Mussar Flow (Shefah)

Written by Daniel Murphy

A classic Hasidic story tells of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, who once prayed intensely for a poor villager. The man had no food for his family, and the Baal Shem Tov’s compassion opened a channel of Shefah--a flow of divine abundance. Soon after, unexpected prosperity came to the villager — a lost purse of coins was found, and his fields yielded more than usual.

It was not magic, but the Holy One’s ability to draw down divine abundance through pure intention (Kavannah) and earnest prayer. The Baal Shem Tov, the Hasidim teach, did not “create” wealth; he aligned heaven and earth so that the flow of blessing could reach the man.

This wonderful illustration of the capacity we have to draw down and channel divine goodness illuminates our Mussar practice and journey.  As I have learned and practiced Mussar under the tutelage of Rabbis Ira Stone and Joshua Boettiger, and their collaborators, I have come to experience a flow that is made up of three elements or "moves":  Meditation, Mussar practice, and Mindfulness (or present-moment wakefulness).

Meditation

"But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child . . . ."  (Psalm 131:2)

Rabbi Joshua facilitates a weekly meditation in the context of Mussar theology and practice*.  He typically offers a reflection--a Shiur--on some aspect of holiness through soul cultivation, and then accompanies others in a breath-based sit.

This experience grounds us practitioners in in soul (Neshamah), stilling our being like a weaned child.  The effect is to diffuse ego-based thoughts and intentions, and to open our Nefesh (self-identity and boundary) to G-d and to others.

Mussar Practice

“Through the practical applications of Mussar, one can learn how to awaken to a spirituality that is compassionate, moral, and generous.”--Rabbi Ira Stone

Mussar, as promulgated by the Center for Contemporary Mussar (CCM), provides the theology of responsibility for bearing the burden of the other person, and gives us various tools for embodying this ethos--e.g., texts that describe soul traits; a method of soul-accounting (Cheshbon HaNefesh); dialogue with another practitioner to review our practice and its "wins" and challenges (Chavrutah); group work to reinforce our individual practice (Va'ad); carefully curated exercises for probing our experience of seeing and meeting the need of the other before us.

Mussar is like a handshake with meditation, which readies the soul for service to the other I encounter.  We Mussar practitioners cultivate a range of soul traits or qualities that we can connect with in a given moment.  Our quieted soul can discern which quality is called for--patience, humility, silence, trust.

Mindfulness

“Truly, you are where your mind is.” --The Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism

CCM Mussar underscores "wakefulness" as a present-moment mindfulness that brings the total self into service of the other in a specific moment.  This "where-your-mind-is" quality helps us to see the true need of the other, not our projection.  

Once we detect the true "burden" of the other, we can discern with soul-level discernment how to act for the other's true good.  

This three-fold "flow" (Shefah) of divine-to-human goodness is a pathway to Tikkun Olam--the repairing of the world and its many wounds.  One relationship, one moment at a time.

*You can participate in Rabbi Joshua Boettiger's Mussar Meditation sessions by clicking here.