Climbing Jacob's Ladder: One Man's Journey to Rediscover a Jewish Spiritual Tradition
Product ID: 106829903
“A compelling portrait of the relationship between a student and a teacher,” this spiritual memoir “raises important questions about the meaning of Judaism and the search for spirituality in this world” ( Los Angeles Times ) Jewish by birth, though from a secular family, Alan Morinis explored Hinduism and Buddhism as a young man. But in 1997, in the face of personal crisis, he turned to his Jewish heritage for guidance. In his reading he happened upon a Jewish spiritual tradition called Mussar. Gradually he realized that he had stumbled upon an insightful discipline for self-development, complete with meditative, contemplative, and other well-developed transformative practices designed to penetrate the deepest roots of the inner life. Eventually reaching the limits of what he could learn on his own, he decided to seek out a Mussar teacher. This was not an easy task, since almost the entire world of the Mussar tradition had been wiped out in the Holocaust. In time, he found an accomplished master who stood in an unbroken line of transmission of the Mussar tradition, and who lived in the center of a community of Orthodox Jews on Long Island. This book tells the story of Morinis’s journey to meet his teacher and what he learned from him, revealing the central teachings and practices that are the spiritual treasury and legacy of Mussar. Review: A stunningly vivid verbal portrait - Written in the style of Tuesdays with Morrie - middle-aged Jewish guy, plodding through life's ethical dilemmas, connects with older, wiser Jewish man and learns much about himself and the world around him - Climbing Jacob's Ladder is an exceptionally well-crafted book. The guru figure of this book, though, is not a self-styled professor, saddled with a debilitating, terminal illness. Rather, he is, Rabbi Yechiel Perr, dean of an Orthodox Yeshiva, who is steeped in an age old ethics-based tradition, known as Mussar. The book's author, Alan Morinis, is effective on numerous planes. For one, he makes the somewhat arcane theoretical underpinnings of Mussar accessible to a larger audience: You don't just have a soul; you are a soul. Second, Morinis breathes new life into some of the perhaps stultified practices of Mussar. An example here is when he presents Heshbon Hanefesh/moral inventory in a manner that subtly deviates from the more statistics-based, quantitative approach introduced by its original author and heads toward a more descriptive, qualitative approach - one that empowers readers to move beyond simply identifying moral lapses to understanding their causes and finding solutions. An intriguing question that winds its way through the book is whether Mussar, as a discipline originally devised to help observant Jews adhere to the strictures of Orthodoxy, can be adapted for use by those who wish to remain part of broader society, even as they crave a more ethical, spiritual life. Morinis, on more than one occasion, poses this question to Rabbi Perr, and his mentor typically responds in oblique fashion. Whether or not we are to call Morinis' book and the endeavors it has spawned Mussar, his work has inspired (and moved to action) a wide array of people, many of whom are clearly not Orthodox. For those who personally know Rabbi Perr, this book holds an additional attraction. Morinis paints a stunningly vivid verbal portrait - one that seems to capture a great deal of the venerated dean's aura, from his imposing physical presence to the complex and seemingly contradictory facets of his personality. As someone who had studied in Rabbi Perr's Yeshiva for a number of years, I will often refer to the images presented by Morinis, and experience a tingling sense of the dean's, or (as we refer to him) the Rosh Yeshiva's presence - one that tides me over, in between our all too infrequent phone conversations. Review: Easy, captivating read - If you're planning on reading Mussar books, I'd suggest reading this one first, cause it mentions reading the other books, but suggests how to go about doing so. I think Mussar & Kabbalah are similar, but not the same (if you happen to be studying or are thinking of studying Kabbalah). Both worth studying.
