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

text resources

text resources

duties_of_the_heart_image

 Duties of the Heart
by Rabbi Bahya ibn Pakuda

orchos_hatzaddikim

 Orchos Tzaddikim
anonymous

cheshbon

 Cheshbon Ha-Nefesh             (Accounting of the Soul)
by Rabbi Menahem Mendel Leffin

 

strive_for_truth

 Strive for Truth (Michtav me Eliyahu)

by Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler 

 

Texts available online in English:

 

Contemporary Resources

We have been inspired by these books and are so grateful to Alan Morinis for his work inspiring a new generation of Mussar students.

Climbing Jacob's Ladder: One Man's Journey to Rediscover a Jewish Spiritual Tradition
by Alan Morinis

Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar
by Alan Morinis

Divine Reversal:  The Transforming Ethics of Jesus
by Russ Resnik