A Responsible Life: The Spiritual Path of Mussar by Ira F. Stone, is generally disappointing. Mussar is a system or program of Jewish ethics and behavior developed, mainly, by Lithuanian Jews in the nineteenth century.
Stone’s work revolves around the writings of Rabbi Simcha Zissel (died 1898) who Stone quotes quoting a passage from Mishnah Avot: “Our Sages taught: one of the methods by which the Torah is acquired is by bearing the burden with our fellows.” Bearing the burden with our fellows, and variations on this phrase, is the axis of Stone’s book.
I’d like to say that this focal point gives the reader some traction, as Stone explores the ramifications of this phrase and what it means for our lif life and behavior. But Stone, despite exploring these words in different contents, offers a very dry and uninspiring prose. The author gets lost in over analysis, high concepts, and dullness.
So, sharing the burden with our fellows sounds like a very unpleasant thing from my read of Stone’s version of mussar. It makes me want to avoid my fellows.
Stone’s work revolves around the writings of Rabbi Simcha Zissel (died 1898) who Stone quotes quoting a passage from Mishnah Avot: “Our Sages taught: one of the methods by which the Torah is acquired is by bearing the burden with our fellows.” Bearing the burden with our fellows, and variations on this phrase, is the axis of Stone’s book.
I’d like to say that this focal point gives the reader some traction, as Stone explores the ramifications of this phrase and what it means for our lif life and behavior. But Stone, despite exploring these words in different contents, offers a very dry and uninspiring prose. The author gets lost in over analysis, high concepts, and dullness.
So, sharing the burden with our fellows sounds like a very unpleasant thing from my read of Stone’s version of mussar. It makes me want to avoid my fellows.
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