Mussar on one foot:
Mussar is a Jewish form of self-improvement. For an overview, see: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-musar-movement/
What’s the essence of Judaism?
Context: This comes from the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat. The rabbis are discussing whether or not you can extinguish a flame on Shabbat for the comfort of a sick person (answer: yes). Some texts are cited to support the rabbi’s opinions, and this leads to other stories about those texts. Finally, after a story in which a rabbi was very patient with a student, we get 3 stories about Rabbi Hillel, of which this is the most famous.
According to Rabbi Hillel, what was more important - how we interact with others or the rituals of Judaism?
So how do I know how to interact with others?
The straight path is the mean disposition found in each and every tendency of all the human tendencies. Such tendency is removed from both extremes an equal distance, and is not nearer to one than to the other. Therefore have the wise men of yore commanded that man should ever review his tendencies, (Sotah, 5b. C.) estimate them, and direct them toward the middle-path so that he will be sound in body. How may one do it? He should not be an excitable person, easily angered; nor like the dead without feelings, but adopt a middle-course, not to become indignant, save only at something big which is worthy enough to be angry at, so that the like should not be done another time. Likewise shall he not crave for aught save the things which the body requires, and without which it is impossible to be, as the subject is spoken of: "The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul" (Pro. 13.25). Likewise shall he not continue to fatigue himself in his affairs, save to acquire what is necessary for him to live on for the time being as the subject is mentioned, saying: "A little that a righteous man hath is better" (Ps. 47.16). He should not be too close-fisted, nor yet squander his money, but give tzedakah within the means of his hand, and lend accordingly to the needy. He should not be too optimistic and playful, nor too pessimistic and mournful, but spend all of his days in good cheer and with a pleasant countenance. So should he measure all the rest of his tendencies. And this path is the path of the wise men. Every man whose tendencies are mean tendencies of the middle-course, is called wise.
Context: This is from the Mishneh Torah, written by Maimonides (1135-1204), a.k.a. The Rambam. The Rambam’s main job was physician to the Sultan, and in his spare time he set out to answer the question “What should a Jew do?” He did this mostly by reorganizing the thoughts of the Talmud, but also adding his own knowledge 600 years later. This part of the Mishneh Torah is called “Human Dispositions”. In it, Maimonides is being influenced by Aristotle’s idea of “the golden mean”. For example, too much courage is recklessness, and too little courage is cowardice.
What do you think one should do if they have too little or too much of a trait?
Context: More of the same text from Maimonides, a chapter later. This is talking about how to “cure” not having the right balance of each trait, or “middah”.
Do you agree with his approach?
Are there any bad traits?
Rabbi Nachman said in Rabbi Samuel's name: 'Behold, it was good' refers to the Good Desire; 'And behold, it was very good' refers to the Evil Desire. (It only says 'very good' after man was created with both the good and bad inclinations, in all other cases it only says 'and God saw that it was good') Can then the Evil Desire be very good? That would be extraordinary! But without the Evil Desire, however, no man would build a house, take a wife and beget children; and thus said Solomon: 'Again, I considered all labour and all excelling in work, that it is a man's rivalry with his neighbour.' (Ecclesiastes 4:4).
Context: Bereishit Rabbah was written around the year 500 CE. It compiles explanations of verses from Genesis, both from rabbis in Israel and in Babylonia. This text is commenting on the fact that in the 6th Day of Creation, it says “And G-d saw that it was good” after creating the animals (like G-d said after every day), but then after creating people it said “and G-d saw that it was very good”. Note that the Good Desire is called the Yetzer HaTov, and the Evil Desire is called the Yetzer HaRah.
Based on this text, is any trait truly evil, or is in how you use it?
So our use of the Evil Desire just needs refinement?
Rabbi Zvi Miller in his translator's introduction to Yisrael Salanter's Ohr Yisrael, p.38
The Midrash teaches (Bereshit Rabbah 11:6), “Everything that came into being during the first six days of creation requires improvement – for example, the mustard seed needs to be sweetened … also humanity needs rectification.” Our world is a world of transformation. When we are improving and refining ourselves, we are in concert with the Divine plan – fulfilling our purpose for existing in this world … Not only is the human being created for this purpose, but he is also given the ability and capacity to attain this supreme goal.
