Mussar has become successful in Jewish Renewal, broadly conceived. Mussar was an ethical movement founded in Lithuania away from the Chasidic centers of Europe. It is very rational, and Litvak. It was formed in part as a response to the radical stress on the inner life of Chasidism. Mussar combs Jewish texts, particularly the Torah, to find examples of positive (and sometimes negative) middah, or character traits. It is very practically oriented and geared to changing our inner lives in a less euphoric way than Chasidism.
I must admit that Mussar does not capture my heart as much as Chassidus, but there are certainly great and deep merits to its study. This is a strong collection of essays from many voices. I read a few each Shabbos.
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