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In This Issue

Welcome – Carol Robinson
Through A Mussar Lens – By Alan Morinis
Everyday Holiness: The Course – By Shirah Bell
Donations
Upcoming Events and Announcements

I have been reminded of the fragility of life since I last wrote. From the global – the Myanmar cyclone and the earthquake in China – to the personal – the unexpected death of a friend – I’ve faced again the mix of the sweet and bitter that is life.

Tonight with one of my chevrutah partners we discussed bitachon (trust). Our discussion reinforced the idea that responding with bitachon is more than a concept; it also requires action.

I don’t think it was a coincidence that for the first time ever, without intending to do so, I scheduled a meeting with my second chevrutah in the same location directly afterwards (and indeed my two chevrutahs met for the first time). The middah on which my second chevrutah and I are working is stinginess and its companion, generosity. Again a coincidence? I think not. Bitachon is a call to action and generosity is an action that can answer the call.

So how am I responding to loss and sadness? One way is through tzedakah, to honor the memory of my friend and to help those in need. Words from my bat mitzvah Torah portion, which I just reread a few weeks ago, remind me that this is an obligation: “You shall not stand idly by [when] the life of your fellow [is in danger];” “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Kedoshim 19:16 and Kedoshim 19:18)

By the time you read this message, the crisis in Myanmar and China may have passed, but in truth there are always opportunities to be generous, not just with money, but also with time and emotions. Let us keep in mind Rabbi Tarfon’s teaching: “It is not incumbent upon us to complete the task. But neither are you free to desist from it.” By doing so, together we bring us closer to “letaken olam bemalchut shaddai” (“to perfect the world in G-d’s image”).

Carol Robinson
Co-President

By Alan Morinis

We are now between the festivals of Pesach and Shavuot, a period during which it is traditional to study Pirkei Avot [The Chapters of the Fathers]. Pirkei Avot focuses on spiritual ethics and character, and has been selected for study now by our sages because it provides just the help we need to ready ourselves to be worthy to receive the Torah, as we do on Shavuot.

I’d like to learn just one mishnah from Pirkei Avot with you (2:13). I see this one as a very important Jewish teaching because it expresses a fundamental principle of spiritual living for us to consider and embrace.

Read entire article.

By Shirah Bell, Director of Everyday Holiness Program

The Mussar Masters tell us that acquiring yir’ah is a crucial underpinning for the practice of Mussar. English translations for yir’ah are problematic. Fear/ awe/ reverence are words which, in combination, may point to or hint at its meaning in the Hebrew. Our teacher, Rabbi Micha Berger, wrote about yir’ah in the Everyday Holiness class Forum. He called it "awareness of the magnitude – pointing to the emotional stance which fuels both fear and awe.

Read entire article.

The Mussar Institute depends on the generosity of supporters, and gratefully acknowledges the following donations this month:

Anonymous
Anonymous
Susanna Henley
Lucy Schmeidler
Avery Sanger
Sam Finnerman
Jeffrey Agron

Donations gratefully accepted here.

Mussar Kallah 2008 
Sunday, November 16th
New York

We have changed the date of the Mussar Kallah to avoid conflicting with the New York marathon, and can now confirm a final date.

This annual gathering of students and teachers of Mussar and anyone interested in Jewish spiritual practice is now set for Sunday, Nov. 16 at the JCC in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave., from 9 am to 5 pm.

The Kallah will bring together seasoned teachers from a wide area who would otherwise be inaccessible. It thus offers a unique opportunity to learn from those who are bearers of one of the finest traditions of spirituality in the Jewish world. 

The preceding Friday and Saturday, November 14-15, is a Shabbaton open to anyone coming in from out of town, or who has done at least one Mussar Institute course. 

Save the date. More details will be available soon.