Context: Rabbi Israel Salanter lived in the 1800s in Europe. He was a Chassidic rabbi big on ethical behavior. During a cholera outbreak, he was advised by doctors that fasting on Yom Kippur would weaken Jews and make them more likely to die, so he said that people should eat. When they didn’t, he publicly did Kiddush and Motzi in synagogue at the end of the morning service on Yom Kippur, and reminded people that Pikuach Nefesh (saving a life) superseded fasting on Yom Kippur.
Rabbi Salanter started the Mussar Movement, focusing on Jewishly doing self-improvement. His main book is Ohr Sameach (1890), which is about that topic.
How would you go about discovering what elements of yourself need improvement?
So, what is Mussar?
My son, heed the discipline (mussar) of your father, And do not forsake the instruction (Torah) of your mother;
Context: This comes from the Biblical Book of Proverbs. It shows an early use of the word “Mussar”.
Based on what you know about Mussar so far, why would “Discipline” be a good name for this?
How do you do Mussar?
Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis (p.3)
Every one of us is assigned to master something in our lives. You have already been given your assignment and you have already encountered it, though you may not be aware that what faces you is a curriculum, nor that this is the central task of your life… What I am calling your curriculum shows up most clearly in issues that repeatedly challenge you. I’m talking about the behaviors that dunk you in the same soup, time and time again. You probably can identify one or two of these patterns without much effort, in a string of soured or even broken relationships, in financial dreams that are never realized, in fulfillment that is forever elusive. But despite your experience, you may not have realized that there is a curriculum lying embedded within this personal history. The sooner you become familiar with your curriculum and got on with mastering it, the faster you’ll get free of these habitual patterns. Then you will suffer less. Then you will cause less suffering for others. Then you will make the contribution to the world that is your unique and highest potential…
Context: Alan Morinis is one of the contemporary leaders of Mussar. He has 3 books out: Every Day, Holy Day (a mussar practice for each day); Everyday Holiness (where he lays out an approach to Mussar), and With Heart in Mind (applying the 48 virtues from Pirkei Avot to self-improvement). This is from Everyday Holiness.
Does this text make sense to you? Does it appeal to you?
What traits could you be working on?
(ו) גְּדוֹלָה תוֹרָה יוֹתֵר מִן הַכְּהֻנָּה וּמִן הַמַּלְכוּת, שֶׁהַמַּלְכוּת נִקְנֵית בִּשְׁלֹשִׁים מַעֲלוֹת, וְהַכְּהֻנָּה בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע, וְהַתּוֹרָה נִקְנֵית בְּאַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמֹנָה דְבָרִים. וְאֵלוּ הֵן, בְּתַלְמוּד, בִּשְׁמִיעַת הָאֹזֶן, בַּעֲרִיכַת שְׂפָתַיִם, בְּבִינַת הַלֵּב, בְּשִׂכְלוּת הַלֵּב, בְּאֵימָה, בְּיִרְאָה, בַּעֲנָוָה, בְּשִׂמְחָה, בְּטָהֳרָה, בְּשִׁמּוּשׁ חֲכָמִים, בְּדִקְדּוּק חֲבֵרִים, וּבְפִלְפּוּל הַתַּלְמִידִים, בְּיִשּׁוּב, בַּמִּקְרָא, בַּמִּשְׁנָה, בְּמִעוּט סְחוֹרָה, בְּמִעוּט דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, בְּמִעוּט תַּעֲנוּג, בְּמִעוּט שֵׁינָה, בְּמִעוּט שִׂיחָה, בְּמִעוּט שְׂחוֹק, בְּאֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם, בְּלֵב טוֹב, בֶּאֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים, וּבְקַבָּלַת הַיִּסּוּרִין, הַמַּכִּיר אֶת מְקוֹמוֹ, וְהַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, וְהָעוֹשֶׂה סְיָג לִדְבָרָיו, וְאֵינוֹ מַחֲזִיק טוֹבָה לְעַצְמוֹ, אָהוּב, אוֹהֵב אֶת הַמָּקוֹם, אוֹהֵב אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, אוֹהֵב אֶת הַצְּדָקוֹת, אוֹהֵב אֶת הַמֵּישָׁרִים, אוֹהֵב אֶת הַתּוֹכָחוֹת, מִתְרַחֵק מִן הַכָּבוֹד, וְלֹא מֵגִיס לִבּוֹ בְתַלְמוּדוֹ, וְאֵינוֹ שָׂמֵחַ בְּהוֹרָאָה, נוֹשֵׂא בְעֹל עִם חֲבֵרוֹ, מַכְרִיעוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת, מַעֲמִידוֹ עַל הָאֱמֶת, וּמַעֲמִידוֹ עַל הַשָּׁלוֹם, מִתְיַשֵּׁב לִבּוֹ בְתַלְמוּדוֹ, שׁוֹאֵל וּמֵשִׁיב, שׁוֹמֵעַ וּמוֹסִיף, הַלּוֹמֵד עַל מְנָת לְלַמֵּד וְהַלּוֹמֵד עַל מְנָת לַעֲשׂוֹת, הַמַּחְכִּים אֶת רַבּוֹ, וְהַמְכַוֵּן אֶת שְׁמוּעָתוֹ, וְהָאוֹמֵר דָּבָר בְּשֵׁם אוֹמְרוֹ, הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁכָּל הָאוֹמֵר דָּבָר בְּשֵׁם אוֹמְרוֹ מֵבִיא גְאֻלָּה לָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (אסתר ב) וַתֹּאמֶר אֶסְתֵּר לַמֶּלֶךְ בְּשֵׁם מָרְדֳּכָי:
