Every aspiring עבד ה' appreciates the significance of the adage “קנה לך חבר”, and the terribly painful loneliness of או חברותא או מתותא. For years, I have desired to form a chaburah of individuals whose attempt to guide their life at achieve both יראת שמים and קרבת אלוקים. As members of such a chaburah, I hoped that together we could develop profound thoughts concerning avodas Hashem, both its theoretical as well as its practical elements. We would assist each other in developing the unique ideas and approaches of each member.

Over the years and in different stages of my life, I was fortunate enough to meet such individuals. With current technology, we are attempting to form this chaburah, despite the geographical distance that may separate us. We would like to invite others with whom our ideas may resonate to join us by reading, commenting, and ultimately sharing your thoughts with us. קנה לך חבר, says the Arizal, means that your pen (קנה) should be your friend – as you write, your thoughts become clearer.

The exact parameters of this blog will be defined as we develop our ideas. All entries are guided by five principles:

a) יראת שמים

b) desire for קרבת אלוקים and becoming a better עבד ה'

c) strict adherence to Halacha, including הלכות לשון הרע

d) belief in גדלות האדם, both in oneself and all other people

e) intellectual rigor
Anyone who does not feel passionately about these five principles is asked not to comment, since any comment that does not meet the above-mentioned criteria will not be posted.

About the name of the blog. “השגה” represents the intellectual grasp of any given idea, while “הויה” represents the incorporation of that idea into the person’s weltanschauung. Our goal is to merely discuss theoretical ideas and then return to our daily lives. We want to transform the ideas of the Torah into a living Torah, a תורת חיים.

-BilvaviNer

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Beginning of Mussar I - Gadlus ha'Mochin

The beginning of mussar is the ability to dream, to have a "subtle inclination from the sensitivity of the soul" pushing one to rise above one's present state, to envision the greatness of Man. Only one who has tasted this vision knows of its sweetness. It is likened to a prophecy in which one sees the true potential that lies within.

 The study of mussar, which includes shimush talmidei chachamim, has the dual function of inspring this vision and informing it. Concerning the latter function, the soul, the "big mind," the "natural law" planted within man, yearns to be Godly. It yearns to be a source of blessing and goodness in this world. But it lacks precision and form. Mussar, depending on the school of thought, gives color to the pure white light of the soul. 
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2 comments:

  1. BilvaviNerApril 13, 2010 at 11:25 AM

    Rav Walbe referred to Mussar as "chochmas habitzui" - wisdom that allows us to execute the visions that we possess.

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  2. micha bergerApril 14, 2010 at 6:28 AM

    I'm not sure how you can refer to Mussar as anything... To do so implies that Mussar is a topic in Torah, and not a perspective on kol haTorah kulah.

    IOW, if RSW calls Mussar "chokhmas habitzui" does that mean that you think that hilkhos dei'os and chovos halevavos are the entirety of Mussar? Or that Mussar's role is "merely" to make it possible to make the right choices when faced with hard halachic decisions?

    Because I would have thought R' Wolbe considers Mussar the purpose of halakhah itself -- that all of Torah is about sheleimus ha'adam.

    -micha

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