefactor of many Jewish causes. When Wissotsky decided to move to Moscow, Rabbi Salanter instructed Rabbi Ziv to accompany him, out of concern that the move to Moscow might have a negative effect on Wissotzky’s spirituality. Rabbi Ziv then moved to Moscow, where he lived for two years.
Following his time in Moscow, Rabbi Ziv moved to St. Petersburg, then the largest city in Czarist Russia. After spending almost a year there, the communal leaders brought Rabbi Ziv a signed document appointing him as their 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...
. He was unwilling to accept the position, however, and proposed that his friend from the yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
in Kovno – Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer
Yitzchak Blazer
Yitzchak Blazer , also known as Reb Itzelle Peterburger, was one of the early leaders of the Musar movement, a Jewish ethical movement based in Lithuania. He was a student of the founder of the movement, Yisrael Salanter, and was responsible for publishing many of Salanter's letters in Or Yisrael...
– be appointed to the position.
Kelm Talmud Torah
Seeking to combat threats to traditional Judaism and to strengthen the cause of the Musar movement, Rabbi Ziv decided to open a school in Kelm, the Kelm Talmud TorahKelm 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:...
. At the time, Rabbi Ziv was almost forty years old.
The Talmud Torah opened in approximately 1865 and attracted young students, mainly thirteen and fourteen year olds. Rabbi Ziv’s teacher – Rabbi Yisrael Salanter
Yisrael Salanter
Rabbi Yisroel Lipkin, better known as "Yisroel Salanter" or "Israel Salanter" , was the father of the Musar movement in Orthodox Judaism and a famed Rosh yeshiva and Talmudist...
– had taught Rabbi Ziv the importance of Musar and so the Talmud Torah aimed not only to enhance its student’s Torah knowledge but also to shape their personalities and develop their character traits using the Musar approach. Indeed, much of daily study at the Talmud Torah focused on Musar, while comparatively little time was devoted to the conventional study of Talmud.
Rabbi Ziv also introduced general subjects such as geography, mathematics, and Russian into the Talmud Torah curriculum. These subjects were studied for three hours a day, which was unprecedented in traditional Lithuanian yeshivas. Rabbi Ziv did not view general studies as a "necessary evil" but rather argued that such studies would encourage "better living" and "a better understanding of religious teachings as well."
In 1872, Rabbi Ziv purchased a plot of land and erected a building for the Talmud Torah. A few short years later, however, in 1876, the Talmud Torah was denounced to the authorities, who began to watch it closely and to hound it. Rabbi Ziv decided to open elsewhere, and re-established in Grobin, in the Kurland province. He arranged for the purchase of a fine building, situated in a spacious yard. There was a main study hall, smaller rooms for classes, a dining room and dormitories. The school in Grobin opened in 1880.
Rabbi Ziv, suffered from failing health which necessitated his spending long periods in his home, which was in Kelm. In 1881 he returned to Kelm, leaving his son, Rabbi Nochum Zev Ziv to run the Talmud Torah in Grobin. Young men from Kelm and the surrounding areas flocked to study under Rabbi Ziv and the town once again became a center of Musar.
From his home in Kelm, Rabbi Ziv continued to play a role in the running of the Talmud Torah in Grobin. This, however, began to be too difficult and Rabbi Ziv decided to close the yeshiva. He sent a member of his family to consult his teacher, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter
Yisrael Salanter
Rabbi Yisroel Lipkin, better known as "Yisroel Salanter" or "Israel Salanter" , was the father of the Musar movement in Orthodox Judaism and a famed Rosh yeshiva and Talmudist...
who was living at the time in Germany.
Rabbi Salanter disagreed with the idea and the Talmud Torah remained open in Grobin until 1886. In that year, Rabbi Ziv’s health took a turn for the worse and his doctors warned him that there was real danger to his life if he continued making the effort that the running of the yeshiva in Grobin required. At this point, Rabbi Ziv was forced to close the Talmud Torah in Grobin.
With the closure of the Grobin Talmud Torah, the focus of his work shifted back to Kelm, which now reassumed its former prominence. Rabbi Ziv established a group that was known as "Devek Tov," comprising his foremost students. He shared a special relationship with the group's members and he worked on writing out his discourses for them, which required more strength than he had.
A number of his students settled in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in 1892, opening the "Beis HaMusar" in Jerusalem, under Rabbi Ziv’s auspices and with his support.
Rabbi Ziv died on Wednesday 26 July 1898 – the eve of Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av
|Av]],") is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date...
, shortly after having recited the morning Shema. He died while in the middle of the paragraph “Ezras avoseinu”.
Personality
Rabbi Ziv was known for his humility, his lovingkindness, his thoughtfulness, and his focus on order.At Rabbi Ziv’s funeral, his friend and colleague Rabbi Eliezer Gordon
Eliezer Gordon
Eliezer Gordon also known as Reb Laizer Telzer, served as the Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva of Telz, Lithuania.-Early years:...
, the 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...
and Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Telz
Telz
*Telz can refer to the town of Telšiai, in Lithuania.*Telz is also used as the abbreviated name for:**Telshe yeshiva originally in Lithuania that was transplanted to Cleveland, Ohio....
