Neo Hassidism, October-November, 2024, taught by Rabbi Moshe
Progressive Jews are accustomed to seeing Hasidism as a fundamentalist, socially conservative, and strictly hierarchical ideology. Today’s Hasidic communities are led by exclusively male religious authorities, and exclude women from communal leadership.
Yet Hasidic Judaism was, at its inception, a radically democratic movement. The students of a charismatic 18th-century Ukrainian mystic, known as the Ba’al Shem Tov, hoped to leave behind the rabbinic elitism of their time. They sought to create a populist culture of piety and devotion in which every Jew, regardless of their education, could access the deepest secrets of the mystical tradition, and find an immediate experience of God in even the most mundane moments of their lives.
An Introduction to Coastside Mussar, January, 2022, taught by Rabbi Moshe
View the recording of this class
Throughout our various Mussar classes, R’Moshe helped us to establish Chevruta, study groups, several of which are still meeting.
Integral Judaism – July, 2021
Integral Judaism is a synthesis of Jewish mysticism, humanism, and the science of meditation and mindfulness. It builds upon the principles and practice of Mussar by adding a spiritual component that works for people who believe in God as well as those who don’t believe in God. This three-part series will cover the theory and practice of Integral Judaism, demonstrating how it can enrich not only one’s approach to Mussar, but to life in general.
1) July 6, Introduction: the theory of Integral Judaism
2) July 13, The Practice: Jewish meditation for theists and non-theists
3) July 21, Continuing: the benefits of incorporating Integral theory and practice into your daily life
Coastside Mussar: A God Optional Approach
The previous class focused on Mussar, and was based on “Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path to Mussar”, by Alan Morinis. The class ran from December 1, 2020 through March 23, 2021. The class included two distinct parts, one academic, the other a Practicum wherein participants practiced Middot.
The last session featured Rabbi David Jaffe, who spoke about the integration of social activism with Mussar.
An Introduction to Mussar
In Spring of 2020, Rabbi Moshe offered our first Mussar class, which became named “Cohort Aleph” when attendance continued to grow, and R’Moshe decided to start a 2nd group called “Cohort Bet”. Both groups used Greg Marcus’s book “The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions: Finding Balance Through the Soul Traits of Mussar”
3/23/2021: Changing the World from the Inside Out with guest speaker Rabbi Jaffe, a nationally recognized leader in the contemporary Mussar movement,.
11/6/2020 – Interfaith Refugee Shabbat
10/24/2020 – The Jew in the Lotus – The Past, Present and Future of Jewish-Buddhist Coherence
4/25/2020 – Let My People Know