Alan Morinis
Encyclopedia
Alan Morinis is an anthropologist, filmmaker, and writer who has been a leading figure in the contemporary revival of the Musar movement, a Jewish ethical
movement.
He was trained as an anthropologist as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. His scholarly expertise is in the study of religious pilgrimages, especially in the Hindu religion. He authored the book Pilgrimage in the Hindu tradition: a case study of West Bengal.
Morinis was born into a secular Jewish home in Toronto, Canada. His later studies in Judaism
, under the tutelage of Rabbi Yechiel Perr, led him to discover the Musar movement, a process which he described in his book Climbing Jacob's Ladder. He founded the Mussar Institute, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. His books on Musar include Climbing Jacob's Ladder ISBN 0767906454, Everyday Holiness ISBN 1590303687, and Every Day, Holy Day ISBN 9781590308103.
He has been credited as being, along with Rabbi Ira F. Stone
, the leading figure in the contemporary revival of the Musar movement among non-Orthodox Jews. In Climbing Jacob's Ladder, Morinis describes the Musar movement as having largely died off after the Holocaust. Some critics, however, contend that the Morinis exaggerates the extent to which the movement died off.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of the web site Spirituality & Practice have described Morinis's teachings as offering "a treasure trove of spiritual practices," "explications of the practical spiritual tradition of Mussar," and "insights into how to change your behavior and bring out your soul." Geoffrey Claussen of the University of Virginia
has described Morinis as emphasizing "the honesty, humility, patience, and discipline that doing Musar requires" but as giving less attention to the importance of "traditional liturgy and community."
Jewish ethics
Jewish ethics stands at the intersection of Judaism and the Western philosophical tradition of ethics. Like other types of religious ethics, the diverse literature of Jewish ethics primarily aims to answer a broad range of moral questions and, hence, may be classified as a normative ethics...
movement.
He was trained as an anthropologist as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. His scholarly expertise is in the study of religious pilgrimages, especially in the Hindu religion. He authored the book Pilgrimage in the Hindu tradition: a case study of West Bengal.
Morinis was born into a secular Jewish home in Toronto, Canada. His later studies in Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, under the tutelage of Rabbi Yechiel Perr, led him to discover the Musar movement, a process which he described in his book Climbing Jacob's Ladder. He founded the Mussar Institute, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. His books on Musar include Climbing Jacob's Ladder ISBN 0767906454, Everyday Holiness ISBN 1590303687, and Every Day, Holy Day ISBN 9781590308103.
He has been credited as being, along with Rabbi Ira F. Stone
Ira F. Stone
Rabbi Ira F. Stone is a leading figure in the contemporary renewal of the Musar movement, a Jewish ethical movement.Stone was ordained as a rabbi at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1979, and proceeded to serve congregations in Seattle and Philadelphia while also teaching at the Jewish...
, the leading figure in the contemporary revival of the Musar movement among non-Orthodox Jews. In Climbing Jacob's Ladder, Morinis describes the Musar movement as having largely died off after the Holocaust. Some critics, however, contend that the Morinis exaggerates the extent to which the movement died off.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of the web site Spirituality & Practice have described Morinis's teachings as offering "a treasure trove of spiritual practices," "explications of the practical spiritual tradition of Mussar," and "insights into how to change your behavior and bring out your soul." Geoffrey Claussen of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
has described Morinis as emphasizing "the honesty, humility, patience, and discipline that doing Musar requires" but as giving less attention to the importance of "traditional liturgy and community."