Elul 5782: Tzelem Elokim

Elul leads us into Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, and so Mussar students of past generations found in Elul an opportunity to deepen and focus their spiritual practice. Everyone had Elul on their minds because they wanted to use every precious moment of this month to delve within, take stock, and reach higher.

In the city of Suvalk, as the days of Elul clicked by, businesses would begin closing earlier every day to ensure that the townspeople were free to spend their days in spiritual preparation for the approaching holy days. In fact, the month's name was used as a verb, as people asked one another “Vi Elult’zich?” which translates as “How’s it Eluling for you?”

To help ensure that your Eluling goes well for you this year, we offer our Chaverim an intensive course in Mussar learning and practice based on the Tomer Devorah/Palm Tree of Deborah by Rabbi Moshe Cordovero.

Program

• Weekly webinar, “Beit Midrash” style, featuring teaching and texts from six different teachers (Live/Zoom)
• Weekly chants, meditations, journaling prompts, additional texts, and kabbalot (TMI Website with private access for Chaverim)
• Weekly emails with links for the webinar and the primary source text for the week. (Sent prior to the webinar)

Webinars

• 8/28, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. ET - Introduction to Tzelem Elokim by Avi Fertig, Director of Mussar
• 9/4, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. ET - Savlanut/Patience: Bearing the Burden of Another’s Wronging You, R. Ya'acov Haber
• 9/11, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. ET - Selicha/Forgiveness  R. Amy Eilberg
• 9/18, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. ET - Ahavah/Love: Feeling at One with the Other, Alan Morinis, Founder
• 9/22, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. ET - Hakpada and Rachamim/Resentment and Compassion, R. Micha Berger
• 10/2, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. ET - Chesed and Eiyen Tova/Lovingkindness and Generous Eye: Looking for the good in others. Helaine Sheias, Assistant Director of Programming