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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 – Jeff Agron “Why Is This Board Different?” In past issues of Yashar, I have written about the restructured Board of Directors of and what I term the “new” Mussar Institute 2.0. This is an organization that seeks to further spread the teachings and practices of Mussar to an even wider audience. The new Board seeks to accomplish this work by examining every aspect of what we offer and how we deliver our content. Much of this sounds like a traditional business model applied to a spiritual and religious endeavor. But this Board is different. How so? Because we are not just running the business of TMI, but we are charged with doing so in a way that embodies the principles and teachings of Torah. The official declaration of Board roles states that: The Mussar Institute is an incorporated entity that is governed by all the rules and conventions typical of organizations, but it is also distinctive from the norm in that it is the vehicle for dissemination of a body of spiritual teachings, and as such, the workings of the organization must embody and represent the best of those teachings. Our individual Board members are not just people who are charged with specific business tasks within the organization, but they are people whose lives have been affected in some substantial way by Mussar and the work of TMI and Alan Morinis. Each Board member is engaged in his or her own Mussar practice. In addition, in the upcoming Jewish month of Elul, the Board will begin its own program of Mussar study and practice. It will do so not solely as individuals, but as a community of learners and leaders. As a Board, we recognize that in order to be doing the work of TMI, we also need to be living and embodying Torah and Mussar. We need to be growing as individuals and as a Board. The work of the Board is holy work; therefore, the Board needs always to be striving for holiness in all that it does. Our Board is guided by the acknowledgment that we not only serve the corporate entity, but that we serve HaShem. Our statement of Board roles further enumerates that: There are principles that apply to all members of the board of directors and the execution of their roles, as well as to the processes of the organization:
My hope is that you, our supporters and friends, find that this Board is fulfilling both its corporate and spiritual responsibilities. Jeff Agron By Alan Morinis As the fuel crisis deepens, we will turn more and more to electric cars. This seems at first glance to be an unalloyed good, as we will get around using a fuel that is abundant, cheap and clean. But there is a problem with electric vehicles: blind people can’t see them, and they purr so quietly that the blind also can’t hear them approaching. Isn’t this like our own condition with Rosh Hashanah only four weeks away? Can you see it coming? Can you hear its approach? Or has spiritual blindness dulled you to the holy opportunity that will soon be at hand? By Shirah Bell, Director of Everyday Holiness Program Preparing to Stand Before The Holy One Today begins Elul, the month before Rosh Hashanah, when we are told to get serious about reviewing our past year, the errors we’ve made, the actions we didn’t take, and the promises we’ve not fulfilled. Mussar gives us tools to help us take stock and prepare ourselves throughout the year. A midrash in Bereishit Rabbah (11:16) teaches that when we are refining and improving ourselves, we are in concert with the Divine Plan. With that notion in mind, I have three recommendations. The Mussar Institute depends on the generosity of supporters. Please consider making a donation to honor someone or to remember a loved one.
Donations gratefully accepted here. Website Offers Mussar Chanting Instructions Many people have asked us about the Mussar practice of chanting (hitpa'alut, or hispailus), an innovation of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, which focuses on creating emotional fervor to achieve transformation. Rabbi Zvi Miller has recently launched a website which offers instruction in this practice. Please visit http://salantfoundation.org/index.php/sf-chanting-room.html New Mussar Groups New Mussar groups are forming all the time. Here’s an update of the newest to form and how to contact them:
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