"Change is hard work. Modifying our attitudes is
something that takes persistence, but my premise is that
everyone can develop and improve their state of mind –
if only they are given the proper tools," explains
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin author of many books on various
areas of self-development.
If anyone would know about hard work and persistence in
the area of personal development, it is certainly
Rabbi Pliskin. His entire life has been devoted to
helping people to help themselves. From his popular
lectures at Aish Hatorah to his innumerable counseling
sessions to his wide selection of books, Rabbi Pliskin
is involved in providing those "proper tools" to
countless numbers of people.
Even as a young boy in Yeshivas
Chofetz Chaim in
Baltimore and then in Telshe Yeshivah in Cleveland,
Rabbi Pliskin was interested in the way people
interacted with each other and how their own attitudes
and characters impacted on those relationships. As he
got older, he began to read extensively on various
aspects of human emotional development.
After their marriage, Zelig and Raizel Pliskin moved to
Israel, where he learned in Brisk for five years. It was
then that he realized that if he wanted to articulate
his ideas to others, he would need to improve his own
communication skills and his vocabulary. And so it was
that he began using his spare time to read – and
memorize! – the English
dictionary.
Apparently his efforts were successful because, when
Aish HaTorah, a world renowned institution that caters
to newcomers to religious Judaism, was first opening and
looking for knowledgeable, charismatic lecturers who
would ensure the success of their fledgling institution,
they turned to Rabbi Pliskin. He began to speak on
various topics of human emotions and interpersonal
relationships.
"Through my interaction with the thousands of people who
come through the doors of Aish HaTorah, I have been able
to pinpoint the areas in which people need to improve,
and the Torah concepts they need to incorporate, in
order to achieve a high quality of life," Rabbi Pliskin
says.
He began to develop a way of thinking based on his
concept that there are four basic aspects that make up
who we are and who we are becoming: our goals, our
personality traits, our self image, and our state of
mind. Thus, he explains, in order to be successful in
life and in our relationships with other people, we have
to set worthwhile yet, realistic goals. We must work on
our
middos at all times and we must maintain a healthy
self-image. But, in his opinion, the most important
thing is that we are in a positive state of mind.
"A positive state of mind is any state that is
resourceful – happy, courageous, kind, or any other
state that allows us to be productive and reach our full
potential, achieve our goals and bring out the best in
others," Rabbi Pliskin elucidates. "Because if someone
is in a non-resourceful state, such as sadness or anger,
he is held back from being successful by his own self."
While he continued lecturing, he began attending
lectures, workshops and international conferences on
human emotions and communication. Eventually, people
were so impressed with his classes and the expanse of
his knowledge and understanding that they began
approaching him for personal counseling. Now, he spends
much of his time providing
marriage counseling and
guidance on individual growth.
"Much of my counseling and advice is based on the idea
that if people take Torah concepts such as happiness or
kindness and work on incorporating them into their
attitude and state of mind, they will really be able to
make an impact on their own lives and the lives of those
with whom they come in contact every day," Rabbi Pliskin
says.
In 1974, the Jewish Observer published an article by
Rabbi Pliskin entitled, The Profile of an Oheiv Yisrael.
That article brought him to the attention of a broader
public, and he was asked to write a book that would
explain the writings of the
Chofetz Chaim. Although he
had never written a book, he undertook the challenge
because the subject was very dear to him – his father
had been a student of the
Chofetz Chaim in Radin and had
written the first biography of his rebbe. The result was
the still widely read and ever-popular book,
Guard Your
Tongue.
Rabbi Pliskin's style of writing, which includes many
real-life examples to illustrate his ideas, was very
helpful to many people. "Seeing the impact of my writing
made me want to continue sharing my ideas with others,"
explains Rabbi Pliskin.
And, fourteen books later – those others are certainly
glad that he did. The first book that he wrote for
ArtScroll, entitled, My Father, My King, describes the
concepts and ideas that our Father, our King wants us to
internalize and integrate into our being. The book is
written from the Almighty's perspective, as if Hashem is
speaking to us.
Rabbi Pliskin's second book, Anger: The Inner Teacher,
is a nine-step practical program that shows how Torah
principles can be used to conquer one's anger, better
understand one's emotions, and gain self-mastery through
patience and serenity.
Next he wrote Marriage, a synthesis of Torah ideas and
practical insights that give the reader the inspiration
and tools to create a more joyous marriage through the
development of his own character.
ArtScroll most recently suggested that he begin a series
of pocket-sized, self-development books. To date, he has
written three books for this series: Happiness,
Kindness, and Courage.
In Happiness, Rabbi Pliskin suggests that our thoughts
and actions can create emotions that enable us to
increase the level of joy in our lives, and thus to live
a positive life. In Kindness, he gives formulas and
insights, including what we can say or do to integrate
kindness into our everyday actions to make a real
difference in our lives and that of the people with whom
we come in contact. In his most recent book, Courage, he
posits that this state of mind is one of the most
valuable inner resources, because it is necessary in
order to accomplish anything – to begin a task, to
continue a job, to grow – nothing will happen without a
significant amount of courage.
Rabbi Pliskin is currently working on the next book in
the PocketScroll™ Series to be called, Patience. "My
hope is that by reading these books people will be able
to take the little bit of happiness, or kindness, or
courage, or patience that they have – because everybody
has a little bit within himself – and be able to focus
on it and see how it can be integrated into more and
more situations, until eventually it will become a part
of him and the way he interacts constantly." |
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