A Responsible Life: The Spiritual Path of Mussar
"Love your neighbor" is the central obligation of Jewish life.  Mussar, a late 19th century Jewish renewal movement, focused on this  precept as a means of self-improvement and spiritual growth. Through the  practical applications of Mussar, one can learn how to awaken to a  spirituality that is compassionate, moral, and generous. In this book,  Rabbi Ira Stone provides a contemporary theological framework for  understanding Mussar and describes how participation in a Mussar group can  offer support and guidance for this powerful spiritual practice."This book is a marvelous gift to a generation seeking new spiritual paths  in order to live a richly Jewish and deeply human life.  Ira Stone uncovers  a neglected treasure in modern Judaism, the 19th century Mussar movement  which sought to develop the human being into a mensch by reuniting mitzvot  and morality.  Stone gives us his post-modern theology of Mussar, guides us  through its theory of the process of self-development using its methods of  self-improvement.  In a final s, Stone shows how, in the mode of Mussar,  prayer and halakhah awaken our spirit and teach us to concretize God's love  and our love for fellow human beings.  The appendix introduces us to one of  the great teachers of the Mussar movement, Rabbi Simcha Zissel Broyde of  Kelm and translates and annotates excerpts from his writing.  This book is  a treasure to be read and reread."Rabbi Irving Greenberg President, Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt  Foundation"Sometimes we do not know what we should do morally, but sometimes we know  full well what we should do but lack the strength of character or  motivation to do it.  The Mussar movement developed in Judaism to help us  do what we know is right. This book is a wonderfully clear and helpful  exposition of one form of Mussar.  As such, it has the power to do nothing  less than improve our moral character and change our lives for the  better."Rabbi Elliot Dorff Author of To Do the Right and the Good: A Jewish  Approach to Modern Social Ethics"Here you will find hidden gems of the authentic, time-tested Jewish  spiritual tradition of Mussar -- and be shown steps you can take to open  your own heart. Rabbi Stone passionately reminds us that when we extend our  hand to help another bear their burden, the pathway to the Beloved we seek  opens before us."Alan Morinis Author of Climbing Jacob's Ladder: One Man's Rediscovery of a  Jewish Spiritual Tradition"For over a decade, Rabbi Stone taught courses on Emmanuel Levinas and  Mussar in the Jewish Theological Seminary's Department of Jewish  Philosophy. This impressive study brings together his two scholarly  passions and demonstrates their intrinsic congruence. In the hands of this  gifted and experienced teacher, this material becomes not only accessible  but even positively engaging. Every serious student of Jewish thought is in  debt to Rabbi Stone and to the Aviv Press for this gift."Rabbi Neil Gillman Professor of Jewish Philosophy, Jewish Theological  Seminary"Ira Stone has written a learned and profound introduction to the theory  and practice of Mussar, a great contribution to the recent revival of  Mussar in the Jewish community. In a way that is both challenging and  accessible, Ira Stone offers a compelling theology for the contemporary  Jew.  This book will be of great value for both students of the sacred  psychology of Mussar and for all Jewish seekers and students of Jewish  theology."Rabbi Amy Eilberg Codirector of the Morei Derekh training program of the  Yedidya Center for Jewish Spiritual DirectionIra F. Stone is rabbi of Temple Beth-Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia and  founder of the Philadelphia Mussar Institute. He has taught at the Jewish  Theological Seminary and currently teaches at Reconstructionist Rabbinical  College. Rabbi Stone is the author of Seeking the Path to Life, Reading  Levinas/Reading Talmud, and two volumes of poetry.