| Greetings!
This is one in a series of weekly middah emails that the Mussar Leadership madrichim will be sending over the summer. We hope that these messages will support you in your practice until we beginning meeting again in the fall.
With this edition we call attention to the beginning of the of the month of Elul, a month of preparing for the new year.
We appreciate hearing your comments. |
Steps to Practice
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Step 10 (continued)
Add one mitzvah to your daily practice. Last year, the
Mussar Pathways program focused on enhancing observance of three
mitzvot - saying the morning and evening Sh'ma, saying the blessings
before eating, remembering the Sabbath day and keeping it holy.
2. Much of our practice of mussar is focuses on becoming aware of our need to be grateful. Reciting the blessings over food is an opportunity for us to practice the middah of Gratitude (Hoda'ah). On the other hand, in last week's parsha, Moses taught that eating without blessing is stealing from God. (See Brachot 33a-35a).
Chabad's Brachot Wizard is a handy guide to which blessings go with which food.
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| Middah |
Calmness | Nichutah | נִיחוּתָא
The words of the wise are stated gently.
In being good, do not be called evil.
(Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Satanov, Chesbon HaNefesh).
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| Pasukim |
It is a good practice to find a pasuk (a scriptural verse) that reminds you of your middah and repeat it (or sing it, if
possible) to help in cultivating that character trait. The Hebrew word for this week's middah, nichutah (נִיחוּתָא), though found in the Talmud, does not appear in scripture. Here are some other words from scripture that mean Calmness.
דממה - whisper, calm
He calmed the storm, and the waves grew silent. (Psalms 107:29) יָקֵם סְעָרָה, לִדְמָמָה; וַיֶּחֱשׁוּ, גַּלֵּיהֶם
שׁקט
- to be quiet, be tranquil, be at peace
I will calm down and no longer be angry. (Ezekiel 16:42)שָׁקַטְתִּי, וְלֹא אֶכְעַס עוֹדקר - cool, calm, self-possessed
The one who stays calm is discerning. (Proverbs 17:27)
וקר- (יְקַר-) רוּחַ, אִישׁ תְּבוּנָה
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Torah Portion
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Shoftim
(Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9)
The first verse of Parashat Shoftim sets a tone of much of what
follows in the parashah:
Shoftim v'shotrim teiten l'kha
b'khol sh`arekha
Asheir Adonai Elohekha notein
l'kha-lish'vatekha
V'shaftu et ha-`am mishpat
tzedeq. (16:18)
"Judges and officers shall you appoint in all your cities-Which HaShem your God, gives you-for your tribes; And they shall judge the people with righteous judgment." (Artscroll, Stone Ed.)
Reading this verse out loud, one is struck by the gentleness and softness of the verse. The "sh" sounds of the verse permeate throughout giving the verse a feeling of calm, quiet, and security-the
sound that would encourage a disturbed child to
sleep in peace. There are seven sounds ("sh") that
are utterances of quiet peace. Without even
translating or understanding the words, the reader
is lulled by the sweet surrender, as this
parashah begins. Also, the number seven has
many other positive associations in the
Tanakh: rest on the seventh day, rest on the
seventh year, freeing of Jewish slaves after the
49th (7x7) year. Although people can tremble when
they think of judges and officers, Moshe seemingly
made an effort to encourage the people to feel
secure, calm, and supported in this new modus
operandi, the appointment of judges. So, the reader
now and the listener then are brought into Moshe's
speech with a positive and hopeful attitude.
Excerpted from Parashat Shoftim by Eleanor Pearlman
http://www.ajrsem.org/index.php?id=183
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Rosh Hodesh Elul
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Rosh Hodesh Elul begins at sundown on Thursday August 20. Elul is to be spent
preparing for the upcoming High Holidays. Because God judges and
"sentences" the entire world on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, it is
only fitting that we try to correct our flaws and repent before that time. That
way, when we come before God for judgement on these holidays, we will find
favor in His eyes (assuming our repentance was sincere) and be judged for a
good year.
The Talmud (Yoma 86b)
writes "Rav Meir used to say Great is repentance, that because of an
individual who repents, the entire world is forgiven, as the verse says (Hoshea
14:5) 'I will rectify their waywardness, I will love them gratuitously, for My
anger has turned away from them.'"
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Mussar Leadership classes will resume meeting at Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. For more information about who we are, please visit our website.
Sincerely,
The Madrichim
Mussar Leadership
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