Alan Morinis

I found this to be fascinating, but not for reasons that would apply to most people. This book, you see, concerns the discovery of Mussar—which is more or less a Jewish approach to ethical matters—by an unobservant Jew, who eventually has a series of meetings with a rabbi in New York in which he learns more about it.

The rabbi in question is the head of the high school and seminary where I studied for eight years. Seeing my school through the eyes of an outsider? Utterly fascinating.

Otherwise... not a bad introduction to Mussar. Kinda simplified, and definitely eclectic, but not a bad read, and I suppose it might be a useful starting point, which is all it really tries to be.… (mere)

Everyday Holiness is a very practical guide to the Jewish spiritual self improvement path of Mussar. Though the Mussar tradition has been around since the 19th century, it has many elements that are similar to modern self improvement techniques, modern psychology, and Eastern religious traditions. In fact, a good 80% of the Mussar teachings could be beneficial to anyone, regardless of their beliefs or lack of beliefs. 95% would be perfectly applicable within a Christian framework.

In short, the Mussar path involves studying a number of "soul-traits" (not much different from "personality traits") and identifying a handful of them (13 is the recommended number) that you could improve upon in your own life. There is then a simple, but very long term method to enhancing these traits in your life.

Part 1 of the book introduces the concepts of Mussar. Part 2, the bulk of the book, devotes 18 chapters to detailed discussions of 18 soul-traits. Reading the chapters, which have titles like "Generosity," "Truth," or "Honor" bring to light far more depth than will immediately pop to mind when one reads these words. Finally Part 3 explains the steps to follow the Mussar path.

A few things to understand: This book is "self improvement" in the sense of making the self a better person, a more spiritual person, and a more righteous person. It is not "self improvement" in the sense of making one get better jobs, make more money, or have more friends; though indirectly, it could have these effects. The Mussar path is also not something that has an end goal. The ideal is to make Mussar a lifetime commitment. We will never be perfect, and therefore we can always continue to improve ourselves.

Morinis' writing style is clean, clear, and accessible. The book is exceptionally well organized. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to be a better person, regardless of whether they are Jewish or not.… (mere)