EXOD66 According to the Mussar masters, compassion can come in two forms. There is "compassion in the form of compassion," when our feeling along with the other leads us to act kindly, softly, and gently. The second type of compassion comes as "compassion in the form of judgment." In this case, our shared feelings with the other call for action that is firm, hard, or possibly even harsh. The classic example of compassion in the form of compassion is the redemption of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. It has been argued that the Jews in Egypt did not deserve to be redeemed from slavery. There are traditions that say that while in Egypt, the people of Israel assimilated, did not keep what they knew of tradition (which was incomplete, in any case, because the Torah had not yet been received), and, worst of all, became idolaters. The prophet Ezekiel reveals, "I also said to them, 'Cast away, everyone of you, the detestable things that you are drawn to, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt--I am the Lord your God.' But they defied to Me and refused to listen to Me." Ezekiel 20:7–8. Why, then, did God redeem the Israelites and free them from the oppression of slavery? That was solely because of God's compassion [this verse]. The way the prophet Isaiah puts it fits well with our view that compassion is based on the experience of non-separateness:" In all their affliction He was afflicted." Isaiah 63:9 It was based on this identification that HaShem acted compassionately and "brought forth Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror." Jeremiah 32:21

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EXOD117 Enthusiasm is one of those soul-traits that is best cultivated by understanding and addressing what obstructs it. The natural tendency of the heart is to be passionate and energetic, so setting free that innate power is more a matter of removing impediments then stoking the fire. What is it that subverts and deflates your enthusiasm? Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto offers his guidance in The Path of the Just. The first major stumbling block to enthusiasm he identifies is its direct opposite, which is laziness. When laziness rules the roost, not much of anything happens, except that we remain stuck in our present circumstances, arrested like a bud frozen on the limb. Laziness may seem benign, but Rabbi Luzzatto warns us about how insidious and dangerous that trait can be: "The bad that comes from laziness does not come about in one fell swoop, but slowly and without notice. It comes in a sequence of one bad deed after another, until you find yourself sunk in evil." Without even recognizing that it is happening, laziness carries us lower and lower until we ultimately become agents of evil: "The lazy man, though not actively evil, produces evil through his very inactivity." What Rabbi Luzzatto has to tell us about laziness that we may not realize is that laziness is characterized by heaviness: "And see that the nature of a human being is very heavy." (Path of the Just, ch. 6). Like many Mussar teachers, he associates his laziness with our physicality. If we were beings of pure spirit, we'd be light and active, but because we live in bodies, we are tied to the physical world. Controlled by the force of gravity, we are pulled down. These are realities over which we have no control, but Rabbi Luzzatto does point out what is under our influence. It is up to us whether we succumb to these forces or, alternatively, make an effort to lift ourselves up into enthusiasm: "If you abandon yourself to this 'heaviness' you will not succeed in your quest," he concludes. The Hebrew word for heavy also shows up prominently in the story of Moses's attempts to get Pharaoh to release the children of Israel from Egypt. There we read [this verse] that Pharaoh refused to pay attention to Moses's entreaties because his heart was literally "heavy," [kaved] though the translation usually says "obstinate" or "stubborn." Here, too, we get an image that helps us understand what it is to be "heavy"-- like laziness, it means to run counter to the way of spirit.

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EXOD206 Faith must be a central concern to anyone who seeks the goals toward which Mussar directs. The target for a life well lived is summed up in the word wholeness (sh'lemut), about which Rabbi Shlomo Wolpe says: "We seek only our wholeness." Then he guides," The foundation of wholeness is faith." Alei Shur, vol. 2, 348. Without faith, wholeness will elude us.

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EXOD743 When all is said and done, holiness and wholeness and any other elevated idea of the spiritual goal come down to a simple Yiddish notion: you are supposed to be a mensch, which means "a decent human being." That one Yiddish word conveys the full measure of the integrity, honor, and respect that a person can hope for in this life. In the words of the Hasidic teacher, known as the Kotzker, "Fine," he says, "be holy. But remember first one has to be a mensch." [1789-1859. He is commenting on the verse "Be holy people to me." In the Hebrew, the word "people" comes before "holy.']

