Defying a bevy of "frum" naysayers, who say things like "mussar is dead", not suitable for our time, doesn't fit our generation, is too negative, has been superseded by "Chasidus", and other nonsense, the veritable old discipline of לימוד המוסר continues on, and is even gaining new, enthusiastic, young devotees.
As שלמה המלך, the wisest of men, exhorted us, החזק במוסר אל תרף, נצרה כי היא חייך - Grab onto mussar and don't let go, guard it, as it is your life - the imperative of mussar and introspection is fundamental, as recently expounded upon masterfully at length in Toras Avigdor.
That doesn't mean that everyone must study mussar in the exact same manner as was done under Rav Yisroel Salanter zt"l in Kovno some 150 years ago, or in Slabodka or Novhardok fifty years later. There are multiple schools and paths in mussar, which is a very broad discipline. And one can absorb mussar without being an official "mussar'nik" as well, e.g. by learning sefer Mishlei, other sections of Torah which may not be labeled as such, or a more recent work (such as the great ארחות יושר of Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l), rather than more typical mussar seforim more commonly associated with the modern movement.
Hachzek - Daily Mussar Impact - A New High-Tech Mussar Center
In the category of old wine in new vessels, I saw an advertisement for a new mussar endeavor, an organization called החזק, recently, but just checked out their website in earnest this week, and was favorably impressed with the professionalism and sophistication on display. I counted shiurim from twenty (!) maggidei shiur for the latest (brief) mussar yomi installment there (a section from the classic חובות הלבבות, שער הבטחון). And the shiurim are not long, busy people can easily be a part of it, on the go, or at rest, in just circa 5-10 minutes a day.
Take a look, have a listen, check out a video, a sefer, or text there. It may not be exactly how your grandfather got his dose of mussar, but the aura of introspection, striving for self-improvement, and closeness to Hashem that characterizes mussar is still there for sure.
In the zechus of such serious spiritual enterprise, whether older מוסר varieties or newer, or other less common, but still legitimate variations, may we be zoche to גאולה בקרוב.
א גוטען חודש
I'd be wary of Hachzek if I were you. I know some of the magidei shiur and they have been heavily influenced by Chassidus (and other nonsense as you put it).
ReplyDeleteAlso see below what they have on their about page.
I've starred the problematic parts.
They even had the audacity to put the baal shem tov before the GR"A!!
Poskim who mention the obligation to learn Mussar every single day
Sefer Mitzvos Katan (SMa”K)
*Baal Shem Tov*
Gr”a
Chayei Adam
Mishna Berurah
Birkei Yosef
Peleh Yoetz
*Noam Elimelech*
Nesivos Hamishpat
Michtav MeEliyahu
I did notice that, and yes, monitoring is advised, lest any deviations ח"ו seep in. We can put them on probation for now, rather than granting full, unconditional, perpetual, irrevocable approval immediately. :)
DeleteAlso, I have a problem with them classifying some of those you have listed as "poskim", e.g. Baal Shem Tov, Noam Elimelech, Michtav MeEliyahu. Is every rabbinic or quasi-rabbinic figure automatically a Posek??
I'm telling you its treif. There is nothing to monitor. They either don't vett the magidei shiur or are intentionally trying to infiltrate and influence by disguising themselves as pushing mussar. One of the "magidei shiur" wears a bekeshe, is a member of the neo chassidic chazerai and one of his "rebbeim" wears a spudik, has a large kehila in EY and is a big fan of "the Rebbe". And this talmid is teaching mussar?! I dont care if he just reads Meslilas Yesharim aloud, if its coming out of his mouth its treif!!!
DeleteThank you so much for alerting us to that! (;-D} Since you only make such allegations about one of twenty or more maggidei shiur there, I would hesitate to throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water, by discarding the whole enterprise. Whoever can identify a problematic maggid shiur should establish a protective perimeter to protect themselves from possible infection, חס ושלום, of course, at least virtually.
DeleteThey now have Joey Newcomb as one of the magidei shiur for the their upcoming pirkei avos limud. I didn't see it on the website yet but received a flyer that announced it. I alerted you to a problematic magid shiur but Joey Newcomb takes the cake and most certainly pasuls the whole thing. People may have been fooled by Hackzek sticking out their chazer feess but now we see the kishkas are treif. Joey Newcomb is the chief entertainer and clown used by TYH and the neo chassidic movement to push their apikorsus and anti mesorah agenda. He uses his music and performance skills to mainstream it and indoctrinate and brainwash children and adults that don't know any better.
DeleteThanks for the heads-up. People should take appropriate precautions based on what you have shared. However, even if a part of the venture has been ח"ו unfortunately compromised, it doesn't mean that it is entirely so. One can endeavor to just quarantine the infected portion, for example.
