Long Beach Jewish Life March, 2014 | Page 14

ONE ON ONE ALAN MORINIS

In modern Hebrew, the word Mussar means ethics. But in ancient Judaism, the word Mussar first shows up in the Book of Proverbs, where it means instruction or correction. And Alan Morinis, author of Climbing Jacob's Ladder and Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar, and founder of The Mussar Institute, spends a lot of his time pointing out the connection between the ancient and modern definitions of the term.

Climbing Jacob's Ladder chronicles Morinis's personal journey from a life spent as someone Jewish by birth, from a secular family, to his discovery of and immersion in the Mussar tradition. But the book also serves as an excellent guide for anyone who finds themself in the same place that Morinis

Alan Morinis

Founder, Mussar Institute

Howard O. Laibson

Rabbi, MA, MAHL, CASD

6615 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Suite 190

Long Beach, CA 90803

PH: 562.999.1305

Email: [email protected]

Spiritual Counseling

LBJL March 2014 | www.lbjewishlife.com