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A**R
A stunningly vivid verbal portrait
Written in the style of Tuesdays with Morrie - middle-aged Jewish guy, plodding through life's ethical dilemmas, connects with older, wiser Jewish man and learns much about himself and the world around him - Climbing Jacob's Ladder is an exceptionally well-crafted book. The guru figure of this book, though, is not a self-styled professor, saddled with a debilitating, terminal illness. Rather, he is, Rabbi Yechiel Perr, dean of an Orthodox Yeshiva, who is steeped in an age old ethics-based tradition, known as Mussar. The book's author, Alan Morinis, is effective on numerous planes. For one, he makes the somewhat arcane theoretical underpinnings of Mussar accessible to a larger audience: You don't just have a soul; you are a soul. Second, Morinis breathes new life into some of the perhaps stultified practices of Mussar. An example here is when he presents Heshbon Hanefesh/moral inventory in a manner that subtly deviates from the more statistics-based, quantitative approach introduced by its original author and heads toward a more descriptive, qualitative approach - one that empowers readers to move beyond simply identifying moral lapses to understanding their causes and finding solutions. An intriguing question that winds its way through the book is whether Mussar, as a discipline originally devised to help observant Jews adhere to the strictures of Orthodoxy, can be adapted for use by those who wish to remain part of broader society, even as they crave a more ethical, spiritual life. Morinis, on more than one occasion, poses this question to Rabbi Perr, and his mentor typically responds in oblique fashion. Whether or not we are to call Morinis' book and the endeavors it has spawned Mussar, his work has inspired (and moved to action) a wide array of people, many of whom are clearly not Orthodox. For those who personally know Rabbi Perr, this book holds an additional attraction. Morinis paints a stunningly vivid verbal portrait - one that seems to capture a great deal of the venerated dean's aura, from his imposing physical presence to the complex and seemingly contradictory facets of his personality. As someone who had studied in Rabbi Perr's Yeshiva for a number of years, I will often refer to the images presented by Morinis, and experience a tingling sense of the dean's, or (as we refer to him) the Rosh Yeshiva's presence - one that tides me over, in between our all too infrequent phone conversations.
F**Y
Easy, captivating read
If you're planning on reading Mussar books, I'd suggest reading this one first, cause it mentions reading the other books, but suggests how to go about doing so. I think Mussar & Kabbalah are similar, but not the same (if you happen to be studying or are thinking of studying Kabbalah). Both worth studying.
R**N
How to Find Your Soul
In a world where spiritual materialism is rampant, it is refreshing to find the real thing. _Climbing Jacob's Ladder_ by Alan Morinis is an up close and personal introduction to Mussar, a little known, nearly obliterated form of Jewish Wisdom which aims in the most practical way to help anyone find his soul and then to cut through the clutter to balance and strengthen that soul by various techniques. There is no quick fix here, but what this book has to say jibes with as much as I have learned. Spirituality is largely a matter of practice. God helps those who work on their technique!
J**F
when I jump into something like this, I like to read additional material - ...
I have recently begun to study Mussar within a group setting at my synagogue. In general, when I jump into something like this, I like to read additional material - material not a part of the course curriculum. Alan Morinis is considered to be a "mussar maven" and it was great to read about his life and what led him to this study. I would recommend this to anyone looking to understand how the Mussar can play an important role in one's life. I've been in this group for about 4 months now, and my life has changed....for the better.
D**Y
Illuminating
This book and it's interesting content is easy to read and fascinating to follow this mans journey. If interested in learning about Mussar this a good place to start. The book arrived in excellent condition and in a timely fashion.
B**L
An inspirational bood
It is amazing to see one's man journey to find holiness and how he is currently helping others. After reading this book you will feel ihpired to respect others and help yourself develop soul traits to happiness. Easy reading also.
M**S
Love it
The book is inspiring as well as easy to read. It explains complicated concepts of the Mussar in an understandable and compelling manner. I just purchased it as a gift! Read it and pass it on.
R**R
An easy and insightful outline of a philosophy that leads to ...
An easy and insightful outline of a philosophy that leads to a way of life that can be more rewarding and, dare I say, happier.
P**L
An example to emulate
Paths that cross as we do in our search to become better human beings with wisdom passed through ages from what envisioned men and women as Prof. Moreinis here conveys
R**I
Five Stars
great read
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