Want to learn more about the topics in this podcast? There are many terrific resources, but here’s a brief list of unsolicited personal recommendations from Andy, along with The Mussar Torah Commentary on which many of the podcast interviews are based
- Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life–in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There) by Sarah Hurwitz is an incredibly useful and well-written Judaism 101 for those reconnecting with Judaism as adults or who want a stronger foundation of knowledge. Also available as an audio book, read by Sarah herself.
- Online classes from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, a wonderful nonprofit that blends insights and teaching about mindfulness and applied Jewish ethics. Online classes are engaging, uplifting, and practical. They often involve self-study via pre-recorded videos combined with weekly live discussion sessions.
- What Now?: Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond by Yael Shy is an outstanding primer on meditation and mindfulness techniques. It’s engaging, easy to read, has lots of useful examples, and is relevant to people of all ages–even those of us solidly in the “beyond” part of the title.
- Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar by Alan Morinis (who leads the Mussar Institute) is the best primer on Mussar I know of, with chapters focused on 18 middot. Also available as an audio book. Dr. Morinis’ writing and work helped revive the Mussar tradition, and bring it to the U.S., after being virtually wiped out in the Holocaust.
- Eternal Questions: Reflections, Conversations, and Jewish Mindfulness Practices for the Weekly Torah Portion by Rabbi Josh Feigelson, the executive director of Institute for Jewish Spirituality. The book is new, published in October 2022, and I’ve just started reading it, but it’s clearly very much in line with the spirit of this podcast.
One more suggestion: As you may know, there’s a valuable tradition in Judaism of studying and reflecting on texts with a study partner, called a havruta, rather than alone. It’s even easier today with video technology like Zoom. Consider pairing up with a friend or relative and doing a one-chapter-per-week book club with that person. From my experience, you won’t regret it!