Humility - American Mussar

What’s In It For Me? How Moses Answered the Call to Conscience

November 28, 2016 By Greg Marcus Leave a Comment

Today, I am pleases to share with you an excerpt from What’s In It for me: Finding Ourselves in Biblical Narratives by Rabbi Stephen Fuchs.

I rarely post excerpts from books or have guest posts on American Mussar. I picked this one because I love the way Rabbi Fuchs brings the biblical story of Moses into the realm of human decision making. If you are unsure of the Divinity, where the text says things like “God spoke” think of it as the Universe, or the internal Divinity, that spark of goodness that no one can take away.

I can only hope that I will never be challenged with a task as great as the one that confronted Moses. Yet I can relate to the idea of being overwhelmed by a great task, and the importance of not ignoring the quiet voice of conscience.

Chapter 11: Moses Answered the Call to Conscience. Will We?

Moses grows up as an Egyptian prince. According to the Midrash, his mother, Yocheved, teaches him about his heritage and the importance of loyalty to his people. Her efforts pay off.

One day, as Moses walks among the Hebrew slaves he encounters an Egyptian taskmaster beating one of them. An Egyptian prince should not care, but Moses smites the Egyptian.

In one of the most profound of all Midrashic statements, the Eternal One observes Moses’ action and says, “Moses, if you have descended from your high station to take up the case of a Hebrew slave, then it is time for Me to descend from my high station and redeem my people, the Children of Israel” (Shemot Rabbah 2:2).

Wow. It doesn’t get more dramatic than that. Imagine, through our acts of righteousness, we are capable of influencing the Almighty. The notion of a God responding positively to human goodness is one of the most revolutionary ideas in the Torah.

Unfortunately, because he smote the taskmaster, Moses has to leave Egypt and his princely status behind. Again, he is a role model for us and encourages us to consider one of life’s most vital questions: What is more important? Success and reward? Or doing what is just and right?

Moses traverses the desert, arrives in Midian, meets (like Jacob and Isaac) his wife-to-be at a well, and eventually settles into a comfortable existence as shepherd for his father-in-law, the Midianite priest, Jethro.

Later, Moses encounters God, calling him back to Egypt from a burning bush. A burning bush, as the rabbis note, was hardly a dramatic event in the desert. It took a person with extraordinary insight to realize the bush did not go up in flames, and to listen to the voice of God calling from within [Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, (Philadelphia, Jewish Publication Society of America, 1968) Vol. 2, 304].

People often ask me, “Why doesn’t God speak with us anymore?” I believe God does, but we must learn how to listen to God’s voice. Like Cain, we can choose to ignore the voice or defy it. If we train ourselves to not only hear, but to listen, God will speak to us in the voice of our conscience⎯just as God spoke long ago. We must strive to recognize that voice urging us to choose the path of righteousness and justice over that of expedience and narrow self-interest.

Although Moses clearly heard God’s voice, initially, he was reluctant to heed it. He throws every possible excuse at the Almighty: “Who am I,” he asks, “to go before Pharaoh? I don’t speak very well.” But God would not be dissuaded (Exodus 3 and 4).

The task God had chosen Moses to undertake was enormous. Moses had to convince himself, that he was the man for the job.

Fortunately, Moses heeded God’s voice and fulfilled his destiny. Perhaps there is only one real difference between Moses and Cain. Cain turned away from God’s call, but Moses obeyed it.

Think of it. The Torah teaches that our lives can have purpose and meaning. The rest is up to us. God wants us to try our best⎯setbacks and frustrations notwithstanding⎯to use our talents to make the world better. We do not all have the ability to lead a nation, cure cancer, or invent a life-changing device, but we all can do something to make life better for others. Cain said no to God. Moses said yes. Perhaps the most important question we can ask ourselves is, “What will our answer be when God⎯in whatever mysterious way God chooses⎯affords us a glimpse of our potential destiny?”

Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs is Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel, West Hartford, Connecticut and the former President of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Earlier is his career he served at Temple Isaiah in Columbia, Maryland and at The Temple, Congregation Ohabai Sholom in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 2014 Rabbi Fuchs and his wife Victoria have spent several weeks in Germany raising Holocaust awareness in secondary schools and speaking in synagogues, churches and universities. They are the proud parents of three children and five grandchildren. Please visit http://www.rabbifuchs.com to learn more.

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5 Ways Spirituality Can Fight Post Election Despair

November 10, 2016 By Greg Marcus 3 Comments

I am really sad about the outcome of the election on many levels. I suspect that many (but not all) of you feel the same way. Now what? I’m looking for ways that spirituality can fight post election despair. But first, something must be said.

I have not made a secret of the fact that I do not like Donald Trump. At the same time, I have done my best to remain in conversation with Trump supporters, especially on my Facebook page. And I often wrote “whomever wins, we need to come together as a country and find a way to heal.” I’ll be honest – I hoped that I would be the one who got to play the role of gracious winner, but the Universe has other plans for me. So I will take a page from Hilary Clinton’s speech, and look at Trump with an open mind. He won, and he and his supporters have an opportunity to prove that my fears are unfounded.

