Alan Morinis (born December 8, 1949) is a Canadian

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

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 Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

secular Jewish Jewish secularism (Hebrew: יהדות חילונית) refers to secularism in a Jewish context, denoting the definition of Jewish identity with little or no attention given to its religious aspects. The concept of Jewish secularism first arose ...

home in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada. He completed his Ph.D. in

Social Anthropology Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, which he attended on a

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

(Ontario 1972). Morinis studied religious

pilgrimages A pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is o ...

, especially in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

, and authored the book ''Pilgrimage in the Hindu Tradition: A Case Study of West Bengal'' as well as edited ''Sacred Journeys: the anthropology of pilgrimage''.

Mussar education

After pioneering work in academia, and a successful career 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 Mussar Movement. He began to study musar under the tutelage of Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchok Perr. Morinis has described his early Mussar education in his book ''Climbing Jacob's Ladder''.

Revival of the Mussar movement

In 2004, Morinis founded the Mussar Institute, based in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He sought to revive the Musar movement, which he saw as having largely died off after the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. 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.Geoffrey Claussen,
The American Jewish Revival of Musar
," ''The Hedgehog Review''. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 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."Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
"Living Spiritual Teachers Project: Alan Morinis"
Retrieved 10 January 2011. Geoffrey Claussen of

Elon University Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, the university is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or ...

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: *''Climbing Jacob's Ladder: One Man's Journey to Rediscover a Jewish Spiritual Tradition'' (2007) *''Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar'' (2008) *''Every Day, Holy Day: 365 Days of Teachings and Practices from the Jewish Tradition of Mussar'' (2010) *''With Heart in Mind: Mussar Teachings to Transform Your Life'' (2014)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morinis, Alan Musar movement Living people 1949 births Jewish Canadian writers Canadian Rhodes Scholars Canadian anthropologists Writers from Toronto Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Hindu studies scholars Spiritual teachers Canadian religious writers Writers of Musar literature Canadian male non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers