Advanced Live Courses (Online and Local In-Person)

Hitpa'alut - Creating Lasting A-ha Moments

COURSE FULL - REGISTRATION CLOSED

An Intermediate/Advanced Course

Join Avi Fertig for his new course Hitpa’alut – Creating Lasting A-ha Moments: Deepening Mussar Study and Practice for Meaningful Inner Change to explore how Mussar learning can move beyond intellectual understanding and create lasting change in how we choose, relate, and live.

Course Overview:

It is often said that the greatest distance in the world is between the head and the heart. In Mussar, a similar distance can emerge between the soul’s deepest knowing and the body’s lived habits. We may study inspiring texts, recognize profound truths, and sincerely want to grow, yet still find that our learning does not translate into changed behavior.

This intermediate-advanced course explores a central Mussar question: How can Torah and Mussar study and practice lead to meaningful and lasting transformation?

The Mussar concept of hitpa’alut describes a way of learning in which Torah and Mussar teachings move beyond ideas on the page and begin to act upon us from within. Through repeated engagement, these teachings leave subtle engravings on the soul that gradually reshape how we perceive, choose, and live.

Together, we will explore the foundational principles that help Mussar learning move from the page into the self, and from the self into practice.

Study and Practice:

Participants will engage in:

  • Guided text study
  • Focus questions
  • Chanting
  • Active practice
  • Learning through the lens of hitlamdut

These practices will help participants integrate Mussar learning into daily choices, relationships, and life experiences, bringing mind and heart, body and soul into deeper alignment.

Who Is This Course For:

This course is designed for intermediate-advanced students with at least one year of study with The Mussar Institute. It is especially well suited for Jewish clergy, educators, and professionals seeking a deeper foothold in foundational Mussar learning and practice.

Rabbi Avi Fertig serves as the Mashgiach / Mussar Advisor at The Mussar Institute, where he has been guiding courses and programs since 2010. Avi’s educational background includes studying at the Yeshiva of Ner Israel in Baltimore, followed by a move to Israel in 1997. During his time at the Mir Yeshivah in Jerusalem, he developed a close bond with Rabbi Reuvain Leuchter, a prominent disciple of Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, a renowned authority in Mussar. Since then, Avi has been studying, writing, and teaching Mussar to a wide audience, impacting thousands of students. He is also the author of two books on Torah and Mussar. Avi resides in Beit Shemesh with his wife, Estie, their children, and their recently born grandson, Ariel.