The Jewish Way to Becoming Your Best Self
An Introduction to the Jewish Spiritual Practice of Character Development
6 Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. ET
April 28 - June 9
(No class on June 2)
All classes will be recorded and sent to registrants.
Learn how Mussar, an ancient Jewish wisdom, can help us find resiliency and centeredness in modern life.
Since Oct. 7, there has been fear and distress inside the Jewish world and beyond. Many of us have been carrying feelings of despair and powerlessness in our hearts and minds.
This interactive, six-part course will introduce participants to Mussar, an ancient but little-known transformational method of Jewish spiritual character development.
By exploring specific character traits known as middot, Mussar is designed to help us strengthen our inner lives, shift unhelpful self-talk and approach the world with hope and resilience.
Join us to be spiritually and emotionally nourished and renewed!
Session 1: Introduction to Mussar, and an introduction to middah (character trait) no. 1: Anavah/Humility
Session 2: Review of Anavah; begin Hakarat HaTov/Looking for the Good
Session 3: Review Hakarat HaTov; begin Menuchat HaNefesh/Equanimity
Session 4: Review Menuchat HaNefesh; begin Tikvah/Hope
Session 5: Review Tikvah; Begin Ometz Lev/Courage
Session 6: Review Ometz Lev; review all middot covered and reflect
This class is part of 70 Faces Media's project to help our readers build resilience in challenging times, supported by UJA-Federation of New York.
There are no refunds for this course.
About Your Teacher
Rabbi Marcia Plumb is the co-founder and director of A Soul in Balance: A Modern Mussar Center, based in Boston. She teaches Mussar, a Jewish spiritual practice that gives concrete instructions on how to live a meaningful and ethical life, in a variety of formats, including for young professionals, neurodivergent children, therapists, teachers and more. Most recently, she has developed a Mussar framework for managing polarizing conversations, and has used it since Oct. 7 to dialogue across differences. Rabbi Plumb is also an international speaker and scholar in residence who has created Mussar curricula for Jewish day schools as well as founding and directing the spiritual formation program at Leo Baeck College in London. A trained Jewish spiritual director, her writing has been published in several books, including “The Torah Mussar Commentary” and “Taking Up the Timbrel: The Challenge of Creating Ritual for Jewish Women Today.”
Related Courses
About My Jewish Learning
My Jewish Learning is the internet's leading pluralistic Jewish education resource. We offer thousands of articles, videos, live classes and other resources to help you navigate all aspects of Judaism and Jewish life — from Jewish ritual and practice to texts to history and culture.
My Jewish Learning is geared toward all backgrounds and levels of knowledge and is a part of 70 Faces Media, the largest Jewish digital media organization in North America.