Mussar movement refers to a
Jewish ethical, educational and cultural movement (a "Jewish Moralist Movement") that developed in 19th century
Orthodox Eastern Europe, particularly among the
Lithuanian Jews. The
Hebrew term
mussar (??????, properly transliterated as
musar), is from the book of
Proverbs 12 meaning instruction, discipline, or conduct. The term was used by the Mussar movement to refer to disciplined efforts to further ethical and spiritual development. The study of Mussar is a part of the study of
Jewish ethics.
The Mussar movement arose among the non-Hasidic Orthodox Lithuanian Jews, and became a trend in their yeshiva ("Talmudical schools"). Its founding is attributed to Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin Salanter (1810-1883), who was inspired greatly by the teachings of Reb Zundel Salant, although the roots of the movements can be traced to earlier developments and rabbinic personalities and their writings.
Rabbi Yosef Zundel Salant (1786-1866), or Zundel Salant, was a layman who had studied under Rabbis Chaim Volozhin and Akiva Eiger; he spent most of his life in Salantai, Lithuania. His profoundly ethical, good-hearted and humble behavior and simple lifestyle attracted the interest of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, then a promising young rabbi with exceptional knowledge of Jewish law. Rabbi Salanter absorbed the ways of Zundel Salant, and became the de facto founder of the Mussar movement. After tutoring Rabbi Salanter, Rabbi Yosef Zundel relocated to Jerusalem (then under Turkish rule), where he refused support from public funds and made a living in the vinegar business.
After establishing himself as a rabbi of exceptional talent early on, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter soon became head of a yeshivah in Vilna, where he quickly became well known in the community for his scholarship. He soon resigned this post to open up his own Yeshiva, where he emphasized moral teachings based on the ethics taught in traditional Jewish rabbinic works. He referred to his philosophy as mussar, Hebrew for ethics.
