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was more of a nickname than his true one. His external appearance was quite unpleasant; some say even repugnant. However, according to Nerson his knowledge was phenomenal. Nerson, who was known for his sober way to apprehend people and situations, was clearly in a state of excitement as if he would have become an adept of some sect. He strongly recommended to
Levinas to meet Chouchani, but for two years Levinas refused. After all (...) Levinas was quite suspicious as to what this
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looking man could contribute to him. Finally in 1947 Levinas agreed to meet
Chouchani. We know very little about the meeting itself. But there exists a myth. The myth suggests that they met for an entire night, and in the morning Levinas said to Nerson as he was about to leave: "I cannot tell what he
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In 1945 Levinas's closest friend, Dr. Henri Nerson, a Jewish obstetrician, told him about an outstanding and quite bizarre individual he came to know during the years of the war in the area of Vichy. The man was so unusual that even his real name was not known. He used to be called
Chouchani but this
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expositions on the Talmud, which he credits to his "master," manage to be simultaneously traditional and radical in feeling. As a result of his studies with
Chouchani, Levinas saw the ancient text of Talmud and its multiple layers of subsequent commentary not merely as a place where "all that can
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The influence of
Chouchani on Levinas is most strongly felt in Levinas' famous series of Talmudic Readings. Levinas did not acknowledge his influence until late in his life. Levinas was powerfully impressed by Chouchani's total mastery of the texts, commentaries and meta-commentaries, as well as
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For the next five years
Levinas studied at length with Chouchani, alone, with Nerson and in a weekly study group that would study Talmud and which included, in addition to them, a small group of friends. In 1952, Chouchani left France for Israel and came back in 1956 for about six months before
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knows; all I can say is that all that I know, he knows." Be the accuracy of this myth as it may, one fact remains indisputable. From then on, Levinas became interested in the study of Talmud to a point where most of his free time, he would devote to studying it.
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Although there is no known body of works by
Chouchani himself, rumors had circulated for decades about notebooks in Chouchani's handwriting held by various students. In 2020, Prof. Shalom Rosenberg donated close to 100 of these notebooks to the
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methodology. One hallmark of the "Chouchani style" in
Levinas's work is the method by which the interpretation of a text is understood not just by the words of a particular citation, but rather the entire context of that citation. Levinas's
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asserts that
Chouchani's actual name was Hillel Perlman. An article published by Yael Levine in 2015, based on genealogical research, brought documentation supporting the view that Chouchani was none other than Perlman, a native of
69:, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Knowledge (XXG).
223:. Most of the biographical details of Chouchani's life are known from the works and interviews of his various students, as well as anecdotes of people whom he encountered during his lifetime. Chouchani appeared in
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343:(Chapter 10). Wiesel writes that Chouchani was "dirty," "hairy," and "ugly," a "vagabond" who accosted and berated him in Paris in 1947 and then became his mentor. Wiesel wrote of him again in his memoir
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is the nickname of an otherwise anonymous and enigmatic Jewish teacher. His students – found in Israel, South
America, post-World War II Europe, and elsewhere – included
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Not much is known about "Chouchani," including his real name, a secret which he zealously guarded. His origins are completely unknown, and his gravestone (located in
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231:, where he taught between the years of 1947 and 1952. He disappeared for a while after that, evidently spent some time in the newly formed state of
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Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
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179:, where he died in January 1968) reads, "The wise Rabbi Chouchani of blessed memory. His birth and his life are sealed in enigma." The text is by
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For example, David Lang, Yoel Finkelman, and Admiel Kosman, "The Will is Man's Only Propoerty: A Reading of a Short Passage from Mr. Shoshani,"
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By all accounts, Chouchani had the appearance of a vagabond and yet was reputed to be a master of vast areas of human knowledge, including
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David Lang, Yoel Finkelman, and Admiel Kosman, "The Will is Man's Only Property: A Reading of a Short Passage From Mr. Shoshani"
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Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Knowledge (XXG) article at ]; see its history for attribution.
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https://thelehrhaus.com/scholarship/the-will-is-mans-only-property-a-reading-of-a-short-passage-from-mr-shoshani/
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ever be thought has been thought of already," but also as a framework for his reconciliation of
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347:(pp. 121–130). Wiesel credits Chouchani as being one of his most influential teachers.
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514:"A Philosopher in the Eye of the Storm: Monsieur Chouchani and Lévinas's "Nameless" Essay"
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leaving Europe permanently for South America, where he remained until his death in 1968.
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A French journalist named Salomon Malka wrote a 1994 book about him, entitled
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who paid for this gravestone. The name "Shushani," which means "person from
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Chouchani's ability to "widen" the scope of the Talmud using creative,
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hypothesizes that Chouchani's real name was Mordechai Rosenbaum, while
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to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is
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Elie Wiesel described his initial 1947 encounter with Chouchani in
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Talmudic thinker / The loneliness of the ethical philosopher,
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480:'Monsieur Chouchani: L'énigme d'un maître du XXe siècle,'
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The Lost Ones: Monsieur Chouchani - Genie voller Rätsel
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The Lost Ones: Monsieur Chouchani - Genie voller Rätsel
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Monsieur Chouchani: L'énigme d'un maître du XXe siècle
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Le maître et son disciple : Chouchani et Lévinas
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Mister Shushani: The enigma of a 20th century master
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where he lived until his death. He is buried at the
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a machine-translated version of the French article.
585:The Master and his disciple: Chouchani and Lévinas
566:A new website only dedicated to Monsieur Chouchani
549:The Wanderer Who Knew It All - The Shoshani Riddle
365:The Wanderer Who Knew It All - The Shoshani Riddle
235:, returned to Paris briefly, and then left for
398:"the Seforim blog: Rav Kook's Missing Student"
87:accompanying your translation by providing an
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367:. Film by Michael Grynszpan. Israel, 2023
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359:. Film by Mathilde Hirsch. France, 2020
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551:. Film by Michael Grynszpan, 2023.
421:Musaf Shabbat, September 18, 2015.
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493:"Levinas as reader of the Talmud"
537:. Film by Mathilde Hirsch, 2020.
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629:Lithuanian emigrants to Uruguay
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495:. Ghansel.free.fr. 2001-03-06
453:. Carve 850 AM. 5 July 2018.
241:Israelite Cemetery of La Paz
110:Knowledge (XXG):Translation
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253:National Library of Israel
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345:All Rivers Run to the Sea
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516:. AJS Review. 2017-11-21
108:For more guidance, see
261:www.mr-shoshani.org.il
281:Chouchani and Levinas
219:, and especially the
132:[məsjøʃuʃani]
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81:copyright attribution
341:Legends of Our Times
335:Chouchani and Wiesel
276:The Shoshani Riddle.
639:Unidentified people
587:) by Shmuel Wygoda
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499:2013-12-25
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384:References
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217:philosophy
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311:dialectic
204:(Brisk).
173:Canelones
163:Biography
149:Shoshani,
103:talk page
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576:Ha'aretz
372:See also
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141:מר שושני
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