Posts by Devorah Fuchs

The goal of this Mussar practice is to cause key concepts to penetrate deeply, far more profoundly than intellectual knowledge, to the point where the inherent truth of the concept resonates within one’s life. That is how the concept moves from being information to transformation. The steps or stages have not changed over the centuries.…

The Dr. Sam Axelrad Memorial Scholarship Fund of The Mussar Institute The Dr. Sam Axelrad Memorial Scholarship Fund is intended to make Mussar courses and programs accessible for all worthy Mussar students. A Note from Alan Morinis about the Alexrad Memorial Scholarship Fund: Sam was someone who wanted to include everyone in Mussar study and…

Alan Morinis, Everyday Holiness “It is very heplful to set up a learning partnership with someone else whom you meet with every week or two to learn a text. This is the traditional learning form called chevruta, which is traditional in large part because it is such a very effective way to learn. … Reading…

Dr. Alan Morinis, Founder of The Mussar Institute, is a leading figure in the contemporary revival of the Mussar movement, a 1,100-year-old authentic Jewish personal and communal spiritual tradition that was nearly lost following the Holocaust. A filmmaker, Rhodes Scholar, and anthropologist whose focus had been Hindu religious pilgrimages, he reached a personal turning point…

A va’ad is a unique facilitated group learning environment that is traditional to Mussar. While we learn a great deal on our own, we learn differently with a partner, and differently again when we discuss things with other people, who bring additional experience and perspectives to the issue.  When you work in a va’ad, the main form of interaction…