The Study of Mussar

Rabbi Avraham Twerski was a big advocate of the study of books of Mussar. As a psychiatrist, he saw the need of constant reminders related to proper thinking in coping with the difficulties of the world.

The four primary Mussar books as initiated by Rav Yisrael Salanter, the founder of the Mussar movement, are the following, and all are available in English: שערי תשובה, Gates of Repentance, מסילת ישרים, Path of the Just, ארחות צדיקים, The Ways of the Righteous, and חובות הלבבות, Duties of the Heart.

The introduction to Path of the Just, explains how these Mussar books work. The Ramchal confesses that he does not believe that there are such novel ideas in his book. But even though there are ideas that everyone probably knows, they must be stated. Otherwise, they will be forgotten.

For example, every observant Jew know the importance of love of G-d and fear of G-d. But if you ask them the last time they did a self check regarding love and fear of G-d, they might not remember.

It is the job of these Mussar books, to keep our priorities straight. They have a keen understanding of human nature, as well as human failings and weaknesses.

We learn to appreciate everything we have, and to be grateful for our lot. We recognize how anger and jealousy, hinder us greatly. But most important of all, the Mussar books help us get closer to Hashem, and allow us to feel the highest levels of contentment and peace of mind. In short, the study of Mussar, is a most worthwhile endeavor.u