 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
In This IssueWelcome Mussar Kallah V was held in Miami Beach a couple of days ago and from all reports, it was a resounding success! If you were there, I hope your heart is still humming from the day’s teaching. And if you weren’t, that when planning your travel for next year, you will consider attending Mussar Kallah VI and immersing yourself in a day of Mussar learning with masters of Jewish spiritual practice. You will surely be glad you attended! On behalf of The Mussar Institute, we would like to thank Jeff Agron, Kallah Chair for his tireless efforts co-coordinating the many tasks that needed attention. Once again we thank our professional event planner, Edina Lessack, for her attention to detail and many thanks to Maralee Joseph who took over the responsibility of handling the book orders. Special thanks to the Kallah committee: Rabbi Micha Berger, Roger Bernstein, David Goldis, Yvette Kassin, Alan Morinis, Bo Sapper, Deborah Steinberg, Henry Wodnicki and Nina Yarus who worked with Jeff on this wonderful day of Mussar learning and community. We also would like to thank the wonderful inspirational teachers who were beacons of guiding lights of Mussar; Shirah Bell, Rabbi Micha Berger, Rabbi Yaacov Haber, Rabbi Zvi Miller, Dr. Alan Morinis, Rebbetzin Esther Reisman, Rabbi Avraham Yachnes, and Rebbetzin Tzippy Yachnes. Again, Yasher Koach to everyone who participated in this year’s Kallah. Please read Jeff’s final report of Kallah V in next month’s newsletter where he will be announcing next year’s Kallah location... And hot on the heels of the Kallah, we are delighted to announce that Everyday Holiness: The Course is now open for registration. This new home learning program is a completely reworked version of our former flagship program, The Course in Mussar I. We’ve totally revamped the course because Alan’s new book , Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar, is now available and will serve as the text for the course. The new course is the practical, hands-on, guided method to bring the Mussar teachings in the book into your own life to maximum effect. We’ve put a unit of the course online for you to explore <link>. Visit <info link> for more information about Everyday Holiness: The Course. As soon as you register for this outstanding introductory course in Mussar, we’ll get your learning and practice going right away.
P.S. If you have completed The Course in Mussar I and are wondering what comes next, we will be offering The Course in Mussar II again in October, though under a new name: The Path of the Soul. By Alan Morinis Today we count the 28th day of the Omer. The Jewish tradition of counting the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot traces to the Torah and marks the harvest festivities that were observed in Israel when the Temple stood in Jerusalem. Tradition tells us that the 49 days of the Omer trace out a spiritual
journey to elevate the soul. After all, the 50th day is when we come
to Mt. Sinai and receive the Torah. Day by day for 49 days, we climb
to those supernal heights of revelation. And so you might wonder what
is the step for today? What stage of the journey should we expect to
traverse on day 28? Read
entire article. We ha’ve launched our new home learning program in Mussar: Everyday Holiness: the course, based on the book, Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar, by Alan Morinis, that is now on bookstore shelves everywhere. Shirah Bell leads the course. If you have read either of Alan’s books on Mussar or have an
urge to explore the wise guidance that the Jewish tradition offers
to help you live a fulfilled and happy life, then Everyday
Holiness: The Course is your open doorway. Read
more about this course. By David Gottlieb Our tradition is replete with examples of leaders who, to slightly misquote Shakespeare, have leadership thrust upon them. From Noah to Joseph to Moses to Saul, these leaders seem to look over their shoulders, then back at God and say: "Who – me?". I have had a similar reaction to the opportunities I’ve had
to share in leading Jewish educational and communal activity in Chicago.
I’ve had the privilege of learning with Alan Morinis and the
Mussar Institute for about five years now, and my goal has been to
increase my Jewish literacy and enliven my Jewish practice. Mussar
work has dovetailed nicely with the meditative practices I already
employ, but it also provides a constant reminder to bring the qualities
we cultivate into the world and into practice at every opportunity. Read
entire article . By Roger M. Bernstein We ascended to the top tier, the fourth level, for the inaugural performance
of the Cleveland Orchestra in Miami’s new performing arts center.
We sat in our two chairs, all the way forward on the left side. I had
to look straight down and I could see only the conductor’s platform
and no more than 15 percent of the stage. The usher apologized; the
Orchestra requested that the sound baffle be lowered to improve the
acoustics and as a result, we were looking at the top of the baffle. The Spiritual Benefits of Chevruta Rabbi Chalafta taught, “If two sit together and are engaged in the study of the Torah, the presence of God comes to rest between them.” To volunteer to be chevruta to a new student, click here. Studying in chevruta is a time-honored, traditional Jewish
model of learning. As those of you who have been chevruta in
Mussar study know, it is a rich way to learn and integrate the teachings
into your everyday life. By explaining the text to each other, raising
questions, and relating it to our lives, we learn both intellectually
and experientially. In last month’s newsletter we invited advanced
students to be chevruta to new students and here I’d
like to share some of the spiritual benefits to encourage your participation. Read
on. ANNOUNCEMENTS Donations The Mussar Institute gratefully acknowledges the following donations this
month:
If you were at the Mussar Kallah this year, you’ll want to have the recordings, and if you didn’t make it, you can still enjoy the sessions because the CD's of Mussar Kallah V in Miami will be available for purchase on The Mussar Institute Website. To purchase audio cd's from previous Mussar Kallah events, click here.
EVENTS Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar, Alan Morinis’s latest book, is being launched on May 8, 2007 – we wish Alan a Yasher Koach and much success on his 6 month book tour! Click here to purchase the book now. During the month of May, look for Alan in the following cities.
For further details of each city, please refer to his calendar: www.mussarinstitute.org/schedule-classes. Check to see when Alan is going to be speaking in your area. |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Recordings
for Mussar Kallah V 
