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By Shoshana Litman Mussar Leaders in Our Midst Months go by when I convince myself that it is fine to learn and practice Mussar on my own. I keep a daily Cheshbon HaNefesh (accounting of the soul) diary, choose a new middah (soul trait) every two weeks, practice kabbalos (exercises I take on) to bring the middot home, and compose simple tunes for affirmative verses gleaned from related texts to bring everything together. That seems like enough to keep me in line. Besides, I’ve taken most of the Mussar Institute’s on-line programs so I should know what to do by now and I’m way too busy to initiate a group here in our small coastal community at the edge of the Jewish world. Then someone from the community – a Rabbi, a Rebbetzin, a Hebrew teacher – asks me to teach or organize a Mussar course, and I jump to respond as if my life depended on it. In a way, it does. My spiritual life, that is. Once things get rolling I realize why. The learning that occurs in the company of other souls attracted to this type of inquiry is more powerful than anything I could ever do on my own. I feel cleansed and rejuvenated through the sharing of this material and have found that those who participate are all leaders in their own right. You can see this for yourself in the words of my generous Hebrew teacher, Hadar Thirlwell, who introduced and hosted our first Mussar Reading Group session in March. “One member of our group is a talented pianist and singer, who first told me about Alan’s talk in Victoria, BC, three years ago. She purchased Climbing Jacob’s Ladder for me when I couldn’t attend the presentation so I have a very nice dedication from Alan. Another participant, besides being the best hairdresser in the world, astonishes me with her desire and persistence at learning Hebrew, Jewish tradition and practices of Torah. Shoshana teaches by example with her humble ways and deep soul connection to Torah. So with one member’s quest for knowledge and another’s previous study of Jacob’s Ladder, the idea to ask Shoshana to teach us came up. Blessedly, Shoshana agreed to teach so here we are and may we all go from strength to strength.” We have followed the Mussar Reading Group with a Season of Mussar and are still learning together. Perhaps in the future we can become a Chavura, a group of spiritual friends who continue to meet with the institute’s ongoing support and blessings. With the help of HaShem, this will be a first for our city, an externally beautiful place with one more jewel of internal sweetness to add to its growing collection of spirited learning opportunities. . |
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