(6) Greater is learning Torah than the priesthood and than royalty, for royalty is acquired by thirty stages, and the priesthood by twenty-four, but the Torah by forty-eight things. By study, Attentive listening, Proper speech, By an understanding heart, By an intelligent heart, By awe, By fear, By humility, By joy, By attending to the sages, By critical give and take with friends, By fine argumentation with disciples, By clear thinking, By study of Scripture, By study of mishnah, By a minimum of sleep, By a minimum of chatter, By a minimum of pleasure, By a minimum of frivolity, By a minimum of preoccupation with worldly matters, By long-suffering, By generosity, By faith in the sages, By acceptance of suffering. [Learning of Torah is also acquired by one] Who recognizes his place, Who rejoices in his portion, Who makes a fence about his words, Who takes no credit for himself, Who is loved, Who loves God, Who loves [his fellow] creatures, Who loves righteous ways, Who loves reproof, Who loves uprightness, Who keeps himself far from honors, Who does not let his heart become swelled on account of his learning, Who does not delight in giving legal decisions, Who shares in the bearing of a burden with his colleague, Who judges with the scales weighted in his favor, Who leads him on to truth, Who leads him on to peace, Who composes himself at his study, Who asks and answers, Who listens [to others], and [himself] adds [to his knowledge], Who learns in order to teach, Who learns in order to practice, Who makes his teacher wiser, Who is exact in what he has learned, And who says a thing in the name of him who said it. Thus you have learned: everyone who says a thing in the name of him who said it, brings deliverance into the world, as it is said: “And Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name” (Esther 2:22).
Context: This is from Pirkei Avot, the part of the Mishnah (around the year 200 CE) that has ethical wisdom for how to live a good life. This list is one way of thinking about the necessary traits for being a good person.
What would you add? Would you remove anything?
Context: This document was put together by my teacher, Rabbi Avi Orlow. He was my Hillel rabbi at WashU from 2004-2008 and then went to the Foundation for Jewish Camping where he organized this document so camps could help their campers become better people. The term “mensch” is German for “Person”, and is Yiddish for “a good person”. The table is interactive and can be accessed at https://jewishcamp.org/making-mensches/.
Which of these character traits (middot) would you say are your strongest 3?
How do you become a mensch?
Classical Mussar Texts:
Proverbs -- Bible -- anonymous -- ancient ancient
Pirke Avot -- Ethics of the Fathers -- Rabbinic Sages 3rd c. or earlier
Book of Beliefs and Opinions -- Sa’adia Gaon 10th c.
Chovot Levavot – Duties of the Heart -- Bahya Ibn Pekudah 10th c.
Mesilat Yesharim – The Path of the Upright -- Moses Hayyim Luzzato 18th c.
Ohr Yisrael -- Light of Israel -- Rabbi Yisrael Salanter – 19th c.
Contemporary Mussar:
Alan Morinis -- Every Day, Holy Day; Everyday Holiness; With Heart in Mind
Ira Stone -- A Responsible Life
Appendix: 3 Passages About Mussar For Further Reading
1.
Through the centuries the Mussar masters evolved an accurate, insightful map of the interior world that has at its center the soul. We're not so familiar with the soul today, but Mussar teaches that in our essential nature, each of us is a soul. If we do talk about soul at all, we are more likely to say we "have" a soul. But that way of putting it implies that the soul is somehow a possession or appendage of the "I."
