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By Modya Silver I’ve been thinking a lot these last 12 months about the role of community in my life. When I think about our community here at The Mussar Institute, a community of well over 3,500 souls, it fills me with joy to think that we are all connecting at various levels, at various times in such a meaningful way. There is no higher calling than soul growth, and, as I’m coming to appreciate more, soul growth within community. One of the founders of the Mussar movement, the Alter of Kelm, speaks about community when looking at all of creation. In “Chochmah U’Mussar,” he says “the individual creations throughout the entire world join together to fulfill the Divine Will.” It suggests that alone we can do great work, but to fulfill Divine Will we must be united. We couple that with a teaching from Reb Yisrael Salanter that says “my spiritual needs are the material needs of my neighbor.” Not only do I need to see the unification of my entire community as a necessary element, but I have to know that my concern for the material needs of my community is the appropriate focus. I say this because in my fast-paced life, I sometimes forget just how important it is to lift my head up and see how I can help someone else at a simple level, the level of their most pressing need. I have a friend who broke her leg and I need to pick up groceries for her. I have a neighbor who lives alone and just had a terrible car accident and needs cooked meals delivered and I’m sure a little company. The list is endless, but these practical acts are the acts of Mussar, the acts of our community, and must be done. Looking at our own community here at The Mussar Institute, I consider it a blessing to be on the Board because it allows me to consider how to foster greater connection. We are a dispersed community and the thread binding together many of the 3,500 people is Alan Morinis, our spiritual mentor. Beyond Alan though, there are many, many volunteers who behind the scenes run the administration and build, launch and manage new courses and offerings with a view to building and supporting community. Our focus on distance learning courses has rapidly been complemented with a focus on local Mussar learning groups and more programs to meet more nuanced needs. In January we will launch three new programs (Middah a Month , Reshet and Kiyyum) that you should receive details about soon. You’ll see that with these programs we’re pushing the boundaries to deliver opportunities to you in new ways. |
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