Episodes

  • This is how we're going to SAVE THE WORLD in the next 22 years. Join us? ❦ Mussar Conversation #50

    This is how we're going to SAVE THE WORLD in the next 22 years. Join us? ❦ Mussar Conversation #50
    May 2 2025

    START HERE: https://mussar.center This is the last conversation in our Biblical Mussar course and it's a true season finale! I will warn you, though: DON'T watch this video unless you want your life to make a difference. We're going to start by talking about the role of failure and desire in your Mussar work. What's not working in your life? And what does your heart long for? From there we'll turn that into a goal, and make a plan to get you there. And then, finally, I'm going to give you your greatest Mussar assignment: to make a difference in the life of just one person in the next year, in a very specific way.

    P. S. It's been FIFTY lessons! If everyone donates a dollar a lesson we'll be able to keep teaching for free. Please do what you think everyone should do and send in a little something right now: https://mussar.center/donate Thank you!

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    #Mussar #Mission #ChangeTheWorld
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    52 mins
  • "I NEED TO PROCESS!" Why is getting away to ponder so important in Mussar work? ❦ Conversation #49

    "I NEED TO PROCESS!" Why is getting away to ponder so important in Mussar work? ❦ Conversation #49
    Apr 18 2025

    START HERE: https://mussar.center In our second-last conversation in this course I'd like to show you a synonym for "middot" that ties together and confirms much of what we've discovered thus far. But, more than that, it also reveals the answers to many questions: Why does God measure our hearts, weigh our actions, and allow us to be tested when he already knows the results? How can I keep the bitter experiences of life from turning me into a toxic and ugly person and, instead, respond in a way that will make me sweeter and more beautiful? How is becoming a whole and mature individual a goal of Mussar work? And why is it so important to get away so I can ponder and process?

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    #Mussar #Meditation #MentalHealth #EmotionalHealth
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • If ATTENTION was CASH, what would your spending look like? ❦ Mussar Conversation #48

    If ATTENTION was CASH, what would your spending look like? ❦ Mussar Conversation #48
    Apr 4 2025

    START HERE: https://mussar.center What's the connection between Mussar and money? The verbs behind 'character' and 'cash' are actually closely related. And just as 'measuring' is the action behind 'middah', tracking your spending will reveal your true values. Speaking of which, ever notice how we talk about 'paying' attention as if it were shekels? That's because attention IS the currency of today. The Hebrew words for all this contain the secret to reaching your goals, having a great romantic relationship, and just not being a fool. That's why it's so empowering to take two rubber stamps that say 'regard' and 'disregard' to all those people and things that are clamouring for your attention!

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Worried about the future? Some encouragement and advice, just for you. ❦ Mussar Conversation #47

    Worried about the future? Some encouragement and advice, just for you. ❦ Mussar Conversation #47
    Mar 29 2025

    START HERE: https://mussar.center There are so many threads that come together in this conversation I hardly know where to start. God isn't just infinite and indescribable - he also wants to be your all, the one who holds you. He made the world through his Word and it continues to sustain us. And just as he feeds the world with kindness, his life-giving attributes can nourish your soul. You doing the 613 is where heaven touches earth and the symbolic blue thread is realized. The Jewish holidays tell us that without trials you wouldn't have a story. And, worried about the future? Stay strong in your Mussar practice - then not only will the worst not be so bad, but you'll be ready for Mashiach.

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    #Mussar #Discipline
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Out of these five "love languages", which make you feel the most loved? ❦ Mussar Conversation #46

    Out of these five "love languages", which make you feel the most loved? ❦ Mussar Conversation #46
    Mar 14 2025

    START HERE: https://mussar.center How are you like a jar? Not only are you made to be poured into, but you're also made to pour out. In fact, that's pretty much all you do, every day: pouring out your time, your attention, and your emotional energy. The only question is who, or what, gets it all. Is is any surprise that the Hebrew word for marriage and family relationships literally means to pour out? And what would the opposite of all this be? The Dead Sea. All it does is receive, and all it IS is dead. We'll finish this conversation with the five main ways people give and receive love: quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch, gifts, and acts of service. So get ready to discover your primary love languages!

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    #Mussar #Discipline
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    52 mins
  • Nehemiah Rebuilding Jerusalem: Boundaries/Middot Work In Action! ❦ Mussar Conversation #45

    Nehemiah Rebuilding Jerusalem: Boundaries/Middot Work In Action! ❦ Mussar Conversation #45
    Mar 7 2025

    START HERE: https://mussar.center Why is the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem so powerful? Because it's such a relatable picture of boundaries work - right down to the backlash of mockery, threats, and intimidation they faced when they first got started. But why was their work so important? Because the rebuilding of Jerusalem was the first step in the rebuilding of the Temple. And that's what Mussar work is. Just as Israel crumbled because her people had deconstructed in character, when we work on ourselves Israel will be rebuilt and we will once again see the presence of God. Hard work? Yes. But worth it? Absolutely.

    MIDDOT LIST: https://www.mussar.center/lists/middot
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    44 mins
  • FIVE REASONS boundaries are CRITICAL: from your country down to your body's cells ❦ Mussar Talk #44

    FIVE REASONS boundaries are CRITICAL: from your country down to your body's cells ❦ Mussar Talk #44
    Feb 28 2025

    START HERE: https://mussar.center What exactly are boundaries, and why are they so important? You're about to see how every organism and organization needs boundaries to survive and thrive: all the way down from countries and cities to every one of the trillions of cells in your body. You'll also discover the five critical things boundaries do. Because they don't just keep the bad guys out and let the good people through - they tell who you are, set you free, and literally hold you together so you don't end up a puddle on the floor. And, don't worry, we'll also talk about what good boundaries look like, and how to create and maintain them.
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    51 mins
  • MITZVOT and MIDDOT: Why can't you have one without the other? ❦ Mussar Conversation #43

    MITZVOT and MIDDOT: Why can't you have one without the other? ❦ Mussar Conversation #43
    Feb 22 2025

    START HERE: https://mussar.center If God is an invisible consuming fire, how are we supposed to follow and cling to him? And if the answer is by walking after and cleaving to his attributes...how do we do that?! God's character qualities may be the closest you'll come to seeing him in this world, but they're invisible too. THAT'S where the 613 mitzvot/commandments come in! The Hebrew word for middot also means garment–and just as your clothes are proportionately fitted to your body, and your own body is the garment of your soul, even so these physical commandments are the embodiment of the spiritual nature of God. By the time we're done this conversation you'll never see the 613 the same way again!

    LIST OF MITZVOT: https://www.mussar.center/lists/mitzvot
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    44 mins