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EXOD853 Hillel tells us that we should not be primarily concerned with how our words correspond to verifiable reality, but rather for the impact our statement will have on another person. The article (or bride) maybe very blemished--anyone with eyes can see that--but does that obligate us to speak that truth? His answer is no, not if a person will be hurt by our speech.

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EXOD929 The concept of generous and spontaneous giving from the heart appears in the Torah in the section where the Israelites undertake to build a sanctuary so that God might dwell among them. Rabbi Meir Leibush [known as the Malbim (1809-1879)] commented that [this] verse actually means that God would dwell not literally in the sanctuary building but among the people. He concludes that each person is to build a tabernacle in his or her own heart for God to dwell in. The Torah wants us to see that the way we do this inner construction work is by perfecting spontaneous generosity. Because we live in a money-centric culture, we tend to think of generosity only as a question of reaching into our wallets. But as with all soul-traits, generosity is a quality of the soul and so it can find expression in many ways. You can be generous with money and also with your time, your energy, and your possessions. The one who gives terumah gives because his or her heart is so inflamed with magnanimity that it would be painful not to give, and the heart finds a way to respond spontaneously, whether with money, time, materials, or in any other way.

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EXOD931 The Jewish tradition distinguishes between two types of generosity. The first is the giving that comes because your heart is so moved that without even the flicker of a thought your hand rushes to dig into your pocket to give. In the Torah, this generosity is called t'rumah, which means "gift." Generosity of this sort comes neither from obligation nor rational thought nor guilt but out of an irresistible feeling that stirs deep within. It's a movement of the soul and it generates an open-handed response. The other kind of generosity, called tzedakah, is obligated giving, such as tithing, whether or not the heart is moved to act in that way. The overall goal of Mussar to help us fulfill our potential to really live as the holy souls we are, and it is impossible to imagine that we will shine forth in holiness if we act only from a sense of obligation. The passion and the flowering of the heart must be so much more. To move toward holiness, you must yearn for it. You must be propelled by a spiritual willingness--nedivut ha'lev--a generosity of the heart. .... these two forms of generosity are not so distinct as we might suppose.

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EXOD976 See [[DEUT125]] Deuteronomy 4:29 seek MORINIS 230-1

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EXOD977 Shabbat … isn't just a day in the week on which I simply rest and recharge in order to reenter the fray, it's the reminder of what I so easily forget the other six days, and which I hope to remember so that some echo and trace of the spaciousness of the seventh can filter into the six as well. In my life, I am in danger of getting lost, deflected, and confused in a complex web of demands, responsibilities, and desires I carry with me. Shabbat is when and how I check the map. You would be right to see the honoring of Shabbat as an act of faith, since the source of its observance is God [this verse]. To me, though, Shabbat observance is more the opposite, actually a pathway to faith. Although doing can arise out of faith, faith can also arise as a result of the doing. If I waited until God was more of a presence in my life to be convinced to observe the Sabbath, I would likely not get there. Because I observe Shabbat, my faith grows.

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EXOD1014 Many of us act as if we were born with a clipboard and have been assigned the task of evaluating everyone we meet.… You walk into a room and immediately scan the crowd, taking in everyone who is there, and putting them all through an instant evaluation.… what sorts of things do you say (only to yourself, of course) when that judgmental frame of mind has a grip on you, and you are moving through life as if someone appointed you to be a judge whose job it is to assess whether or not people measure up? Let me ask, can you detect even a hint of honor in that attitude? Honor not for what people have done, or how they do it, but in recognition of the simple fact that we are all human, which means invested with a soul and possessing enormous gifts not of our own making? And further, what is the outcome of that judgmental attitude? Does it ever lead to anything positive, or is it the root of disappointment and dissatisfaction in everyone around us?

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