TAPESTRY: MUSSAR THROUGH A WOMAN'S LENS

A Mussar Course Written and Delivered by Women

In response to the desire in the community to experience Mussar in a way that addresses a more inclusive approach, we have created an all-new course by and for women, with an open door to men. Tapestry has been in development for more than a year! 

Tapestry will include va'ad and chevruta sessions over Zoom as well as independent study and practice assignments. It is only open to four va'adim so registration is capped at 40. Two groups will be reserved for women only, so please indicate your preference when you register. 

וְיָדַעְתָּ֣ הַיּ֗וֹם וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ֮ אֶל־לְבָבֶ֒ךָ֒

Know it today and bring it into your heart...

[Devarim 4:39]

 

The intention for Tapestry expands beyond traditional Mussar texts. With Tapestry, you will experience a broader, more inclusive focus as our Mussar community of spiritual seekers engage with the middot ‘through a woman’s lens,’ in study and experiential learning.

Throughout Tapestry, we open ourselves into a feminine approach to the inner life and the larger world by offering interpretations made by women, who bring with them their fullest selves—body, mind, heart, soul—to create a vibrant and colorful ‘Tapestry of Being in the World.’

Tapestry explores the following middot: Charitzut v'Behira / Decisive Choice Making, and Zerizut / Action-based Enthusiasm, as well as integration of the learning into lived experience.

The Mussar approach seeks to integrate intellectual learning with our hearts to motivate our outlooks and behaviors.  In this course, we will seek to actualize our potential and access it through our practice to bring our own inner truths into action. This is:

 "an invitation to being open to the possibility that our own experience of God may develop, deepen, and change over the course of our lives. Our lives may take many turns down a circuitous route. We are multifaceted. If we are created in God’s image, then God must be diverse and multifaceted too - for we are a reflection of our Creator. What beckons each of us is the moment in which we live to feel and to experience God integrated in our lives. Our Souls long for God, and God may long for us as well.”

 - Because My Soul Longs for You, Edited by Edwin C Goldberg and Rabbi Elaine S Zecher, CCAR Press, 2021, pp. xiii -xiv

 

Mussar is an act of discipline; an ongoing practice of commitment and connectedness to one's self and others and to the Divine Presence. 

Mussar provides us with a system of reminders and accountability. Integrating middot into the daily-ness of our lives leads us to the spiritual nature of our choice-making and its fulfillment, illuminating our accountability to ourselves, others, and the Divine Presence.

REGISTER FOR COURSE

Requirement

  • Completion of least one of the following va'ad-based courses: SOM I and II or Pathway I-III or relevant experience by exception.
  • Proficiency in Hebrew is not required.

Duration, Dates & Times

  • 5 va'ad meetings, 5 chevruta meetings over 10 weeks.

Modalities

  • Va'ad and chevruta components, assigned practices

Dates

  • Co-Ed Va'ad: Facilitator: Helaine Sheias, Sundays, 1-2:30 p.m. ET, 3/5-4/30/23 (Course Filled)
  • Women Only Va'ad: Facilitator: Nancy Weiss, Tuesdays, 7-8:30 p.m. ET, 3/21-5/16/23 (Two Spots Left)

Tuition

  • $150 Chaverim; $180 non-Chaverim

Registration

  • Open

Authors

Helaine Sheias

Helain rev 300 x 400 clear

Helaine Sheias, Ph.D., made Aliyah to Israel in her teens, served in the IDF, and settled in Israel for more than two decades. She is a graduate of The Mussar Institute Yesod Facilitator Training Program and Manchim Advanced Facilitator Training. She has facilitated many TMI courses for the past three years guiding people to the sacred place within where unity integrates all polarities. This process facilitates circles of transformation and change by modeling spiritual awakening, and self-reflexive learning, or Hitlamdut.

Nancy Weiss

Nancy Weiss (2)

Nancy Weiss is the director of TMI's Manchim Advanced Facilitator Training Program which she co-wrote with Alan Morinis, Founder. She is a depth psychotherapist, spiritual director, and is dedicated to helping others discover unique pathways to their soul’s expression. She serves on the Mussar Institute Facilitator Council. A collage artist, poet, and SoulCollage® facilitator, Nancy guides people in bringing an expressive voice to the Mussar traits and spiritual principles. Her collage art appears in Midrashic Mirrors, which illustrates the richness of creating art to reflect the essence of each Torah portion.