About Us
Izzy here, the founder.
The Mussar Center is about you. I don't care how Jewish or not Jewish you are. It doesn't matter to me if you're religious or secular or none of the above. I just love and accept you.
This is your one shot at life. I want it to be beautiful and meaningful for you. So much love and joy. Beautiful relationships. A reason to get out of bed in the morning. To live and be truly alive.
I believe that can happen through Mussar. And that's what the Mussar Center is there for - to help you on that journey, little by little. To inspire you, give you a roadmap, and set you on a path towards changing the world in the ways that only you can.
I want to make it easy and enjoyable for you to learn. That's why I teach in clear, simple language. It's why I send you lessons by text/email every week. It's why the Mussar Center is on your favourite video platforms, messaging apps, and podcast services (the ones that care about free speech, anyway.) It's why we make it free.
Organizationally, Mussar Center Inc. was founded in 2021 as a tax-exempt U.S. 501(c)3 charity.Â
On a more personal note, I'm an educator with decades of experience and have taught literally thousands of students about Judaism, the Hebrew language, etc. I'm also an avid Mussar student and practitioner myself and I'll let you in on a little secret - basically everything at the Mussar Center is the overflow of my own Mussar journey.
You may be wondering why I'm doing all this. Two reasons.
First, there was nothing like this when I was growing up. It would have really helped. Instead I had to spend years searching, struggling, trying to teach myself all the things. I'm doing this for my younger self, for all the younger selfs out there, so they don't have to go through what I went through.
Second (and this is related to the first), I have kids. I'm putting the stuff that I believe is most important in life on this website so it will always be there for them. I hope these lessons and resources will help them walk the path of Mussar for themselves, have the skills they need to navigate life, and just do well. There is evil in this world and we all experience suffering and - I write this with tears in my eyes - I wish I could protect them from it all. But I know I won't always be there to do that. The Mussar Center is me doing what I can to prepare my little people for the realities that lie ahead so that, when they get big and crunch time comes, they'll come through with flying colours and be ok.
And not just my kids. My grandkids, and greatgrandkids, and their kids.
This is for you.