Mussar sees it differently. Identity is not the main feature of our inner being, despite the ego's insistent and noisy protests to the contrary. The ego claims to be king, but I liken its true role to that of valet. When it is put firmly in that role, serving the soul of infinite depth as its master, our lives become aligned in a profound way we could hardly previously imagine. Each of us is a soul. That's who we are.
With only limited exceptions, everything that exists in our inner world is an aspect of soul, including personality, emotions, talents, desires, conscience, wisdom, and so on. Even the faculties we ordinarily assign to the "mind," like thought, logic, memory and forgetting, are features of the soul.
But not all facets of the soul are accessible to conscious thought. Well before Freud introduced the notion of the unconscious, the Mussar teachers were working with an understanding that there is a dark inner region that is the source of all that appears in the daylight of our lives. These interior dimensions of the soul live within us at depths that are not accessible to the rational mind.
The Mussar teachers speak of different aspects of soul but they insist that in reality, the soul is an undivided whole. Their template is holistic and sees no divide between heart and mind, emotions and intellect. All are faculties of the soul.
This topography of the inner life has been developed for a practical purpose. Mussar's goal is to help us transform so that the light of holiness shines more brightly into our lives and through us into the world. Making that journey of change is how we fulfil the promise and also the charge of the Torah, "kiddoshim tihiyu" – you shall be holy.
All the holiness we could ever hope for already exists within us, at the core of the soul.
We don't have to go far to find the light of holiness we seek. All the holiness we could ever hope for already exists within us, at the core of the soul, called neshama. This deep inner kernel is inherently holy and pure and is the seat of the "image and likeness of God" in which we are created. The neshama cannot be tainted, not even by evil deeds. We acknowledge that reality in the daily liturgy when we recite, "God, the neshama you have given me is pure."
So what is it that blocks the light of our holy neshama from shining constantly in our lives and into the world? Mussar points here to another dimension of the soul called nefesh. While the neshama is always stainless, the nefesh is the dimension of the inner life that houses all our recognizable characteristics, named the middot ha'nefesh, the traits of the soul. The neshama is unchanging but in the nefesh we find traits that can be in or out of alignment in ways that can be helpful or obstructive.
Each of us has some inner traits that are perfectly aligned but we also have certain inner qualities that are not as refined as they could be. Maimonides says that each character trait that is out of alignment creates a veil that screens the light of holiness. It is these unbalanced soul-traits that obstruct the flow of inner light. These traits define our spiritual work.
The issue is never the inner qualities themselves – Mussar tells us that all human qualities, even anger, jealousy and desire, are not intrinsically "good" or "bad." It's when we have too much or too little of a trait that our spiritual problems arise. Everyone has some anger in his or her soul but only too much anger is a problem. Desire is natural and healthy, but lust is an excess of that soul-trait. And so on with all the traits.
The Mussar classic Orchos Tzaddikim was written in the 16th century but the people it describes are still with us today:
One man is wrathful and always angry, and another even-tempered and never angry. Or, if he is, it only very negligible over a period of many years. One man is exceedingly proud, and another exceedingly humble. One man is lustful, his lust never being sated, and another exceedingly pure-hearted not desiring even the few things that the body needs... One man afflicts himself with hunger and goes begging..., and another is wantonly extravagant with his money. And, along the same lines, the other traits are found, such as cheerfulness and depression, stinginess and generosity, cruelty and mercy, cowardliness and courage, and the like.
A soul-trait can be set at too high a level – like rage in the place of anger, and hatred in the place of judgment, or too low – like self-debasement in the place of humility, or indifference in the place of equanimity. A soul-trait that is out of alignment whether in excess or deficiency creates a veil in the nefesh that blocks the inner light of the neshama. Through introspection and self-examination each of us can identify the handful of traits that are operating as hindrances in our own inner lives, and thus we pinpoint the curriculum for our personal transformative work
Where does this route lead? Toward holiness, we are told, though that's a mysterious and ineffable notion. One thing I do know is that this can't mean that we all aspire to reform ourselves to come out looking and being identical, squeezing ourselves into a mould of ideal qualities. The goal of Mussar practice is not to take on pre-ordained characteristics, but to become the most refined, perfected, elevated version of the unique person you already are. To do that, we must first come to know and embrace our soul curriculum, which means tackling each one of our personal middot, traits, that hang as thick veils blocking the holy inner light from entering our lives.
