How did you feel about 2020? I didn't tell anyone this for the longest time but...it was my best year. I literally wore out a pair of boots and a pair of sandals walking the dirt roads along Albuquerque's canals reading thousands of pages of Mussar books.
You might be wondering what that word was I just used. It's pronounced moo-SAR and is the Hebrew word for discipline, but it's so much more than that. Mussar is a personal practice of reflection, inner work, and growth in specific character qualities. It's a thread that runs through the Bible, a genre of Jewish literature, a movement in the 1800s that saved Judaism, and a resurgence today.
Mussar was one of the best things that ever happened to me and I reached a point where I was going to explode if I didn't share it! So at the end of 2020 I founded the Mussar Center and began filming weekly conversations. My plan was to start with the actual word "mussar" and a couple other keywords before moving on to reviewing Mussar literature from the five eras - Biblical, Rabbinic, Classical, Movement, and Modern - and using those texts to introduce basic Mussar philosophy and practice. I also wanted to tell the story of the Mussar movement which was started by Rabbi Israel Salanter back in the 1800s and then go back even farther to show how the New Testament was some of the earliest and best Mussar literature the Jewish world ever produced.
In the very first lesson I gave a preview of what our Mussar conversations were going to be about. I also explained why we use the ❦ symbol for our movement. And I finished with the three things I conclude each conversation with - a practical assignment, a "mazal tov" celebrating something from the lesson, and a special personal blessing. Since then I've been filming lessons and sending them out by email to our students and it's been going great!
Do you remember how early on in these stories I shared with you how, when I first began teaching, I wanted to offer everything for free? That's still my dream. And that's why I made the risky decision to not charge for my Mussar guidance. Instead I just asked my students to do what they thought the other students should do, with a suggested donation of a dollar a lesson. I also decided to incorporate the Mussar Center as a 501(c)3, which was something I hadn't done with my other organizations. It was a scary and vulnerable step - and it still is - but I believe that this desire was divinely planted in my heart so I'm going with it!
You're probably interested in seeing the Mussar Center for yourself and maybe even watching that first lesson. If so visit https://mussar.center, drop us your email, and then check your inbox!
❦ ;)