DeleteWow great article.
ReplyDeleteHopefully more of the same to come.
Thanks for posting this. It's satisfying to learn that mussar is undergoing a long overdue renaissance.
ReplyDeleteI particularly enjoyed how you articulated that in addition to the inherent value of it, it is also a powerful answer the claim that Chassidus is the only thing that speaks to our generation.
Keep'em comin ! עלה והצלח
I'll share this story with the group. Mussar was instrumental in my discovering true Yiddishkeit. I read "Strive for Truth" about 35 years ago and I was hooked, particularly Rabbi Dessler's discussion of Bechirah Point. About twenty years ago I began attending a shul with a Chabad Rabbi. I innocently mentioned my affinity for Mussar and he reacted, "I hate mussar." I mentioned this to my Rav who was a Talmid of Rabbi Miller and he told me, "That makes no sense because Chassidus is Mussar." I'd like to try to reconcile this apparent contradiction. Mussar is Mussar. It's a straightforward, in your face, guidebook to self improvement. Chassidus, theoretically can get you to the same place, but at the same time one can get lost in so much of their gobbledygook. That same Chabad Rabbi once used his Shabbos sermon to teach the shul some Chassidus. If I recall he mentioned the five levels of Neshama. He then added, "I know this is over your heads but at least you heard it." The point to consider is that just because a person studies a Sefer, and this can be of any variety, it doesn't mean that he's getting anything out of it.
ReplyDeleteIt's as the Mishna says,"Lifum Tzara Agra."
The Chabad-Lubavitch faith is notorious for badmouthing mussar. It is not only the Chasidim, the last Rebbe himself did that. They try to contrast "Chasidus" and Mussar, claiming that the former uplifts a person, and doesn't dwell on the negative, while the latter is otherwise. As if they were such experts on mussar, which consists of various differing schools, to paint it with so broad a brush, as if it were monolithic.
ReplyDeleteIf Lubavitch would have had some more mussar, perhaps they wouldn't be in the mess they are in today (when you go beyond the air-brushed PR put out by their propaganda machine of course).
I recall seeing a letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe where he writes that is is FORBIDDEN to learn mussar on Shabbos.
DeleteOh, interesting! Thanks for sharing that. Maybe someone can track it down and share the exact source.
DeleteP.S. That means he held that it is not forbidden during the week? ;-)
I'd like to share the following. About 10 years ago I attended the Jewish National Retreat(Chabad's Annual Convention.) On Shabbos afternoon I went into a room and there was a Rabbi speaking. He told this story, "Recently there was a young Israeli, Yemeni, who decided to become religious so he went to one of those, heh, heh, heh, Kiruv yeshivos. The first day he was there the Rabbi said that every good deed is rewarded and every sin is punished.
ReplyDeleteAnd you know how they punish? They burn you with coals. For the rest of the week the Rabbi kept adding to the heat, until the boy finally told him, "Why don't you go to hell? Then the boy went to Chabad and he found happiness. The only thing missing was music playing in the background it was Shabbos. We're constantly reminded that Chabad is Mekarev all Yidden. But Mekarev to what? The Rebbe's vision of a world where there's no distinction between a Mechallel Yom Kippur and a Godol Hador. Actually he'd probably prefer the former.
Boruch Shehechiyanu
ReplyDeleteHalevai ,concerned lest millennials &gen z (ab)use the term though settle rather for a cheap pseudo version
Gut vuch.
ReplyDeleteבמחילת כבודכם
Chassidus and Mussar and not mutually exclusive. To the contrary, any in depth review of the chasidus of Peshischeh would lead a non-biased observer to realize that the truth that the Yid hakodosh, Reb Simcha Bunim and the Kotzker Z’echer tzadikim levrocha strove for was for learning Torah and perfecting one's character and removing the subconscious ego in avodas Hashem.
That’s sounds very mussar-dig to me.
Please don’t lump all chassídim together. There were different shitos in chassídico thought
Absolutely, thanks for that comment! It is just that there is a certain Hasidic sect in particular, which is headquartered on a certain parkway in Brooklyn, NY, makes a lot of noise and PR, and purports to be and speak in the name of Chasidus in general, which is known (I have personally seen this multiple times) to put down mussar. Some other groups also seem to have such an attitude to a lesser degree. But of course not all Chasidim are the same. Thanks for speaking out, and feel welcome and invited to do so in the future as appropriate. It is sad when some noisy and pushy people drown out other legitimate voices from a category or group.
DeleteAs someone who learned in a Yeshiva that preached a more extreme form of musser I have to agree with the Chabad criticism of the misuse and misapplication of the musser movement by some.
