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Mussar and Meditation

WHAT IS MUSSAR?
It is a treasury of teachings and practices that help individuals understand their true natures as holy souls, then to break through the barriers that surround and obstruct the flow of inner holiness or light. The goal of Mussar is to release the light of holiness that lives within each soul. Mussar is a time-honored Jewish path of personal transformation through study and practice. We look at ourselves through a Mussar lens to set our own ethical, spiritual and relational growth curriculum.

Mussar & Meditation Shabbat

Explore the wisdom of Mussar practice when Temple Isaiah offers a Mussar & Meditation Shabbat experience. Mussar means “correction” or “ethical learning” and our practice focuses on becoming better people day by day in small but important ways.

Each of us has our own Mussar “curriculum” depending on which qualities we wish to hone: being more patient, having less judgment, more compassion, greater trust. We open our hearts through chant and silence, and discuss the Jewish teachings around a particular quality. Our ultimate goal: to become a mensch, a person of honesty and ethical quality trusted and loved by those around us.

If you are seeking a soulful Shabbat, but with a little less prayer and more interaction with fellow seekers - this is for you. If you want ways to grow wiser in your everyday life - this is for you. If you aren’t so sure about chanting and silence, give it a try anyway. You might be surprised at how the combination of music and silence calms us, connects us, and creates space for new ways of thinking and acting to emerge.

Mussar Study Groups

Mussar Study Groups

If you are a Temple Isaiah member interested in joining or starting a Mussar study group, please contact Rabbi Miller at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). There are many such groups on-going in our community and some of them are looking for new members.

If you are interested in a Mussar group for parents of school-aged children, please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

In a Mussar Group?
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Here’s what our Mussar study group participants are saying…

Studying Mussar together in our small group of 5 friends has been an amazing and challenging journey of self-discovery and growth. Our Mussar group has learned so much from each other and about ourselves as we share how to balance our inner strengths and weaknesses. Practicing Mussar is helping us learn how to become the best versions of ourselves. Supporting each other along this path has been invaluable.
- Lucy DiBianca

Studying Mussar has made me more aware and mindful of the choices I make (and don’t make) every day, from small things like choosing what to eat to larger things like behaving generously. An unexpected but especially precious benefit has been the friendships formed in our Mussar study group, where we support each other to get through our challenges.
- Elyse Eisner

Mussar has allowed me to examine topics in Jewish thought that help me become a better person. Mussar study has enabled me to examine my relationship with God on a very personal level. It has created a new sense of spirituality in my life. Mussar has also allowed me to share with other women in a unique and loving manner.
- Marcia Goodman-Lavey

Studying Mussar and working on the Middot has been very valuable in my life. At our bi-monthly meetings, members of our group share their stories and experiences as they relate to the Middah of the meeting, and I have benefited greatly from the insights and inspirations of their wisdom. I feel like I’m in a sacred sanctuary during our meetings, enveloped in loving support and nurtured by their encouragement and understanding. I’ve also learned more about our Jewish holy teachings and values, and how I can begin to apply them in my daily life.
-Linda Clar

Mussar Resources