[thereisone] The Baal Teshuva vs. the Baal Mussar

From: Gutman Locks <locks.gutman@xxxxxxxxx>
To: thereisone@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2015 06:23:20 +0300

The* Baal Teshuva* vs. the *Baal Mussar*

A *baal-teshuva* is a “master of return.” This is an encouraging
title given to any Jew who returns to, or begins to follow the teachings of
Torah. A *baal-mussar* is a religious Jew whose main Torah focus is
self-improvement. The dictionary says that he is “virtually never free from
his abiding and all-embracing drive for self-improvement.

To be upfront about this, I am allergic to *mussar*. They seem to me
to be doing exactly what keeps the vast majority of Jews away from the
Torah. But it is a valid path of Torah studies, and it is a main school of
thought within the religious community.

Another main school of Jewish religious practice is broadly called
*Chassidus*. A *Chassid* might be defined as a Jew who strives to reveal
the soul of life by following the Torah and its *mitzvahs*.

A *baal teshuva* can follow either, or both of these paths, or as
often happens he (or she) might follow pretty much whatever he wants!

I was looking at a *mussar* booklet that was discussing the Three
Weeks. The Three Weeks recall the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temples.
The booklet was explaining how you can maintain the grief and mourning
without becoming depressed and miserable. My first reaction was; “I’m out
of here!” but I decided to read a little more. It explained that their way
of mourning was the solution to the Three weeks and the Nine Days.

Next, it told of a major rabbi being visited by the *Moshiach*
(Messiah) in a vision saying that he has not come yet because not all of
the Jews are on a level to deserve it, and if he comes now they would lose
out. The *mussar* rabbi told him to wait for all the Jews. I couldn’t read
any more.

I am a *b**aal teshuva,* and as such I have my own ideas how to do
things including the Three Weeks and the Nine Days, and what to tell the
*Moshiach.*

First off, the destruction happened because Jews hated Jews without
reason, so the main, if not sole *avoda* (service) of the Three Weeks and
Nine Days should be an all-out effort by the entire Jewish people to show
Jews love without reason. This should be our extra daily effort these days.
No mourning and no depression…just extra friendship and love without reason.

Next, if the *Moshiach* would come to me in a vision and tell me about
the Jews who were not ready for him to appear I would tell him that there
will always be people not ready so he cannot wait for everyone but he
should come immediately. And Hashem will have to forgive those of us who
are not yet on the level to deserve him to come. If he asks why He should
forgive all of us I will explain that the life we led that prevented us
from being ready for him was enough of a punishment so we already paid the
bill, and now Hashem can just let us in by a side door…that’s pretty much
how all the *baal teshuvas* got in anyway.

With all my heart, I am telling you that the solution to the problems
of the Jewish people is to love each other in a way that the other Jew sees
what you are doing. Everything else, all the details, will work themselves
out from the merit of this love. Try it and see. We have nothing to lose,
and everything to gain.

----

To reply; email me directly at: locks.gutman@xxxxxxxxx

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[thereisone] The Baal Teshuva vs. the Baal Mussar

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