Alan Morinis (born December 8, 1949) is a Canadian anthropologist, Filmmaking, and writer who has been a leading figure in the contemporary revival of the Musar movement, a Jewish ethics movement.
Early life and secular education
Morinis was born into a left-wing secular Jewish home in
Toronto, Canada. He completed his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology at Oxford University, which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship (Ontario 1972). Morinis studied religious
pilgrimages, especially in
Hinduism, and authored the book
Pilgrimage in the Hindu Tradition: A Case Study of West Bengal as well as edited
Sacred Journeys: the anthropology of pilgrimage.
Mussar education
After pioneering work in academia, and a successful career television production, Morinis experienced a major professional failure that sent him reeling. He began to search Jewish tradition for spiritual guidance and came across the Mussar Movement. He began to study
Musar literature under the tutelage of Rabbi
Yechiel Perr. Morinis has described his early Mussar education in his book
Climbing Jacob's Ladder.
Revival of the Mussar movement
In 2004, Morinis founded the Mussar Institute, based in
Vancouver,
British Columbia. He sought to revive the
Musar movement, which he saw as having largely died off after the
Holocaust.
Morinis has been credited as being, along with Rabbi Ira F. Stone, the leading figure in the contemporary revival of the Musar movement among non-Orthodox Jews.[Geoffrey Claussen, " The American Jewish Revival of Musar ," The Hedgehog Review. Retrieved 10 January 2011.]
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of the web site Spirituality & Practice have described Morinis's teachings as offering "a treasure trove of spiritual practices," "explications of the practical spiritual tradition of Mussar," and "insights into how to change your behavior and bring out your soul."[Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, "Living Spiritual Teachers Project: Alan Morinis". Retrieved 10 January 2011.] Geoffrey Claussen of Elon University has described Morinis as emphasizing "the honesty, humility, patience, and discipline that doing Musar requires" but as giving less attention to the importance of "traditional liturgy and community."
Books
Morinis's books include:
-
Climbing Jacob's Ladder: One Man's Journey to Rediscover a Jewish Spiritual Tradition (2007)
-
Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar (2008)
-
Every Day, Holy Day: 365 Days of Teachings and Practices from the Jewish Tradition of Mussar (2010)
-
With Heart in Mind: Mussar Teachings to Transform Your Life (2014)
