The 25th of Shevat
Today is the 25th of Shevat, the 122nd yartzeit of Rabbi Yisrael Ben Ze’ev Wolf Lipkin of Salant. Rav Yisrael's best-known work, his Iggeres haMussar is available on line in English (translated by R' Zvi Miller as part of Or Yisrael).
To me, the essence of Rav Yisrael Salanter's innovation is the realization that if man's task in life it to perfect himself, then one must actively engage in self perfection. Second, that this self perfection is a rational concept, one measured in personality, reactions and decisions. Mitzvah performance without the concomitant "Duties of the Heart" are unlikely to be sufficient to reach that goal. And in fact, Rav Yisrael took the idea even further, and applied man's duty to be holy, as the Ramban puts it "Sanctify yourself with that which is permitted to you" to find acts that go beyond the law to help one improve in particular areas that require work.
However, Rav Yisrael's focus on the self and self-improvement didn't make the Mussar Movement's approach narcissistic. Man is to perfect himself -- but perfect himself at being what? Man has three primary relationships: mitzvos between himself and other people, mitzvos between himself and the Omnipresent, and mitzvos between himself and his [own] soul. The first two categories are classical, the third was first articulated by Rav Yisrael. However, in perfecting the bridges outward to other people and to G-d, one can only work on their side, on the stanchion at their end. Mussar is about self-perfection, but that means perfection at relating beyond oneself. Which is why a characteristic of his Mussar Movement is stories of its greats, and how they saw ways to address the needs of others that the rest of us wouldn't have even noticed.
What can you do about it? Buy a notebook. For many people, the first step into the world of mussar is keeping a Cheshbon haNefesh, an Accounting of the Soul. It need not be in some formal format. Simply get in the habit of taking a few minutes at the end of the day to recall the decisions, reactions and actions you made that day. It's about your soul, your free will -- so it should focus on what you did, not what happened to you. You should be the subject of the sentence, not the object. The daily exercise teaches the ability to step outside oneself and see what you're doing. It teaches introspection and reflection. And it allows one to see where the areas for improvement lie. Rav Yisrael identifies hargashah, feeling the gap between what one is and what one could be, as the first step.
To me, the essence of Rav Yisrael Salanter's innovation is the realization that if man's task in life it to perfect himself, then one must actively engage in self perfection. Second, that this self perfection is a rational concept, one measured in personality, reactions and decisions. Mitzvah performance without the concomitant "Duties of the Heart" are unlikely to be sufficient to reach that goal. And in fact, Rav Yisrael took the idea even further, and applied man's duty to be holy, as the Ramban puts it "Sanctify yourself with that which is permitted to you" to find acts that go beyond the law to help one improve in particular areas that require work.
However, Rav Yisrael's focus on the self and self-improvement didn't make the Mussar Movement's approach narcissistic. Man is to perfect himself -- but perfect himself at being what? Man has three primary relationships: mitzvos between himself and other people, mitzvos between himself and the Omnipresent, and mitzvos between himself and his [own] soul. The first two categories are classical, the third was first articulated by Rav Yisrael. However, in perfecting the bridges outward to other people and to G-d, one can only work on their side, on the stanchion at their end. Mussar is about self-perfection, but that means perfection at relating beyond oneself. Which is why a characteristic of his Mussar Movement is stories of its greats, and how they saw ways to address the needs of others that the rest of us wouldn't have even noticed.
What can you do about it? Buy a notebook. For many people, the first step into the world of mussar is keeping a Cheshbon haNefesh, an Accounting of the Soul. It need not be in some formal format. Simply get in the habit of taking a few minutes at the end of the day to recall the decisions, reactions and actions you made that day. It's about your soul, your free will -- so it should focus on what you did, not what happened to you. You should be the subject of the sentence, not the object. The daily exercise teaches the ability to step outside oneself and see what you're doing. It teaches introspection and reflection. And it allows one to see where the areas for improvement lie. Rav Yisrael identifies hargashah, feeling the gap between what one is and what one could be, as the first step.
posted by micha @ 2/04/2005 08:49:00 AM