, said that aside from Rabbi Ziv’s greatness in Torah, he had never heard a single word from him that was not related to Torah and to fear of Heaven.
Rabbi Ziv was not only great in Musar but also in his knowledge of Torah and Talmud. Rabbi Gordon, who was known as a fiery and tempestuous genius, would repeat his Talmudic thoughts to Rabbi Ziv and seek his opinion on them, for he valued Rabbi Ziv’s scholarship highly. Rabbi Gordon said that his friend had been fluent in three orders of the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, to such a level where he knew every comment of Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
and Tosafot
Tosafot
The Tosafot or Tosafos are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes...
word for word. He was also fluent in all four divisions of the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
and could locate any given Halacha within it with pinpoint precision.
Musar Approach
Rabbi Ziv taught that the whole world is a classroom where one can learn to improve one’s character and increase one’s belief in God. Rabbi Ziv would frequently quote Socrates, who said that true wisdom is knowing that one doesn't know.Rabbi Ziv offered his students the following advice: "Take time. Be exact. Unclutter the mind."
Rabbi Dov Katz described Rabbi Ziv’s approach to learning as consisting of three guiding principles:
- One should become emotionally involved in his studies, whether joyful or sad.
- One should ask oneself after everything one learns, "What did I think before, and what do I know differently now?"
- One's study should always delve beyond the external facets and arrive at the essence of the topic.
Students
His students included many of the musar greats of the next generation: Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel of SlabodkaSlabodka yeshiva
Hebron Yeshiva, also known as Yeshivas Hevron, or Knesses Yisroel, and originally as Slabodka Yeshiva, is known colloquially as the "mother of yeshivas" and was devoted to high=level study of the Talmud. The yeshiva was located in the Lithuanian town of Slabodka, adjacent to Kovno , now...
, Rabbi Aharon Bakst, Rabbi Reuven Dov Dessler
Reuven Dov Dessler
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 in Courland, Latvia. His parents were strong supporters of the Musar movement and especially of the efforts of Rabbi Simcha...
(whose 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...
authored the classic Michtav M'Eliyahu), Rabbi Nachum Ze'ev Ziv, and Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Braude.
There were many other great Rabbis who only spent a short period in Kelm, yet were greatly influenced by Rabbi Ziv. Among these are Rabbi Yosef Leib Bloch, the 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...
and Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Telz
Telz
*Telz can refer to the town of Telšiai, in Lithuania.*Telz is also used as the abbreviated name for:**Telshe yeshiva originally in Lithuania that was transplanted to Cleveland, Ohio....
, Rabbi Yeruchom Levovitz the Mashgiach
Mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani or mashgiach for short, means a spiritual supervisor or guide. It is a title which usually refers to a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yeshiva students' lives.The position of mashgiach ruchani arose with the...
of Mir
Mir yeshiva (Poland)
The Mir yeshiva , commonly known as the Mirrer Yeshiva or The Mir, was a Haredi yeshiva located in the town of Mir, Russian Empire...
, and Rabbi Yosef Yoizel Horowitz
Joseph Hurwitz
Yosef Yozel Horowitz , also Yosef Yoizel Hurwitz, known as the Alter of Novardok was a student of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter. He established a large yeshiva in Novardok, and some of his discourses were recorded in the book Madregat Ha-Adam...
of Novhardok
Novardok yeshiva
The Novardok yeshiva in Navahrudak, then the Russian Empire, was one of the biggest and most important yeshivas in pre-World War II Europe, and a powerful force within the Mussar movement. The yeshiva was established in 1896, together with a Kollel for married men, under the direction of Rabbi...
.
Other students of Rabbi Ziv entered professions including medicine, law, and engineering. One of his students, Israel Isidor Elyashev
Israel Isidor Elyashev
Dr. Israel Isidor Elyashev was a Jewish neurologist and the first Yiddish literary critic.He introduced the world to the works of the great contemporary Yiddish classical writers: Sholem Rabinovich, better known as Sholem Aleichem, Mendele Mocher Sefarim, Isaac Leib Peretz and Nachum Sokolov;...
, became a well-known literary critic.
Published works
Many of Rabbi Ziv's discourses and letters to his students were published in a two-volume work, Hokhmah U-Musar, edited by Rabbi Yeruchom Levovitz and Rabbi Simcha Zissel Halevi LevovitzSimcha Zissel Halevi Levovitz
Simcha Zissel Halevi Levovitz was a rabbi and founder of a yeshiva in Boro Park, Brooklyn.He was born in 1908 in Ozovnet, Lithuania. His father, Musar movement leader Rabbi Yeruchom Levovitz, was then the spiritual director of the Kelm Talmud Torah in Kelme, Lithuania.Simcha Zissel studied in the...
. Additional letters, as well as transcriptions of his words by his disciples, appear in a series of volumes under the title Kitvei Ha-Sabba Mi-Kelm.
An English translation of the opening letters of Hokhmah U-Musar by Rabbi Ira Stone appears in Stone's, A Responsible Life: The Spiritual Path of Musar.