lovingkindness mussar - American Mussar

American Mussar is pleased to award the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties with a Point of Light award. The work of the SHFB—one of the largest food banks in the country—exemplifies the perfect balance of the soul trait of chesed, or loving-kindness.

Caring for the needy and sharing our bounty with those who are less fortunate is one of the most essential ways we can live the loving-kindness all human beings have in their hearts. It is giving simply to make someone else’s life brighter and better, without any expectation of a reward for the gift or a tangible “return on investment.”

The Soul Trait of Loving-Kindness teaches us that we must care for others as we care for ourselves; that showing compassion for others is a big part of having compassion for ourselves. When this Soul Trait is in balance, we practice proper self-care so we have the resources we need to care for others.

Second Harvest Food Bank accepts donations of food and money from those who are in a position of abundance and able to donate these things; those who receive food from SHFB are encouraged to donate their time when they are able, sorting and distributing food to others. Everyone involved gives what they can, and those in need of assistance receive the help they need.

This is the true spirit of Loving-Kindness, and helps to strengthen the Santa Clara and San Mateo communities and all of the individuals in it. We’re proud to support the Second Harvest Food Bank, and encourage you to do the same here if you are able.

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You can Help Identify and Support Eight Points of Light This Hanukkah. American Mussar Will select Eight local charities to receive a Point of Light Award, one for each night of Chanukah. And you get to help choose which charities AM will give to.

All you need to do is go to the American Mussar Facebook page, and post the name of the charity, a link to the donation page, and a sentence or two describing what they do.

At the end of each day, American Mussar will pick one of the organizations nominated that day, and BOOM: we’ll donate $180. Not only that, every entry will get free publicity on the American Mussar Facebook page. And, we will interview the director of the charity, and write a blog post the following day about each and every one of the eight winners. Thus, these worthy organizations will get some exposure on a national level, and we’ll use the example of their work to teach an American Mussar practice.

Why American Mussar Is Recognizing Eight Local Charities

American Mussar teaches us how to bring our Soul towards balance by taking action.

Did you know that word Chanukah means rededication? The Israelites needed to rededicate the Temple after it was defiled by the Greeks. In addition to our usual Chanukah activities, like giving presents and eating latkes, we have an opportunity to do some rededication work as well.

American Mussar teaches that we all have a Divine spark that is occluded by our baggage. If you are unsure of the Divinity, you can think of this as the spark of humanity that we all share. Rabbi Yoel Glick likens the Divine Spark to the light of Chanukah. Rabbi Glick teaches that our Divine spark is a source of “amazing inner strength,” which gives us “the courage to face anything.” Moreover, he urges us to reorder our life towards Divine service. And if you are unsure of the Divinity, Divine service simply means making the world a better place.

We’d love to help you make your community a better place by supporting a local philanthropy. Please take a moment and go to the American Mussar Facebook page to nominate a group. While a given charity can win only once, they can be entered again each day. Click here to go to Facebook.

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