ReplyDeleteThe masgaich in Elul was basically preaching Greek mythology about a permanent angry and vengeful god who demands humans sacrifices to be placated.
And I’m someone who still learns musser on an almost daily basis. Though the musser I learn is based on things like Pirkey Avos which was actually to some degree denigrated in the Yeshiva because it’s not extreme enough. The fire and brimstone masgaich mentioned above acknowledged not being an expert in Pirkey Avos.
But since this blog is so welcoming of Musser let me share some: Reading this blog I’m reminded of Rav Hutners comment “when all you have to offer is criticism of others you are bankrupt”
I don't understand what you mean by the Mashgiach in Elul. Please clarify. I do agree that some Mussat is over the top. Rabbi Miller develiped his own rules for Ain Lo Cheilek Habo, and my Rabbonim summarily reject them. I certainly agree with Mr. L that Chabad leads the antu Mussar charge.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what you want to understand. The basic message that Masgiach gave was that you are going to die because that is what is Hashem is looking to do. He actually told us to walk around thinking we have a noose around our necks, he actually compared the Yomim Noraim to an encounter with an obvious thug quickly walking up to you on a dark deserted street. All we heard about is this strict judgment that if you were describing a human judge that way I would think the guy is a first class psychopath. etc. Until I was a yungerman I had no idea that the Yomim Noraim were Yemey Rachmim, I had no idea that Rosh Hashana was also about being mamlech Hashem. Not that I didn't see such things (elsewhere) but we were so told to view the Yomim Noraim as a time of horror that I tuned it all out.
DeleteNow I have the picture. You're to be lauded for remaining in the fold despite what I would consider abuse. Many years ago a college friend of mine got married. She called me a few weeks later and told me something shocking, "Her husband, the product of classic Brooklyn yeshivas and YU for college, didn't put on Tefilin." She told me that he hated his 11th grade Rebbe and this was his way of getting back at him.(Interestingly they raised a beautiful family all the children are fully frum, the husband's a nice guy so he allowed my friend to raise the children properly.) What I take exception to is your statement that you agree with Chabad's criticism of mussar. Chabad is anti Mussar. I have much interaction with that group so I can make that assertion. Chabad does not accept the doctrine of punishment for sin. The Rebbe decided that every Jew, including those who knowingly reject the religion, are in the category of Tinok Shenishba. That's insanity and that's why Rav Shach called him insane. So yes Berel I agree with you that some Mussar practitioners go over the top, and may do more harm than good, but that's not a valid excuse for endorsing Chabad in any way.
DeleteBerel, I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I'd like to add the following. While I in no way condone that Mashgiach's style of Mussar, he's not entirely wrong. The Holocaust serves as a stark reminder that Hashem doesn't play games. As I mentioned in an earlier posting in this series, I used to attend a shul whose Chabad Rabbi said, "I hate Mussar." I frequently spoke there at Shalosh Seudos. One Shabbos I referenced the Holocaust and the Rabbi went ballistic. "The Rebbe did not allow anyone to discuss that subject." He then continued, "The Holocaust was one of those times when G-d didn't know what He was doing. Like when Rabbi Akiva was being killed, the Malachim asked Hashem, Zeh Torah, V'Zeh Schar? And Hashem couldn't answer them." People must understand that Chabad theology bears almost no resemblance to Judaism.
DeleteTaken at face value you can find written in the more extreme Musser Seforim just like what Chabad is being accused of. Only in the oppisite direction, Those seforim promise eternal gehenim to everyone. They say that no matter how big of Tzadikim people Hashem will find some reason to give them punishments. Not just for their averos but even their mitzvos Hashem will find fault with and find a reason to punish them for. And even if he doesn't find fault he will find them some minor pleasure he once gave them in this world and use it as an excuse to not give them any schar because he already paid them up. Now that I'm older and wiser I realize that those who said those things (they usually were written by others based on what they heard from them, they didn't write it themselves) did not mean it to be taken at face value and didn't really mean it at all in a literal or definitive sense. But the apologists for the Lubavitcher Rebbe say the same (possibly true) things about him
ReplyDeleteIf correct you had an immature mashgiach
ReplyDeleteWithout any familiarity with the illustrious
You're absolutely correct. About thirty years ago my niece became a Baalas Tshuvah(she was twelve at the time). I told her the following, "Everything in Judaism is wonderful, but don't get turned off by the bad frum people you meet." Sadly, many people have left the religion due to bad experiences they had from people who were supposed to be role models, but, as Mr. Cohen said, that's not an indictment on Mussar or any aspect of Torah for that matter.
Delete