 |
||||||||
|
 |
|
||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
Dedicating an issue of Yashar is a meaningful way to honor the memory of a loved one, to celebrate a joyful occasion or milestone. For details on sponsorship, please contact info@mussarinstitute.org. In This IssueWelcome - By Carol Robinson Welcome to this month’s issue of Yashar. Next month, March 2008, will mark five years since Alan Morinis began offering Mussar courses by distance learning through email and the Internet. In that time, hundreds of students have completed distance-learning courses through The Mussar Institute. Many of you have shared with us your gratitude for the spiritual growth you’ve experienced not just from studying Mussar but also from living it. Numbers...hundreds of students, five years of classes, one year since the first strategic plan was approved, and the start of a new (secular) year. It is a good time to reassess TMI’s vision and activities, and so the board is embarking on a process of strategic planning. When I wrote in December, I invited you to share your ideas about what a Mussar community means to you and ways that you can contribute to building it. Now I would like to issue a broader invitation...to share your thoughts and ideas about the future of TMI and how to propagate Mussar practice and living. Send them to me at caroljr@alamedanet.net. This month I am concentrating on the middah of atzlut – laziness. “The Path of the Just “ warns “there is no danger like that of procrastination; every second that one delays creates an opportunity for all types of hindrances.” I don’t feel lazy; in fact, I feel like I don’t have time to be lazy! But procrastination – I definitely can relate to procrastination in both my secular and spiritual life. So don’t procrastinate. Send us your thoughts about what TMI does well and what we should consider doing differently. Let us know how you can contribute to the future, not necessarily financially (though that’s always welcome), but by your contribution of your talent and time. If not now, when? (Pirkei Avot 1:14) Carol Robinson By Alan Morinis This February edition of Yashar comes to you on the 25th of Shevat, 5768. This date on the Hebrew calendar marks the 125th anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, who founded the Mussar Movement in Lithuania in the 19th century. I have recently been giving a lot of thought to the life story of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, for reasons I will get to in a moment. R’ Yisrael was born as Yisrael Lipkin in Zhagory, Lithuania. The year was 1810. After his marriage at age 23, he settled in the town of Salant, where he came under the influence of Rabbi Yosef Zundel, who directed him into the study of Mussar. R’ Yisrael took the name Salanter after his time in that town. By Shirah Bell, Director of Everyday Holiness Program In a recent teleclass students addressed the question, "What are the obstacles we encounter when trying to bring our personal learning to our family and communities?" I gave an example: My husband, who does much of his work in his home office, will call me over to look at something on the Internet. “I’ll come later, I’m busy right now,” I frequently respond. Sometimes I say it kindly; often I’m impatient and sometimes rude. The Mussar Institute depends on the generosity of supporters, and gratefully acknowledges the following donations this month:
Donations gratefully accepted here. A Season of Mussar groups have just started in Ann Arbor, Michigan and in Dallas, Texas . It is not too late to join. Those interested should contact Roann Altman in Ann Arbor roann@umich.edu or Rabbi Herbert Cohen in Dallas rabbiherbcohen@sbcglobal.net. To find out how to get a Mussar group started in your community, send an inquiry to info@mussarinstitute.org. For more information on A Season of Mussar click here. |
|
|
||||
