This week’s Kavanot focus on some of the core concepts of the Jewish Mussar practice, called middot. To learn more, visit the website.
Humility: ענוה – Anavah
Patience: סבלנות – Savlanut
Gratitude: הכרת הטוב – Hakarat Ha’Tov
Compassion: רחמים – Rachamim
On Thursdays, when Cantor Emma and I lead our schoolchildren in prayer, we begin our services by singing the prayer, “Elohai neshama, she natatah bi, t’horah he” – “God, the soul you have given me is pure.”
Your soul, I explain to them, is what makes you you. There has never been and there never will be another person like you on this planet.
There’s often a slight gasp of amazement the first time they hear that insight. Taking that a step further, there will never be a person who encounters the world as each of us do in our uniqueness. No one will love like each of us, or for that matter experience love between each other the way each of us does. While we use words to describe emotions that we think we have in common, truthfully, given the uniqueness of our own souls, the internal experience varies from person to person.
The list of four Mussar traits above, and the ways that we can express them in our lives, are a reflection of our uniqueness. They are, in effect, the content of our soul.
To what extent do we lead with appropriate humility? This is different from self-effacement. The rabbis said: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” However, to be able to contract the self and make room for others to achieve and succeed is true humility.
Patience goes hand-in-hand with humility. Often, our abrupt responses to others are because we are convinced that “I can do it better!” True humility can lead to appropriate patience.
Gratitude and compassion also go hand-in-hand. If I can recognize the efforts that others make for my benefit, then I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the advantage I receive from them, and because of those efforts.
The key insight of Mussar is that the traits are not innate. They must be cultivated and practiced regularly. As we refine our souls and continue on our path to becoming, consciously practicing the expression of these four soulful qualities can indeed purify our souls.
— Rabbi Ron Stern