Ira F. Stone
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Rabbi Ira F. Stone (born 1949) is a leading figure in the contemporary renewal of the Musar movement, a Jewish ethical movement.


Career

Stone was ordained as a rabbi at the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
in 1979, and proceeded to serve congregations in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
and
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
while also teaching at the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He served as rabbi of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia from 1988 until his retirement in 2015. Stone became the founding director of the Center for Contemporary Mussar in 2017.


Musar Movement

Stone is a scholar of
Emmanuel Levinas Emmanuel Levinas (born Emanuelis Levinas ; ; 12 January 1906 – 25 December 1995) was a French philosopher of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry who is known for his work within Jewish philosophy, existentialism, and phenomenology, focusing on the rel ...
and of the Musar movement. His book ''A Responsible Life: The Spiritual Path of Mussar'' draws on the thinking of Emmanuel Levinas in developing a contemporary vision of Musar. Unlike many other non-Orthodox Musar teachers, he believes that Musar practice must involve a commitment to the observance of Jewish law. Stone has also proposed that a dedication to Musar should be central to the approach of
Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...
. Rabbi Ira Stone serves as the Rosh Yeshiva of the Center for Contemporary Mussar.


Bibliography

Stone's books include: * ''Reading Levinas/Reading Talmud'' (JPS, 1998) * ''Seeking the Path of Life: Theological Meditations on the Nature of God, Life, Love and Death'' (Jewish Lights, 1993) * ''Sketches for a Book of Psalms'' (Xlibris, 2000) *''A Responsible Life: The Spiritual Path of Mussar'' (Aviv Press, 2006) * A commentary on Rabbi Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto's '' Mesillat Yesharim'' (
Jewish Publication Society The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), originally known as the Jewish Publication Society of America, is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Jewish works in English. Founded in Philadelphia in 1888, by Reform Rabbi Joseph Krauskop ...
, 2010). * ''In Search of the Holy Life: Rediscovering the Kabbalistic Roots of Mussar'' (iUniverse, 2019)


References

Living people Musar movement Philosophers of Judaism American Jewish theologians American male non-fiction writers American Conservative rabbis Jewish Theological Seminary of America semikhah recipients Jewish American non-fiction writers American spiritual teachers Writers of Musar literature 1949 births 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis Conservative rosh yeshivas {{judaism-philo-bio-stub