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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 – Carol Robinson The New York City Mussar Kallah was another wonderful success. The teachers and the participants together created an environment of learning and spiritual growth and connection. We hope participants share Mussar learning and work in your home communities. The board of the Mussar Institute met after the Kallah, and I’m pleased to report that some of our planning efforts are close to fruition. Registration for Path of the Soul http://www.mussarinstitute.org/learning-course2.htm and Mussar in Action http://www.mussarinstitute.org/learning-seniors.htm is now open, and classes will start in January. Because of the proliferation of Mussar groups, we felt the need to give people seeking to engage with Mussar the benefit of a trained group leader. To meet that need, we have created a group leader’s training program called Manchim. This is a three-week home-study program (with chevruta and va'ad) followed by a six-month support period during which trainees are to lead their first Mussar groups. We are delighted that the first session is full to capacity. If you are interested in participating in a future session, contact us at info@mussarinstitute.org. We will also be initiating an ongoing Mussar program called Middah-A-Month for those who have completed all or some of the current courses. You’ll hear more about these opportunities before the end of the year. Also in this special issue of Yashar, we are focusing on the role Mussar is Lastly, a special thank you to everyone who donated during our first High Holiday campaign. The Mussar Institute is a small non-profit with limited financial resources. Your donations, and the time and energy of our volunteers, are what make TMI’s efforts possible. Todah Rabbah. Carol Robinson By Alan Morinis The only difference between the scene at the California Women’s Prison in Chino and a movie set is that this one is real, and the women don’t go home at the end of the day. I was there recently to address a Mussar group, and I was nervous because I had never been inside a prison before. What would it be like? What would they be like? By Shayna Lester, Director of Everyday Holiness Program One of the great blessings of my life journey is working with incarcerated Jewish women as a volunteer chaplain and a spiritual director. Whenever I walk into the chapel, I feel as if I am on holy ground. A sanctuary has been created where Jewish women can learn about Judaism through classes, prayer, music, and community as well as weekly Shabbat services and holidays. This year we built a beautiful Sukkah, a rarity I believe in most prisons. “[A]fter a man is born, great effort is required to raise him. And just as he needs training for his body, so he needs even greater training for his soul, to perfect his wisdom and to understand which are the right paths.” Introduction to Orchot Tzaddikim Where deficient training has left an adult “steeped in the depth of defective traits,” he “must polish his mind to distinguish between the good and the evil, the impure and the pure, and habituate himself to Divine service until the positive traits are implanted and embedded in his heart.” Introduction to Orchot Tzaddikim 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. January Course Registration Now Open Registration is now open for the two higher-level distance learning courses offered by The Mussar Institute:
New Mussar Groups A new Mussar group has formed in Toms River Can you fund the purchase of a copy of Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path to Mussar to help someone in prison learn Mussar and improve himself or herself? Every $20 you donate will buy one copy of the book (including postage) and will be a great gift to help an inmate redeem his or her soul. Study Buddy Behind Bars Can you be a chevruta to an inmate? We continue to get letters from prisoners requesting study partners. That means receiving and writing letters to someone in jail who is searching in their soul. This has proven to be a very rewarding experience for those of us who have done it. How about you? To inquire or sign up to receive a study buddy behind bars, please email Debra Cohn at debracohn@charter.net. Workshop With Alan Alan will be leading a Mussar workshop at Am Kolel's retreat center, The Sanctuary, in Bealsville, MD, December 12-14. For more information contact 301-349-2799 or info@sanctuaryretreatcenter.com. Editor’s Note: Welcome to a new feature, which will run periodically, that links readers to recent news articles about Mussar in the media. If you see an article about Mussar, please let us know by sending us the link at info@mussarinstitute.org JTNews.net
The Humboldt Beacon (Calif)
Washington Jewish Week
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