Alan Morinis


Alan Morinis is an anthropologist, filmmaker, and writer who has been a leading figure in the contemporary revival of the Musar movement, a Jewish ethical movement.

Early Life and Secular Education

Morinis was born into a left-wing secular Jewish home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He completed his Ph.D. in Anthropology at Oxford University, which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship. Morinis studied religious pilgrimages, especially in Hinduism, and authored the book Pilgrimage in the Hindu Tradition: A Case Study of West Bengal.

Musar Education

After a successful career in television production, Morinis experienced a major professional failure that sent him reeling. He began to search Jewish tradition for spiritual guidance and came across the Musar Movement. He began to study musar under the tutelage of Rabbi Yechiel Perr. Morinis has described his early musar education in his book Climbing Jacob's Ladder.

Revival of the Musar Movement

In 2004, Morinis founded the Mussar Institute, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He sought to revive the Musar movement, which he saw as having largely died off after the Holocaust.
Morinis has been credited as being, along with Rabbi Ira F. Stone, the leading figure in the contemporary revival of the Musar movement among non-Orthodox Jews.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of the web site Spirituality & Practice have described Morinis's teachings as offering "a treasure trove of spiritual practices," "explications of the practical spiritual tradition of Mussar," and "insights into how to change your behavior and bring out your soul." Geoffrey Claussen of Elon University has described Morinis as emphasizing "the honesty, humility, patience, and discipline that doing Musar requires" but as giving less attention to the importance of "traditional liturgy and community."

Books

Morinis's books include: