Middot (Guess the Hebrew)
It is said that all of the other middot flow from this one. It is typically the first studied in Mussar.
What is anavah?
They say that giving is better than receiving, but both parties exhibit this middah, n'divut, when a gift is given.
What is generosity?
This character exemplified the middot of bitachon and emunah as God repeatedly tested him - commanding him to leave his homeland and, later, to sacrifice his son.
Who was Abraham?
Our main study guide, this book took us through all of the parashiot with each essay focusing on a different middah from Mussar.
What is The Mussar Torah Commentary?
Created on the 7th day, this is considered to be Judaism's most important holiday.
What is Shabbat?
Sometimes a vice and sometimes a virtue, the Joys of Yiddish (Leo Rosten) describes this middah as follows: "...that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan."
What is chutzpah?
Hard to define even in English, z'rizut prompts us to embrace the task at hand.
What is alacrity?
He is described as the humblest man on earth.
Who was Moses?
Comprising Torah, Prophets, and Writings, the Hebrew name for this text is an acronym and is also referred to as the written Torah.
What is the TaNaKh?
Miriam led the women in song and dance to celebrate this miracle, which secured the Israelites' freedom from slavery.
What was the parting of the Reed Sea?
This middah counterbalances tzedek and is exemplified by this verse from Proverbs, "If you enemy falls, do not exult; If he trips, let your heart not rejoice." (Proverbs 24:17) The custom of spilling a drop of wine with the mention of each plague at the Passover seder stems from this middah.
What is rachamim?
The middah, acharyut, can be understood to relate to either of two different Hebrew words: achar (after) or acheir (other). This reminds us that we should be mindful of the consequences of our actions as well as the needs of others when we make choices.
What is responsibility?
Exhibiting extraordinary savlanut, he waited 14 years to finally be wed to his beloved.
Who was Jacob?
The textural record of generations of rabbinic debate about law, philosophy, and biblical interpretation, compiled between the 3rd and 8th centuries - this is often referred to as the Oral Torah.
What is the Talmud?
This almost magical food was said to have tasted different to each person, according to what they wanted.
What is manna?
Everything in its place and a place for everything.
What is seder?
"Kol HaKavod!" we say to recognize a job well done. In the Ten Commandments, this middah shows up in Commandment #5.
What is honor?
This character is described in Torah as being a tzedek in his generation.
Who was Noah?
Composed in Talmudic Israel (c.190-230 CE), this short text is part of the Mishnah and contains the wisdom of the early rabbis on topics related to living a Jewish life.
What is Pirke Avot?
She saw what her master, a non-Israelite prophet, could not see and lay down in protest. God opened her mouth and she said, "What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?" (Numbers 22:28)
Who was Balaam's donkey?
A fact is always the same. Once you learn it, you have it forever. But truth is different. Once you understand it, you are forever changed and "the truth" disappears. And because you are now someone else, you must learn it all over again. (Lawrence Kushner)
What is emet?
"All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance." (Exodus 10:15) At Sinai, the Israelites surely exhibited this middah, also known as yirah.
What is Awe? (Or - What is fear?)
Exhibiting chesed, tzedek, emet, kaas, rachamim, savlanut - this character does it all.
Who (or what) is God?
Written by Rabbi Moshe Hayim Luzzatto in 1738, this work is one of the most influential foundational Mussar Texts.
What is M'silat Y'sharim? (Or - What is the Path of the Just?)
These were instruments of God's own GPS system, allowing the Israelites to travel in both day and night through the wilderness.
What were the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire?