The Musar movement (also Mussar movement) is a Judaism ethics, educational and cultural movement that developed in 19th century Lithuania, particularly among Orthodox Judaism Lithuanian Jews. The Hebrew language term (מוּסַר) is adopted from the Book of Proverbs (1:2) describing moral conduct, instruction or discipline, educating oneself on how one should act in an appropriate manner. The term was used by the Musar movement to convey the teachings regarding ethical and spiritual paths. The Musar movement made significant contributions to Musar literature and Jewish ethics. The movement has been revived in the 21st century amongst Jews of all denominations, particularly in the United States.
Widely recognized as a rabbi of exceptional talent, Yisrael Salanter became head of a yeshivah in Vilnius, where he quickly became well known in the community for his scholarship. He soon resigned this post to open up his own yeshiva, in which he emphasized moral teachings based on the ethics taught in traditional Jewish rabbinic works, especially Musar literature. Salanter referred to his approach as the Musar approach, using the Hebrew word for ethical discipline or correction.
In seeking to encourage the study of Musar literature, Salanter had three works of Musar literature republished in Vilna: Mesillat Yesharim by Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Tikkun Middot ha-Nefesh by Solomon ibn Gabirol, and Cheshbon Ha-Nefesh by Menachem Mendel Lefin.
He particularly concentrated on teaching Jewish business ethics, saying that just as one checks carefully to make sure his food is kosher, so too should one check to see if his money is earned in a kosher fashion.Chofetz, Chaim. Sfat Tamim, chapter 5
Rabbi Salanter set an example for the Lithuanian Jewish community during the cholera epidemic of 1848, ensuring that necessary relief work on Shabbat for Jews was done by Jews (despite the ordinary prohibition against doing work on Shabbat), and ordering Jews whose lives were in danger to eat rather than fast on the fast day of Yom Kippur.Immanuel Etkes, Rabbi Israel Salanter and the Musar Movement (Jewish Publication Society, 1993), 170-172
In 1848, the Czarist government created the Vilna Rabbinical School and Teachers' Seminary. Salanter was identified as a candidate to teach at the school, but he refused the position and left Vilna.Immanuel Etkes, Rabbi Israel Salanter and the Musar Movement (Jewish Publication Society, 1993), 177 Salanter moved to Kovno, where he established a Musar-focused yeshiva at the Nevyozer Kloiz.Immanuel Etkes, Rabbi Israel Salanter and the Musar Movement (Jewish Publication Society, 1993), 213-215, 229-238
In 1857, he moved to Germany. By this time, his own students from Kovno had begun to set up their own yeshivot in Kelme, Telz, and elsewhere. Salanter later helped to found another institution, the Kovno Kollel.
In Germany, Salanter founded a periodical entitled Tevunah, dedicated in part to Musar. Many of Rabbi Salanter's articles from Tevunah were collected and published in Imrei Binah (1878). His Iggeret ha-Musar ("ethical letter") was first published in 1858 and then repeatedly thereafter. Many of his letters were published in Or Yisrael ("The Light of Israel") in 1890 (edited by Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer). Many of his discourses were published in Even Yisrael (1883).
Salanter also wrote "An Essay on the Topic of Reinforcing Those who Learn our Holy Torah," published by his students in a collection of essays titled Etz Pri. This essay is important for its exploration of the concept of the subconscious, well before the concept was popularized by Sigmund Freud. In Salanter's essay, the concept of conscious ("outerness" chitzoniut) and subconscious ("innerness" penimiut) processes and the role they play in the psychological, emotional and moral functioning of man is developed. Salanter explains that it is critical for a person to recognize what his subconscious motivations negiot are and to work on understanding them. He also teaches that the time for a person to work on mastering subconscious impulses was during times of emotional quiet, when a person is more in control of his thoughts and feelings. Salanter stresses that when a person is in the middle of an acute emotional response to an event, he is not necessarily in control of his thoughts and faculties and will not have access to the calming perspectives necessary to allow his conscious mind to intercede.
Scholar Hillel Goldberg and others have described Salanter as a "psychologist" as well as a moralist.
Salanter's eldest disciple, Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv, directed yeshivas in Kelme and Grobin. These yeshivas broke with established models of yeshivot in a number of ways, especially by devoting significant time to the study of musar and by teaching general, non-Jewish studies.Geoffrey Claussen, Sharing the Burden: Rabbi Simhah Zissel Ziv and the Path of Musar (Albany: SUNY Press, 2015), p. 7 Simcha Zissel also wrote discourses that deeply engaged questions of moral virtue and gave particular attention to the importance of love for others.Geoffrey Claussen, Sharing the Burden: Rabbi Simhah Zissel Ziv and the Path of Musar (Albany: SUNY Press, 2015), p. 8
A second student of Salanter's, Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer became the chief rabbi of St. Petersburg in 1861–1862; he later led the Kovno kollel. Blazer also published many of Salanter's writings.