2.
Practice is inherent in the Mussar tradition. In order to develop, change, or transform on a journey toward holiness, knowledge in itself, is inadequate. While the pathway starts with learning, knowledge needs to come to life. Practice is what embeds the learning in the heart so that it becomes the fabric of who you are. For example, the lazy person becomes energetic; the miserly person becomes generous.
Mussar students practice one trait for one or two weeks, often in a series of 13, moving through 4 cycles of 13 traits in a year.
Mussar practice involves three core practices.
In the morning, students focus on one selected soul trait or middah. They use a phrase, often in Hebrew, to recite in such a way as to enliven and energize the soul.
In the evening, the practice is to keep a journal. Students look back over the day and record the events of the day where the middah showed up. I would ask myself, if I were working on generosity, where did it show up? How did I react? I would write about the situation in an objective way. The journal is a way of highlighting the experience so that as time goes on one starts to see a pattern. Once you know you are going to be keeping a journal, as the day plays out, the thought of keeping a journal will “flag” your experience. It will help you build awareness. Journaling is an effective practice as long as it is done regularly.
Between the morning and the evening, the Mussar student gives himself or herself or is assigned an exercise, a kaballah. For example, you might do three generous acts today. One day, generosity with your money, another, your feelings, another, your possessions. You can be generous in so many ways. The goal is not the practice per se, it is to transform the inner being of the individual so that you move closer to the ideal of what a human being can be. For every quality, we know there are exercises from the 19th century and earlier.
3.
The following quotes from prominent Mussar leaders of past centuries present core Mussar concepts. The accompanying review questions will help you explore and discuss these Mussar ideas.
1. “The one stone on which the entire building rests is the concept that God wants each person to complete himself, body and soul.” – Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, author of the seminal work The Path of the Just(1740)
- What do you think of the notion that each individual is meant to use this life in order to become more “whole”?
- The Hebrew word for “wholeness” is shlemut, and an individual who is whole would be described ashalem. Both of these Hebrew words share a root with the word shalom (peace). What might be the connection between wholeness and peace?
- What do you think wholeness might look like in a person, given that each human being has flaws and weaknesses? Have you ever encountered a person who impressed you as embodying a measure of wholeness? What was it about that person that made you perceive him or her as whole?
- Can you begin to reframe your life, seeing everything you do in terms of bringing you closer to wholeness?
2. “The entire purpose of man’s existence is to purge every negative trait and character attribute from his heart.” – Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, the 19th-century founder of the Mussar movement
- Of the list of traits below, which ones do you see as being relatively problematic in your life?
- patience / impatience
- generosity / stinginess
- gratitude / deprivation
- trust / worry or fear
- honor / judgmental
- enthusiasm / laziness
- The Mussar teachers recognize that change requires practice. Which of the following actions could you commit to doing daily for one full week?:
- patience [savlanut] – identify the specific situation in which your patience is most tried on a daily basis, and commit to “bearing the burden” of your impatience for the first 5 minutes you are in that situation
- generosity [nedivut] – do 3 generous acts daily. Note that you can be generous not only with money but with possessions, time, emotions, physical assistance, etc.
- gratitude [hakarat ha’tov] – say thank you to everyone who does the slightest thing to help you, including things like letting you change lanes on the freeway, doing their jobs, being in your life, cleaning public spaces, etc.
- trust [bitachon] – whenever you feel worry or fear arising in you, recite to yourself the phrase, “I am in good hands.”
- honor [kavod] – greet everyone you meet with a smile and a kind word. Go out of your way to do so.
- enthusiasm [zerizut] – jump into action, from getting out of bed the moment you awaken to taking care of things you might otherwise put off.
- At the end of each 7-day practice, do a personal stocktaking of your experience: What happened? How do you feel at the end of the week in contrast to how you would ordinarily feel about this “trait of your heart” you were addressing? Did any experiences bring to mind purity or impurity of heart?
C. Middot Discussion
To assist us on our personal spiritual curriculum, Mussar teaches us to strive toward the positive and strengthen the opposite of the trait with which we struggle. So, for example, if you tend to be miserly, generosity would be on your personal curriculum. A judgmental person (one who judges others) would work on the trait of honor (honoring every human being), and so on through the full range of middot.
--Alan Morinis, Mussar Discussion and Study Guide for Reform Judaism Magazine
With appreciation to: Sarah Freidson, Rabbi Katie Mizrahi, and Rabbi Avi Orlow