Everyday Holiness:
The Course. Only $199. Register Today

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 Issue

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

As I write this, we are entering the period of the three weeks between seventeenth of Tammuz and the ninth of Av. It’s a sobering time during which we lessen the extent of our rejoicing and set aside time for reflection and mourning over the destruction of both Temples. Traditionally it is understood that the second Temple was destroyed due to sinat chinum, which is often translated as “baseless hatred.” So in my personal Mussar work, I am working on understanding where I might have sinat chinum in my heart and seeking its antidote - ahavat chinam, love of others.

At this time of reflection, the board and teams continue to work on new initiatives. We are working on both ends of the Mussar spectrum – providing a new accessible entry point to Mussar learning for those just beginning their journey and providing new opportunities for study, work and community for those who have been working on their work of a lifetime for years. To those of you who participated in the recent survey, thank you very much for your contribution to our efforts. The results are being used as guidance and input by three different teams.

August will be a particularly exciting month. Alan Morinis will be teaching at CAJE 33 (run by the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education) and at Elat Chayyim. Also, Mussar is going to be the focus on the fall edition of “Reform Judaism,” the magazine of the Reform movement. And before you know it, it will be time for the annual Kallah, which will be at the JCC in Manhattan on Sunday, November 16, preceded by a wonderful Shabbaton – please save the date.

Warm Wishes,

Carol Robinson
Co-President

By Alan Morinis

We come from a tradition that tells us over and over that character is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. Take, for example, something written by Rabbi Menachem Meiri, a scholar and commentator on the Talmud, born in Provencal in France in 1249:

A person’s character is important because it determines whether he will succumb to transgression or perform good deeds. By way of comment, the rabbis said that a person is given a taste in this world of the results of his labor. If he angers easily, his anger will bring him to error and embarrassment in this world. If he is humble, his humility will result in leadership.

His message is that we see the results of our characters in the circumstances of our lives. There may be a final, heavenly reckoning, but we don’t have to wait that long to get our mid-term grades. Life is giving us feedback all along the way, if we pay attention.

Read entire article.

By Shirah Bell, Director of Everyday Holiness Program

Learning From Resentment

We are now entering the period of preparation for the High Holidays. Before Yom Kippur, when we pray for forgiveness as a community, we are instructed to apologize to others for mistakes we’ve made and to inform others that they have hurt us and ask them to apologize.
 
Sometimes I have noticed myself hoping that a particular person would come to me to ask for forgiveness for a wrong I felt they had done to me, and I am disappointed when they do not come to me. I notice that I feel it would be petty of me to make my complaint directly or that making the complaint would make me vulnerable. However, in this frame of mind, I am not able to let go of the resentment. Maybe you have situations in your life like that.

Read entire article.

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

Anonymous
Christopher Bengs
Dana Drukker
Lopez Low Foundation
Dennis Passis
Ellen Rosen
Ellen B. Rosenblum
Shane and Sheldon Stein
Nancy and David Wechsler-Azen
Fran Zimmerman
Stanley Zuckerman

Donations gratefully accepted here.

Alan Morinis, Director of The Mussar Institute, will be a featured speaker in the Masters of Spiritual Intelligence Teleconference series on August 15th at 1:00 pm Eastern time. The series focuses on models of healthy spirituality and the teachings, journeys and transformative techniques of each  Master.

Join Alan as he talks about his own spiritual journey with Rabbi Yaacov Kravitz of the Center for Spiritual Intelligence.

To learn how to sign up for this free series of teleconferences click here.

Chevruta for Inmate

Could you spare an hour or so a month to  exchange letters on Mussar topics with a Jewish man who is  incarcerated in a Maryland prison? He was raised on Mussar by his  beloved Zayde, who was born in Vilna, and he has good knowledge of the 
tradition. He is making a sincere effort to straighten out his life and he sees Mussar studies as important to the future of his soul. Can you do the mitzvah of "redeeming" this prisoner with a bit of your time and attention? Please email alan@mussarinstitute.org if this might be a possibility for you.

Elat Chayyim – August 25-28: Alan will be offering a workshop, "Kabbalistic Mussar for Relationships" at the Jewish retreat center in northwestern Connecticut. For more information: http://isabellafreedman.org/elatchayyim