Living Mussar

Mandy Roll-Kuhne contemplates Rosh Hashanah and its relation to the middah of seder / order through Marge Piercy’s poem “The Late Year.” The poem can be found in the prayerbook Mishkan Halev: Prayers for S’lichot and the Month of Elul (Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2017) on page  88, and it was originally published in The Crooked Inheritance: Poems (Middlemarsh Inc., 2006). 

Michael Kuhne presents his understanding of the middah of anavah / humility as it arises in Stephen Mitchell’s translation of Yehuda Amichai’s poem “The Place Where We Are Right.” Two texts are cited in this episode.

Amichai, Yehuda. “The Place Where We Are Right.” Trans. Chana Block and Stephen Mitchell. Mishkan Halev: Prayers for S’lichot and the Month of Elul. Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2017. 132.  The translation originally appears in The Selected Poetry of Yehuda Amichai. Trans. Chana Block and Stephen Mitchell. University of California Press, 1996.

Morinis, Alan. Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar. Trumpeter, 2008. 

Mandy Roll-Kuhne considers the poem “V’ahavta for Elul” by reflecting on its message of ahavah / love. The poem appears in Mishkan Halev: Prayers for S’lichot and the Month of Elul (Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2017) on page 35.

Michael Kuhne examines Lea Goldberg’s “And Will They Ever Come” and its message of tikvah / hope.  Three sources are cited in this episode:

Arnow, David.  Choosing Hope: The Heritage of Judaism. The Jewish Publication Society, 2022.

Goldberg, Lea. “And Will They Ever Come.” Trans. Rachel Tzvia Black. Mishkan Halev: Prayers for S’lichot and the Month of Elul. Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2017. 25. The translation was originally published in Selected Poetry and Drama, Trans. Rachel Tzvia Black. The Toby Press and Hakibutz Hameuchad - Sifriat Poalim Publishing House, 2005. 

Jaffe, David. Changing the World from the Inside Out: A Jewish Approach to Personal and Social Change. Trumpeter, 2016. 

 Mandy Roll-Kuhne offers a Mussar interpretation of Psalm 27 via the middah of yirrah / awe.This version of Psalm 27 can be found in Opening Your Heart with Psalm 27: A Spiritual Practice for the Jewish New Year by Rabbi Debra J. Robbins, and the translation is provided by Rabbi Richard N. Levy. 

Julie Dean and Michael Kuhne join David Arnow in the third and final installment of the 2027 series devoted to tikvah / hope. They discuss the relationship between hope, optimism, and acceptance while considering sources from psychology and Jewish texts.  Listen to the end to see how hakarat hatov / recognizing the good and tikvah / hope serve in support of one another.  Sources that are referenced in the episode include a link to David’s essay “What is Hope?” as well as a short article by renowned psychologist Erik Erikson “The Life Cycle Completed.”  Listeners can find more of David’s writings at his website. 

Host Michael Kuhne and Living Mussar founder Julie Dean continue the summer series on tikvah / hope. They briefly revisit the first episode (follow the link here) with David Arnow, the author of Choosing Hope, before they explore the writings of Jewish women scholars. Those interested in the study guide for this episode, which includes quotes from this episode as well as kabbalah / practices and daily phrases to assist in our practice of hope, can visit the Living Mussar website at livingmussar.org 

 Join us as we kick off the 2026 summer learning series, where our focus will be on Tikvah (hope), a powerful middah through which we fuel positive action in our daily lives. This month, we speak with David Arnow, author of the book Choosing Hope: The Heritage of Judaism on the individual and communal power of hope, and what hope has meant and continues to mean for the Jewish community. 

This episode features

• Hosts: Michael Kuhne & Julie Dean
• Guest: David Arnow

To access our study guide for the episode, sign up for our newsletter, or learn more about Living Mussar, visit our website at www.livingmussar.org 

Join our live studio audience for an inspiring conversation with Alan Morinis, as he shares about his newest book, The Shabbat Effect: Jewish Wisdom for Growth and Transformation. This episode takes you into the heart and soul of Alan's latest work. Listeners will surely come away with a greater appreciation for the soulfulness of Shabbat and ways each of us can engage with greater awareness, intention and joy.

Alan Morinis is highly regarded as a Mussar pioneer, scholar, founder of The Mussar Institute and author of Climbing Jacob's Ladder, Every Day Holy Day, With Heart in Mind and Everyday Holiness.  

Join host Bonnie Dickel Hoffman for a heartfelt and illuminating conversation with fellow Living Mussar participant Sara Knauz about the launch of her pilot initiative, Illuminating Our Voices. Centered on gathering Mussar stories from members of the LGBTQ+ community, this project lifts up lived experience as sacred text — worthy of listening, learning, and honor.

Together, Bonnie and Sara explore how storytelling itself becomes a Mussar practice — an expression of emet (truth), ometz lev (heart-strength), and communal responsibility. When voices are welcomed and heard, our collective path toward wholeness expands.

Thoughtful, affirming, and deeply relevant, this episode invites us to listen more closely, speak more courageously, and recognize that every story has the power to illuminate our shared journey.