Character — Where Judaism and America Can Converge

One of the areas in which Jewish study and practical behavior meet is the spiritual practice called Mussar. Its main focus is the improvement of one’s character. Formulated as a practice by Rabbi Israel Salanter in the 19th century, particularly as a counterpoint to the Haskala, the Enlightenment movement that nurtured ideology and intellectuality in Europe from approximately the 1770s to the 1880s, it was focused on acquiring knowledge and becoming an integral member of the culture and society where Jews had become citizens. In some ways it ensured entre into schools and universities and the ability to engage with the intelligentsia of their civic communities. But as left-brain learning became central to Jewish advancement, R. Salanter understood that it was often at the expense of moral and ethical behavior. 

Judaism believes we have dual inclinations: the Yetzer Hara, evil inclination, and the Yetzer Tov, the good inclination. Either can sabotage our desires and behaviors, or enhance them. These are often described as two lobes of our heart. The evil side is not necessarily cruel and punitive, but can influence our work, social, and eating habits, undermining a life of well-being. It is also, in the view of the rabbis, what motivates advancement in society and culture for the good of humanity, but we also know that competition and ambition can be destructive and cutthroat.  A healthy balance, in all areas of our life, is what we need to acquire.

Salanter’s most optimistic teaching is that we have the capacity to overcome our most challenging habits and even become transformed: “Man has the power to subdue his own evil nature … and to change … toward the good through exercise and practice.” Most of our sages acknowledge that this darker side is in each one of us and often drive our most destructive habits. However, knowing that we can become “better” is one of the most assuring facets of Jewish life. Mussar study, focusing on our character traits, being aware of them and how to lift them to a higher level, is an important spiritual practice. 

Recent life in the United States has forced us to face that there are leaders with great influence on our citizens whose characters leave much to be desired. Lying, manipulating, stealing, controlling, attacking and back-stabbing seem to be a new  pandemic. The use of technology to create deep-fake audios and on-line videos only expands our insecurity when it comes to truth. Knowing what is real and what is fake is challenging. And if you say something enough times, it takes on a life of its own. What would in the past have been called out as abnormal has only been reinforced by many in our government, leaving many numb.

For many of us democracy itself is a super-classification for “government run by the people,” where free and fair elections rule and leadership accepts every citizen as equal. But the deeper level of its meaning, the subterranean place we wish to reside, is where character really matters. Where trusting our leaders means knowing that what they say is driven by a desire to do good for all the people. 

When we look at the values we hold dear in Judaism such as patience, kindness, empathy, compromise, generosity, open-heartedness, courage, humility, justice, compassionate listening and joy, we hope they are also reflected in our country’s leaders.

When we look at the values we hold dear in Judaism such as patience, kindness, empathy, compromise, generosity, open-heartedness, courage, humility, justice, compassionate listening and joy, we hope they are also reflected in our country’s leaders.

As a Jew and an American I finally feel the confluence of our values coming into convergence. As someone who cares and focuses on personal growth and character development, especially for my bar/bat students and future adults, I finally feel we have leaders who exude a hefty dose of “Yetzer Tov,” the inclination for good. This is what we need to nurture in our youth. A partnership that cares about all levels of society, especially those who inhabit the lower and middle class, who want to ensure freedom for all, who see hope and possibility as a basic human quality and motivate it with positivity and joy is extraordinary and energizing. It is a natural extension of our present presidential team. Even as we navigate horrific antisemitism, we can find some comfort in seeing some of our basic values as Jews and human beings reflected in our new Democratic leadership that hopefully will bring this to the White House.

Eva Robbins is a rabbi, cantor, artist and the author of “Spiritual Surgery: A Journey of Healing Mind, Body and Spirit.”