Alan Morinis is an interpreter of the teachings and practices of the Mussar tradition. He earned a doctorate in anthropology at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. He has written books, produced films and taught at several universities. Although he took a deep journey into eastern thought and practice, for the past ten years the nearly-lost Jewish spiritual discipline of Mussar has been his passion, a journey recorded in the book “Climbing Jacob’s Ladder” (2002). His guide to Mussar practice, entitled “Everyday Holiness”, was published in 2007.
What is Mussar and Why Should I Care?
Identity & Responsibility,
Text & Thought
Mussar is a thousand-year-old Jewish tradition that is dedicated to helping each of us build a more ideal interior world. In this introductory session, we will explore the central ideas about human life that the Mussar teachers developed over the centuries. Their insights were handed down to us so we could implement them in our own lives, and thus become the people we have the potential to be, that we want to be, and that the Torah tells us we have the obligation to be when it says "kedoshim tihiyu" -- you shall be holy.
Mussar Chanting as Transformative Practice
Lessons from the Classic Texts
Identity & Responsibility,
Ritual & Prayer,
Text & Thought
The process of personal transformation that lies at the heart of the Jewish spiritual tradition of Mussar (and Judaism itself) only takes place through personal practice. In the last 160 years, the masters of Mussar developed many such practices, all meant to bring about change in the factors that govern our inner lives among the various practices they innovated and propagated, the most celebrated was a particular form of repetitive chanting called hispailus [hitpa'alut]. In this session, we'll learn some of the theory and history of Mussar chanting. We will also learn how it is done in practice so you can feel its power and effect.
Your Personal Spiritual Curriculum
A Mussar Approach to Living and Growing
Identity & Responsibility,
Text & Thought
The Mussar tradition developed within the Jewish world to help us answer some important questions: Who are you? How did you get that way? What you can do about it? In this session, we will explore some practical and useful answers to those questions found in the classic 16th century text, Orchot Tzaddikim -- The Ways of the Righteous. What we'll learn is that every one of us is assigned a personal spiritual curriculum. The great gift of Mussar is to help us become aware of that curriculum and then to show us how to do the work of learning the lessons embedded in that curriculum that is uniquely our own.