I really do want to heal as a country. This does not, however, mean giving up on what I believe in. As President Obama said, we see to a peaceful transition of power. Then we go back to work and fight the political fights.

But what can I do? I feel like crap.

Mussar as always has some suggestions.

Here are Five Soul Traits to help you process the election results and fight post-election despair.

Humility: We each only get one vote. Although I volunteered and donated, in the ballot box, I only have one vote. In fact, my vote counts less in California than it would have in the Midwest. It appears that Clinton won the popular vote. When it comes to a National Election, I occupy a very small space. We can rage against the machine, or we can accept reality. On the National and World Stage, I occupy a very small space.

However, in other parts of my life, I occupy a much larger space. I can make a positive contribution to my family and community. One friend of mine said she will write one letter about climate change a day for the next year. And I love this article from Jenna Amatulli in the Huffington post that outlines ways to help, by listing organizations that support progressive causes. Don’t move. Volunteer.

Patience – Mussar is teaching that Patience is bearing the burden of the situation, much as the Israelites bore the burden of slavery in Egypt. It is a gift to help us endure when we cannot take action. When it comes to this election, there is little we can do. The painter Paul Klee died in 1940, at a time when it looked like Hitler would take over everything. Five years later Hitler was destroyed. This election is not the end of the story, but we will have to endure years of policy changes that will hurt some of us to the core.

Honor the Divine Spark in others. I remember feeling bad for Republicans who were so bitterly disappointed that Obama was re-elected in 2012. I felt the same way in 2004 when Kerry lost to Bush. Today I tip my cap to the Trump supporters. It is their turn. I hope they will be gracious winners.

HOWEVER, it is more important to honor minority communities who may be feeling scared about what a Trump presidency means for them. And they way we can honor them is by taking action.

Enthusiasm – Mussar teaches that we should “Run to do good.” There are many hurting people out there. We can acknowledge Trump’s presidency while at the same time remain active in the civic and political arenas. Be aggressive to stop bullying when you see it. Reach out to your LGBT, black, Latino, Muslim, Jewish, feminist friends and let them know that you have their back. Another thing you can do is provide a safe space for people. A Rabbi friend started a private group where people can support each other through the stress of the election. And the Pantsuit Nation Facebook Group of women who support Clinton has over 3 million members. The woman’s issues raised in this campaign are not going away. Join a group and get active.

Equanimity – This soul trait is also known as Calmness of the Soul. It is a zen-like ability to be present, to accept what is, and stay on an even keel whatever happens.This is so hard for me. Spiritual masters like Eckhart Tolle call it being present, or being Awake. I’ll be honest – I’ve suffered a lot this year. I write suffered with a small s because the things that caused me unhappiness are stress and work related. Now, I have something truly calamitous to be unhappy about. Maybe this will be the incentive I need to start meditating, and doing what I need to do to wake up. Tolle tells a story of a student of his who was grateful for his illness because it forced him to go deeper into their consciousness and dissolve the ego. I really want to do this.

Finally, let me leave you with a Korean quote from my sister in law “It’s not the seven falls. It’s the eight rises.”

For many of us, this is a fall. When you rise, look around, and look within. I’m sure that something needs fixing in your own back yard.

Want to start your own Mussar journey? Click here to join me on the Soul Trait Profile Quiz.

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3 Character Traits That Make You a Better Leader

November 4, 2016 By Greg Marcus Leave a Comment

15845979_s Being a better person is easy in theory – do less of the negative stuff, and more of the positive stuff. The same holds true for leadership. The problem comes in when we either don’t know what we should do, or we do know but can’t help ourselves and do the negative anyway. When I was in the corporate world, I was very good at my job, and very, very arrogant. It held me back in a very, very, very, big way. I so wish I had practiced Mussar back then.

Mussar is a 1000-year-old Jewish mindfulness practice that teaches us how to find those things inside that cause us to get stuck making the same mistakes again and again. And, Mussar offers a step-by-step way to bring those things towards balance and healing. On a personal level, Mussar is a daily practice that helps one become a Mensch, a person of outstanding character. On a professional level, Mussar can be the key to unlocking your full leadership potential.

Mussar offers a different perspective than many other wisdom practices, in that having too much of the trait is just as bad as having not enough. The way we change is to first identify where we are on the spectrum from too much to too little for a given trait, and then to take action to bring ourselves towards balance.

Click Here to Read More…

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Made Myself a Nazi Target

June 6, 2016 By Greg Marcus Leave a Comment

By changing my name to (((Greg Marcus))), I made myself a Nazi target on Twitter. They have a way of searching for names with the “echo” ((())), in order to bombard the victim with anti-Semitic comments. (Read more here.)

Then over the weekend, I started seeing Jewish names on Twitter with the echo. I was horrified – what are they doing? Then today, I read this article by (((Yair Rosenberg))) in the Tablet, and I started to get it. By placing the echo around our own names, we are co-opting the Nazi process. Nazi’s are great at anonymously berating someone on social media, which is the equivalent of catching you alone in a dark alley. In the dark they’ll gang up on you like nobody’s business. In the light however, they hide.

