Friday, February 2 - Sunday, February 4, 2007
Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

Congregants joined Rabbi Paul Cohen for a weekend of exploration and lively conversation at this Annual Retreat held at scenic Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

Musar is a literature, a philosophy, a movement and a practice. Beginning in the earliest period of Jewish experience, various spiritual masters have addressed the problem of internalizing the central values of religious teaching. Our Sages of Blessed Memory have addressed the difficulties involved in resisting the tendencies we are born with, tendencies which act against our accepting the responsibilities inherent in the grandeur of our humanity: caring for ourselves, caring for those closest to us and caring for the world. Despite our possession of a record of divine and human encounters - the Torah - we tend to "fall asleep" rather than face the full demands of these obligations.

Musar is "a path to spiritual insomnia," a way of staying awake to these obligations. At this annual retreat, we learned about Musar or the practical wisdom that has guided us. Together, we explored how to apply these virtues to contemporary life: living responsibly, making a contribution, refining the inner person and facing the world.