Zelig Pliskin
Encyclopedia
Zelig Pliskin is an Orthodox
rabbi
, writer
, lecture
r, and author
of more than 20book
s, including Guard Your tongue, Love Thy Neighbor, Gateway to Happiness, and Building Your Self-Image and the Self-Image of Others.
The focus of Pliskin's teachings is helping people improve themselves and find happiness. He maintains that there are four basic aspects that make up who we are and who we are becoming:
Most important, Pliskin believes, is that we maintain a positive state of mind
, allowing us "to be productive and reach our full potential, achieve our goals and bring out the best in others."
in Cleveland, Ohio
. After his marriage to Raizel they moved to Israel
and he studied for five years at a Brisk
yeshiva
. He received his degree in Counseling Psychology at the State University of New York
.
Pliskin's father had been a student of the Chofetz Chaim
at the Raduń Yeshiva
in Poland
and had written a biography
of him. In 1974, after writing an article for The Jewish Observer
about the life of the Chofetz Chaim, "The Profile of an Oheiv Yisroel," Zelig Pliskin was asked to write a book explaining the Chofetz Chaim's teachings. The result was his first book Guard Your Tongue.
Several years following Pliskin's move to Israel, the outreach organization Aish HaTorah
asked him to speak on human emotions and relationships
. Pliskin now provides marriage counseling and works with individuals to encourage their personal growth
and improvement
. He remains closely affiliated with Aish HaTorah, and lectures both in Israel and in the United States
.
Pliskin lives in Jerusalem with his family.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
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...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
r, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of more than 20book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s, including Guard Your tongue, Love Thy Neighbor, Gateway to Happiness, and Building Your Self-Image and the Self-Image of Others.
The focus of Pliskin's teachings is helping people improve themselves and find happiness. He maintains that there are four basic aspects that make up who we are and who we are becoming:
- state of mindMental healthMental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
- self imageSelf imageA person's self-image is the mental picture, generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change, that depicts not only details that are potentially available to objective investigation by others A person's self-image is the mental picture, generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change,...
- personality traitsTrait theoryIn psychology, Trait theory is a major approach to the study of human personality. Trait theorists are primarily interested in the measurement of traits, which can be defined as habitual patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion. According to this perspective, traits are relatively stable over...
- goals
Most important, Pliskin believes, is that we maintain a positive state of mind
Attitude (psychology)
An attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of like or dislike for something. Attitudes are generally positive or negative views of a person, place, thing, or event— this is often referred to as the attitude object...
, allowing us "to be productive and reach our full potential, achieve our goals and bring out the best in others."
Biography
Pliskin was born in 1946 in Baltimore, Maryland. As a young boy he attended Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim Talmudical Academy of Baltimore and later studied at the Telshe YeshivaTelshe yeshiva
Telshe yeshiva was a famous Eastern European yeshiva founded in the Lithuanian town of Telšiai. After World War II the yeshiva relocated to Wickliffe, Ohio, in the United States and is currently known as the Rabbinical College of Telshe, It is one of the most prominent Haredi institutions of Torah...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. After his marriage to Raizel they moved to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and he studied for five years at a Brisk
Brisk yeshivas and methods
The Soloveitchik dynasty of rabbinic scholars and their students originated the Brisker method of Talmudic study, which is embraced by their followers in the Brisk yeshivas. It is so called because of the Soloveitchiks' origin in the town of Brisk, or Brest-Litovsk, located in what is now Belarus...
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...
. He received his degree in Counseling Psychology at the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
.
Pliskin's father had been a student of the Chofetz Chaim
Chofetz Chaim
"The Chofetz Chaim" is a book on the Jewish laws of speech written by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan....
at the Raduń Yeshiva
Radun Yeshiva
Raduń Yeshiva, originally located in Raduń, Poland , was established by the Chofetz Chaim in 1869.-Origins:In 1869 when the Chofetz Chaim returned from Vashilyshok to Raduń his first action was to establish a group to whom he could spread the knowledge of Torah...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and had written a biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of him. In 1974, after writing an article for The Jewish Observer
The Jewish Observer
The Jewish Observer is an American Orthodox Jewish magazine published by the Agudath Israel of America.The magazine generally presents a Haredi viewpoint. Published since 1963, it is printed nine months a year; the January and February issues are combined, and there are no issues in July or August...
about the life of the Chofetz Chaim, "The Profile of an Oheiv Yisroel," Zelig Pliskin was asked to write a book explaining the Chofetz Chaim's teachings. The result was his first book Guard Your Tongue.
Several years following Pliskin's move to Israel, the outreach organization Aish HaTorah
Aish HaTorah
Aish HaTorah is a Jewish Orthodox organization and yeshiva. Aish HaTorah is actively pro-Israel and encourages Jewish people to visit Israel and connect to the land and its history. Some consider the organisation to reflect a more Religious Zionist philosophy in its attachment to Israel, promoting...
asked him to speak on human emotions and relationships
Interpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
. Pliskin now provides marriage counseling and works with individuals to encourage their personal growth
Personal development
Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitates employability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations...
and improvement
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
. He remains closely affiliated with Aish HaTorah, and lectures both in Israel and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Pliskin lives in Jerusalem with his family.