As I write this, I am tempted to use phrases like “they crawl back under their rocks.” Pithy, feels good, might even get a retweet. Fortunately, I am constrained by my Mussar practice. It pains me to say so, but Nazi’s too, have a Divine Spark. They were born an innocent soul like the rest of us. Part of me does feel compassion that someone could become so broken by life and twisted by hate. There is no cause for me to go out of my way to say personally insulting things. What I am obliged to do, however, is to bring their activities into the light, and to work to keep them out of power.

I admit it – it makes me nervous that I made myself a Nazi target on Twitter. Extremists cannot be reasoned with. Then it occurred to me: I was already a target. The anti-semites are out there. When you are Jewish, and raise your profile on social media, they will find you. I have a relatively small social media footprint, yet early on I reposted the popular “I’m that Jew” video on my Facebook page, and the haters started coming out of the woodwork. All kinds of things, some outright nasty, others tried to educate me that the Jewish people were a myth with no history. So, rather than just take it, I’ll join my fellow brethren in solidarity and co-opt the Nazi echo symbol.

Strangely, this fits with my Humility practice this week. The Mantra is “No more than my space, not less than my place.” In Mussar, we need to unlearn the Western definition of Humility, which means to be self-effacing. Humility is about taking your proper place in the world. Having too much Humility would mean not stepping up to an opportunity to make a difference in the world. For me not to become (((Greg Marcus))) would be to miss an opportunity to step up and make a difference in the world.

For the record, I think these neo-Nazi’s are dangerous. I’m really not happy that I made myself a Nazi target, even if indirectly. But I think it is the right thing to do. We have only survived as a people by standing up for one another.

Many people on Twitter are (((echoing))) their names, and not just Jews. Please join the brigade of mensches of all faiths as we stand shoulder to shoulder, tweaking the noses of the haters. We are many, they are few. By taking this small step now, you just might change things enough to forestall the need to take a large step later.

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Feeling Overwhelmed? Try a Mussar Solution to Stress

April 1, 2016 By Greg Marcus Leave a Comment

It was a stressful time for me, perhaps one of the most stressful times since I left the corporate world six years ago. I was trying to raise money for a Mussar app called the Pocket Mensch, and we were falling short. I was overwhelmed, felt alone, and felt cut off from my Mussar practice. I asked myself, “What is going on? Isn’t Mussar supposed to help me here?” The Evil Inclination had the upper hand, and was feeding me messages that Mussar was useless. Glad to say that there is Mussar solution to stress.

Mussar helped, but, I had to fight to get myself back on track. Here are three soul traits that were impacted by my stress. By focusing on them, I found balance and healing.

Order as a Mussar solution to stress

Order is the Soul Trait that governs planning, how we structure our lives, as well as the very organization of our thoughts. Stress makes me miss appointments, ignore my to do list and lose things. Then I get frustrated and embarrassed. For me, Order is the canary in a coal mine. When Order breaks down, it is a signal to slow down. I started looking for simple ways to bring just a bit more order to my life, like putting things away immediately. And, I focused on slowing down and planning my day. Finally, I tried to get back to meditating. Just a few days of short meditations helped a lot.

Humility as a Mussar solution to stress

Humility out of balance leads to an excessive focus on the self. In my mind, it was all about me. No one would help me. It was unfair; I was sunk and doomed. Sound familiar? (Hope so, I’d hate to think I am the only one who gets this way.) I made a conscious effort to stop complaining, and to start asking for help. My family helped at home, and I others helped with the work-related stuff. The reality is that we are not alone. We all have people there to help us. (Not sure who to ask? Send me an email and I’ll try to help you.)

Trust as a Mussar solution to stress

Trust is short for Trust in God. If you are unsure of the Divinity, think of it as Trusting the Universe. Most things work out far better than our fear says they will. Something that seems awful today may have a kernel of good that will to something awesome.

Normally Trust is a source of strength for me, but when I was overwhelmed, it seemed like an alien concept. I don’t think the Trust was gone, it was simply blocked by the Evil Inclination.

Fighting and willing myself to Trust did no good, and just led to more frustration. Finally, I just let go, and decided to stop worrying about the outcome of the crowdfunding campaign. At 3 in the morning, I bolted awake with a sense of peace and Trust. And, I had a fully formed plan in my head to create the app for far less money. I took a few notes, went back to sleep, and then woke to find a text from a supporter waiting for me. It was a sign from the Universe.

Gratitude as a Mussar solution to stress

Gratitude is a bonus. Mussar teaches to be grateful for the good and the bad. It was hard for me to do either. Then, I read what I wrote in the 15 minutes of gratitude challenge earlier in the year. I realized that I have so much in my life, which helped immensely.

Today I feel so Grateful that almost 100 people contributed to the crowdfunding campaign, for my family, and for my cats. And I am grateful to my Mussar practice and community that helped me get back on track.

Want to start your own Mussar journey? Take the Soul Trait Profile Quiz now.

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