Street Mussar (a.k.a. Applied Mussar)

Course Title: Street Mussar (a.k.a Applied Mussar)
Program: Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning: Texts and Traditions
Instructor: Rabbi Eric Gurvis (Read bio)
Dates: March 5, 12, 19, 26; April 2, 9, 2024 (6 sessions)
Day and Time: Tuesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Online via Zoom
Session: Winter/Spring 2024
Fee: $240  Financial Scholarships available

Interest in the study and practice of Mussar has been expanding exponentially in recent years as the teachings of Dr. Alan Morinis, founder of The Mussar Institute; Rabbi Ira Stone, founder of the Center for Contemporary Mussar; along with other groups and individuals.

Reaching back through the generation of writers and teachers and picking up on the practices established by Rabbi Yisrael Salanter and his followers in establishing the Mussar Movement in 19th century Lithuania, growing numbers of Jews, and others, have been discovering the authentic spiritual path which emerges from the riches of Jewish tradition.

Studying and practicing Middot, “measures” or “soul traits” guide an individual along their life’s path with an eye towards becoming the best version of the person they can hope to be. Middot such as humility, honor, gratitude, truth, equanimity, simplicity, attentive listening and so much more can help us strive to be better people.

What happens when we take the teachings of the Mussar tradition and apply them to real life situations and circumstances in our lives and our time? How can Mussar inform our behavior and mindset as we find ourselves in the midst of difficult conversations, not an uncommon occurrence in our time? What might we draw upon from the Mussar tradition as we think about social media, and even media itself more broadly?

In this series we will explore the application of teachings from the Mussar tradition (as well as other aspects of our rich Jewish heritage) as we consider how these teachings can offer us guidance for our lives in the rapidly changing realities of the 21st century.

All texts will be presented with English translation.

Hebrew College Open Circle Jewish Learning classes are for learners of all backgrounds.

Canadian and other registrants from outside of the US: please email Cindy Bernstein to complete your registration. We apologize for the inconvenience.