Musar A Jewish Contemplative Practice

Musar is a thousand-year-old Jewish contemplative practice which, for most of its existence, was a solitary practice. It was transformed into a religious and ethical movement in the 19th century by Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin Salanter and is experiencing a revival today amongst Jews of all backgrounds.

At its core, Musar, or the Musar movement as it is most often referred to is about allowing the light of holiness, which is found within each and every one of us to become manifest in all aspects of our daily life. The word Musar is derived from the Hebrew for discipline or instruction. Although it began and remained a deeply solitary and personal practice for much of the last thousand years, under Rabbi Salanter’s influence, people began to meet in groups, or va’ads with others engaged in the practice of Musar. Musar might involve anything from engaging in Jewish text study with a chavruta or study partner to going on a contemplative retreat, practicing meditation, chanting and journaling, all of which are intended as vehicles through which the practitioner is able to perfect their middot or character traits. The Musar movement teaches that we are, at our very core, a soul, and that the ultimate goal of a Musar practitioner is that through personal character and spiritual refinement, that holiness within our soul can shine more brightly in the world.

Amongst the Musar movement’s many influences were Benjamin Franklin’s Thirteen Virtues, which he developed at the mere age of twenty and practiced continuously throughout his life and works of Musar literature including Maimonides’ Eight Chapters and Messilat Yesharim or the Path of the Just by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato.

Rabbi Salanter was also deeply influenced by the humility of his own teachers and saw the need for the incorporation of the study and practice of Musar into Eastern European Yeshivot. He began the Musar movement amongst the non-Hassidic yeshivot in Lithuania. Although widely received by many, his emphasis on Musar also caused some controversy, his detractors often arguing that there were more important subjects for students in Yeshivot to be focusing their time on. Rabbi Salanter and his students argued that the Musar movement was very profoundly needed and relevant at this particular period owing to the increasing rates of assimilation amongst Eastern European Jewry in the aftermath of the European Enlightenment and Haskalah or Jewish equivalent, along with the poverty in which many people lived. Most fundamentally, however, Rabbi Salanter argued that people were losing the emotional core of Jewish living and practice.

Although the Musar movement was for the most part centered around yeshivot founded by Salanter and his students, it was available to anyone. Rabbi Salanter even made the point of encouraging women to study and practice Musar, as it is something that one can do at any time.

The Musar movement today is experiencing a tremendous revival in all streams of Judaism. It is becoming increasingly popular in non-Orthodox movements and more and more synagogues have Musar va’ads or study groups. Additionally, people are forming chavrutot, or study partners to study Musar literature and work on their spiritual growth. Typically, such a study partnership or group will pick one midah for each time they gather and focus their practice upon the refinement of that midah. People might choose several verses from the Tanach to meditate upon—these verses generally pertain directly to the midah in question, or they might keep a journal. Additionally, Musar va’ads and chavrutot will study classical works of Musar, applying the text to their own lives and practice. There are many self-study courses available as well as popular books and web sites for further learning and growth. Although the Musar movement is deeply rooted in Judaism, its teachings and practices are accessible to anyone of any faith background.