equanimity
rabbi russ resnik
equanimity and adrenaline

A few years ago, I took up rappelling, the art of descending sheer cliffs by rope and harness, so that we could explore the red-rock canyons of Southern Utah. After I had begun to learn the basics, Steve, our guide, said to me, “You’re one of those people who wants to speed up when your adrenaline starts to flow.”

equanimity and adrenaline
loving-kindness
rabbi russ resnik
fairness or freebie?

Some things in life have to be earned, and some things cannot be. We can earn respect and reputation by our behavior, but sometimes we need help, or forgiveness, or just a break, that we haven’t earned and don’t deserve. And we can also give to others gifts they don’t deserve and don’t have to earn. That sort of undeserved kindness is captured by the word Hesed, often translated as lovingkindness.

fairness or freebie?
adaptability
rabbi russ resnik
age and adaptability

The other day I had coffee with Hal, the father of one of our chavurah members. He had just written his second novel, this one based on his amazing experiences as a Jewish-American soldier fighting the Nazis in World War II. We got together to talk about his book.

age and adaptability
silence
rabbi russ resnik
authentic listening

One of the current terms of religious discussion that I’ve grown to suspect is “spirituality.” I’m tired of hearing people say, “I’m not religious; I’m spiritual,” which often means I don’t have any outward signs of religious or transcendent life, but, trust me, I possess many lofty sentiments.

authentic listening
loving-kindness
rabbi russ resnik
chesed in action

Chesed or loving-kindness is an essential human attribute, but it’s first of all a divine attribute. If we want to cultivate chesed, we should pay attention to how Hashem exercises it. And God’s chesed is on display at the conclusion of the Haftarot of Comfort, the passages from Isaiah that we read during this period between Tisha B’av and Rosh Hashanah.

chesed in action

Seattle Kallah Winter ...

winter 2011 mussar kallah recordings

Introduction: Rav Rafael

{mp3}../kallah-winter2011/01-RabbiJason-Intro{/mp3}

Rabbi Russ Resnik Session 1: Obeying the great commandment, Part One

{mp3}../kallah-winter2011/02-RabbiResnik-The-Greatest-Commandment-Part1{/mp3}

The Shema is a central Jewish prayer and statement of faith, but above all it is a commandment. We will consider six ramifications of the Shema-as-commandment and how they shape our practice of Mussar.

Rabbi Russ Resnik Session 2: Obeying The great commandment, Part Two

{mp3}../kallah-winter2011/03-RabbiResnik-The-Greatest-Commandment-Part2{/mp3}

Discussion:

{mp3}../kallah-winter2011/04-RabbiResnik-Discussion{/mp3}

In this session we explore the commandment that Messiah (along with Jewish tradition) describes as inextricably linked with the Shema: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” What does this mean and not mean, and why is the Shema incomplete without it?

Rav Rafael Session 3: Na’aseh v’Nishma

{mp3}../kallah-winter2011/05-RabbiJason-Beatitudes-Study{/mp3}

This session examines the ethical/mussar imperative that Mashiach Yeshua gives us in chapters Matthew 5, 6 and 7 from the DHE and how to concretely apply it to our lives. Yeshua's Mussar teaching from the mount is an allusion to the giving of Torah from Sinai when we said, "All that Hashem has spoken we will do and we will hear [Na'aseh V'nishma]!“ How we do and listen is a reflection of our character development.

Rebbetzin Malkah Session 4: When all you hear is noise

Intro:

{mp3}../kallah-winter2011/06-RebbetzinMalkah-Meditation-Gratidude-Silence{/mp3}

Meditation Exercise & Feedback:

{mp3}../kallah-winter2011/07-RebbetzinMalkah-Meditation-Exercise-and-Feedback{/mp3}

During this session, we will explore the middot of gratitude and silence.  In doing so, we will learn how these middot can be used within meditation to help us stop the noise and truly listen to our souls.