Mussar Institute - Through a Mussar Lens

By Alan Morinis

Sometimes, it seems that personal spiritual life is in conflict with action we might take on behalf of the community. We can be so busy saving the world that we have no time for the inner life, or, conversely, we can be so intent on our own spiritual growth that we step right over the person lying in our path who needs us.

The Alter of Novarodok, Rabbi Yosef Yozel Hurwitz, addressed this issue in the late 19th century. He sees no conflict:

"When one becomes a community servant and an attendant upon the seekers of wholeness, the proper character reactions are dictated by the demands of the situation. The community thus serves to assign the proper bounds to all of his character traits and enables him to act confidently, without misgiving, secure in the knowledge that his actions are being motivated not by self-interest but by the nature of the circumstances."

I draw from the Alter to make this point because I am about to ask for your help, and I want you to see that in offering some of your time and effort, you will surely be helping others at the same time as advancing on your own spiritual path.

You’ll be interested to know that there are Mussar groups currently meeting in Ann Arbor, Chicago, Dallas, Pittsburgh, San Francisco (2), Sacramento, Eureka, Eugene, New York, Brooklyn, Toronto, Vancouver (3), Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, Baltimore as well as in virtual space. The thirst for Jewish spiritual wisdom and guidance grows, and we are nothing but grateful that we have a tradition to call on, to explore and to practice.

Growth brings with it challenges, and so a group met in Oakland, Calif., in late January to strategize on how we can not only meet the existing demand for Mussar, but also fan the sparks of interest into veritable flames of spirit. The total number of groups I listed above comes to 19. That’s a lot, yet how many Jewish communities are there? How many synagogues? How many JCCs? How many individual souls who do not belong to a Jewish institution? How much more is there to do?

At our meetings, we entertained the possibility of tackling the future by raising funds and hiring staff. That is a traditional and, I’d say, a good idea (in my humble opinion, since I am the one who proposed it), but it isn’t the only way and in the give and take of discussion, another path emerged. Instead of pushing for money, we are going to create teams of people to engage with each of our programs, to take ownership and to steer that program to greater success. I am inviting you to step forward to join in this effort.

A community of spiritual seekers has emerged who have commitment to the way of Mussar. If you have been touched by what Mussar has to offer us in our lives, you are part of this community. Rather than see our community as an audience and potentially a source of resources, we have chosen to see you as leaders, as links in the chain of tradition that reaches back in Jewish history through the centuries. As the Mussar community of today, we hold collective responsibility to fashion a contemporary version of Mussar that will serve present and future generations. We have received this tradition as a gift from generations past, and we want you to be a partner in the mission to ensure that future generations have even greater access to Jewish spiritual wisdom.

I am inviting you to offer some of your time for a limited period in one of several projects. We need you to help us refine our distance learning programs, or to assist in the creation of a new program for synagogues, or one for teens. We need you to help us fundraise (because we still will need funds for our activities, though not as much as we would need if people had listened to me). We need your ideas and strengths to help us make more people aware of our offerings (call it marketing, if you will). We need you to help us plan and put on the annual Mussar Kallah (especially if you are in New York, where the Kallah will take place on November 23rd).

Don’t be concerned about where you might or might not fit. Just hold this invitation in your heart for a few moments, and then respond to me to express your willingness to serve. Together, we’ll figure out the right role for you. And don’t be concerned about the responsibility – every committee will be headed by a Mussar Institute board member or very senior student.

Hearkening back to the Alter of Novarodok’s teaching, I welcome you to cultivate your traits of generosity, responsibility, and compassion by stepping forward to help. And if you immediately come up with all the reasons you can’t, I invite you to take a careful look at that discouraging voice. Could that be your yetzer ha’ra, who recognizes instantly the spiritual value in this engagement and so jumps to throw a stumbling block in the way?

As the Alter tells us, “The only true index of to the proper function of character is community service” and “Far from militating against self-improvement, community service furthers it.”

Come, let’s create a great spiritual future. I look forward to hearing from you.

Alan

Note: All quotations are from To Turn the Many to Righteousness”(Feldheim).

Donate Here - Find tzedaka boxes like this and more at Alljudaica.com, your source for quality Judaica and books.

Learn about the Mussar Insitute.

Find out when Alan will be in your community