A third leading disciple of Salanter, Rabbi Naftali Amsterdam, became the chief rabbi of Helsinki.
In 1897, Eliezer Gordon, of the Telshe yeshiva, hired a new Musar supervisor, Rabbi Leib Chasman, who instituted a very strict Musar regime in the yeshiva. Many of the students opposed this approach, which caused dissent among the student body. At the same time, dissent against Musar also broke out at the Slobodka Yeshiva. A group of Lithuanian rabbis then published a declaration in the Hebrew newspaper Ha-Melitz in opposition to the study of Musar. According to the YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe,
Some students of the Musar movement, however, settled in the land of Israel and established Musar yeshivas there.
While many former students of the Musar movement settled in the United States and were involved in a variety of Jewish institutions, they established few formal institutions dedicated to Musar during the 20th century.Geoffrey Claussen, "The American Jewish Revival of Musar", Hedgehog Review 12, no. 2 (2010): 63-72
Many traditional yeshivas throughout the world, however, continued to allot some time during the week for Musar, and this continues today. This time is often dedicated to the study of Musar literature.
The Mussar Institute, founded by Alan Morinis and afterwards led by Avi Fertig, has over 7,000 members and 400 chaveirim who meet for musar study. Within the Orthodox community, the AishDas Society, founded by Rabbi Micha Berger, and the Salant Foundation, founded by Rabbi Zvi Miller, organize Musar groups, classes and other teaching events. Orthodox rabbis Yechiel Yitzchok Perr, Hillel Goldberg, Elyakim Krumbein, Avi Fertig, David Jaffe and Micha Berger have published English books about various aspects of Musar. The founders of both The Mussar Institute and the AishDas Society found inspiration in Rabbi Hillel Goldberg's English work, The Fire Within: A Living Heritage of the Musar (1987). Dr. Alan Morinis, founder of The Mussar Institute, writes "it was the introduction to my spiritual lineage....it holds a special place (for me)." Micha Berger notes it was the book that inspired him to explore musar, a topic already central to his life as founder of the AishDas Society.
Though the Musar movement was a historically Orthodox Jewish movement, its approach has gained significant traction among non-Orthodox Jews, who have spearheaded much of its 21st century revival.Kestenbaum, Sam. "Can 19th Century Jewish Self-Help Credo of Mussar Help You Cope With Donald Trump?" The Forward. November 13, 2016.Jay Michaelson, "The Path Of the Just: Is Mussar the 'New Kabbalah'?", The Forward The Mussar Institute and the Center for Contemporary Mussar, founded by Rabbi Ira F. Stone, are among the institutions which have sought to spread the practice of Musar in a non-Orthodox framework. Morinis' book Everyday Holiness (2007) and Stone's book A Responsible Life (2007) were among the popular books that sparked contemporary interest in the Musar movement. Musar has been described as "an emerging and growing phenomenon" within Reform Judaism, and leaders of Conservative Judaism have debated whether Musar should stand at the center of its approach. Geoffrey Claussen of Elon University has argued that the Musar movement's conception of Jewish practice may be especially valuable for Conservative Judaism.Claussen, Geoffrey. "The Practice of Musar". Conservative Judaism 63, no. 2 (2012): 3-26. Retrieved April 24, 2012 Greg Marcus of the organization American Mussar has said that Musar can be accessible to many American Jews who don't speak any Hebrew, and can be adapted to the spiritual needs of American Jews.Marcus, Greg. The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions: Finding Balance Through the Soul Traits of Mussar. Llewellyn Worldwide. 2016.
Some Musar groups have no connection with synagogues; however, a number of synagogues have started programs for the study of Musar.Leonard Felson, "The Mussar Revival" , Reform Judaism, Fall 2008The Mussar Institute, "Local Mussar Groups" There are also online communities dedicated to the exploration of Musar and character trait development.
Musar practice has been incorporated into the curriculum at Jewish day schools such as the Gann AcademyAlan Morinis, Through a Mussar Lens: Moving Forward after 10 Kallahs and at rabbinical schools such as the Academy for Jewish Religion (California) and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.
Some teachers have recommended the practice of Musar not only for Jews but also among non-Jews. The website of the Mussar Institute said:
Musar practices include text study, meditation, silence and retreat, diary practices, chanting (), contemplation, Mental image, tzedakah, and doing good deeds on behalf of others.Alan Morinis, Everyday Holiness, ch. 5
Giving musar may also happen through a formal lecture known as a musar shmuz or musar shiur, which are often part of a yeshiva curriculum. Elya Lopian taught the practice as "teaching the heart what the mind already understands."
Contemporary works adapting the Musar movement's teachings
Contemporary efforts to revive the Musar movement
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