The Mussar movement was initiated and developed in Eastern Europe. This school of thought will be forever engraved in the annals and memory of Jewish history, as an ethical current of deep and revolutionary thought.

Rabbi Israel Lipkin of Salant (Rabbi Israel Salanter), founder of the Mussar movement, saw the light of day in Lithuania in 1810.

The Mussar movement, whose impact spread very quickly in Europe, was created to address the moral needs of yeshiva students. Its purpose as a school of thought was to infuse the hearts of young men with essential Jewish ethical values, leading to improved relationships with others.

Man's essence includes many negative traits that hinder his behavior and relationships to his fellow men. A man does not necessarily possess the tools and experience to overcome these relational problems. Life's frantic pace leaves little respite to reflect on our own growth. If a man could stop his activities, even for a moment and analyze his actions and behavior, he could truly refine and develop his personality to the fullest.

Improvement versus Acquisition

Mussar does not demand drastic changes, nor acquiring exceptional virtues. Rather, its purpose is to improve our bad character traits and negative attributes that manifest day to day. Some examples related to the study of Mussar involve maintaining humility in the face of pride, sticking to the truth in the face of deceit, observing modesty (Tzniut) in the face of pomposity, applying mercy in the face of cruelty and showing generosity in the face of greed. A man who acquires these qualities will undoubtedly transform his life and have a positive impact on his fellow men. Our Sages teach that "jealousy, covetousness and seeking honor isolate man from this world" (Pirkei Avot 2,28). In contrast, refining these character traits leads to the nobility and refinement of our souls.

Mussar demands regular soul-searching, empowering a man to simultaneously become his own witness, his own accuser and his own judge. This search for truth allows him to identify and reconsider the slightest weaknesses in his behavior.

The Mussar movement founded "Mussar schools". These schools enticed students to find themselves, via the study of our Sages' Moussar texts and encouraged them to take the time to soul search and make personal assessments. Members of the Mussar movement customarily got together on Shabbat afternoon to study until dark; the study was followed by prayers, often recited with great fervor.

Rabbi Israel of Salant strived to establish Mussar schools, in the hope of attracting imminent Torah personalities, who would relocate to Salant and qualify to spread Mussar's values to the public. In fact, this endeavor materialized in the world of yeshivot, where a specialized Mussar Rabbi infuses Mussar in the hearts of his students. This Rabbi is referred to as Mashguiach, acting as a pedagogue who encourages students to shape their personalities in an optimum fashion.

In most yeshivot, a half hour per day is consecrated exclusively to the study of Mussar, However, during the month of Elloul, the time allocated to Mussar study time is increased.

The Mashguiach regularly meets students for Moussar class. In addition, closed student committees meet regularly to encourage each other to take concrete steps towards behavior improvement, such as how to react to an insult or how help the less fortunate.

Rabbi Israel of Salant wrote many Mussar texts. In these writings, he conveys that each of us must prepare his own World to Come through the performance of mitzvot, while also tackling down-to earth responsibilities related to neighbors and community. However, ironically, the tendency is to do the opposite. We worry about our day-to-day needs and judge our neighbor's world to come.

Learning from each one of life's events

A dominant idea in the world of Mussar is that it is possible to learn a lesson from every single one of life's events. It is said that Rabbi Israel was walking on the street, late into the night, when he observed a small flickering light. He approached the light and discovered a cobbler repairing shoes to the light of a candle.

"Why are you working so late at night? Asked Rabbi Israel.

"As long as the candle is lit, it is still possible to make repairs," replied the shoemaker.

Rabbi Israel was very surprised by the shoemaker's remarks and used this analogy as a guide for life. "As long as the light of the Neshama vibrates within me, I can still improve my behavior and rise in the path of Hashem".

Mussar does not involve fundamental changes and dismisses ideas that are not rooted on our holy texts. Mussar is above all an educational approach to life's essential values. It is not a revolution of ideas but strives to revolutionize the Jewish mind and soul.

The study of Mussar endeavors to transform the human spirit, by becoming embedded in the mind as one of its integral components. When the mind reacts to an idea, the latter becomes deeply engraved within. Each new idea leaves an indelible imprint on the human soul and creates an image over time, thus allowing the mind to integrate deep and lasting change.

The Mussar movement was born in Eastern Europe, marking its era as a movement of deep questioning and soul searching. Mussar earned its noble attributes through the inner workings of the mind and soul searching without concessions. Kelem, Slabodka and Novardok, all refer to Mussar schools that cultivated imminent Torah personalities, which impacted the lives of an entire People.