Word Prompt – MUSSAR – Avi Ganz

The Great Mirrer mashgiach and rosh yeshiva, Rav Chaim Shmulevitz, zt"l, has two recurring themes in his Sichos Mussar – a compendium of his weekly mussar talks delivered in Jerusalem between 1971 and 1973: The first: think critically. Don't take events, scholarly themes, and even biblical narratives at face value. Or, at least, don't be satisfied with taking them at face value. The second: every single person has the capacity to achieve greatness. Full stop.

Often, there is a negative connotation attached to the word mussar: "Now he's gonna give me a mussar schmooze" means "I am about to be told off and criticized… and I hate being picked on!" But Rav Chaim, zt"l, like other Mussar Greats, teaches that mussar isn't a negative thing at all! When a car doesn't drive well, it is less efficient, less comfortable, and less safe. So, we bring it to the mechanic to assess the problem and then to (hopefully) fix it. Sure, that repair might come with a hefty price tag, but it is an investment in the long-term results. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away and is usually just going to make the problem worse. And throwing out the car isn't a good option either. On the other hand, when we have a used tissue or spoiled food, we just dispose of those: there is no use in investing in something that is worthless. Mussar isn't the nagging neighbor who doesn't respect us, it is the gift that helps us to identify our own innate greatness.