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Test Driving Savlanut (Patience)
Buying a new car is always a test of the Mussar trait of savlanut ( patience) as I don’t enjoy interacting with the over-eager salesmen...

Marilyn Saltzman
May 263 min read
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Erasing history lacks kavod (honor)
“Who is wise? He who learns from everyone….Who is honorable? One who honors his fellows.” Ben Zoma, ancient Jewish sage in Pirkei Avot On...

Marilyn Saltzman
Apr 163 min read
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Worry and Joy
“ If there is anxiety in a man’s mind, let him quash and transform it into joy with encouragement.” Proverbs 12:25 In our evening...

Marilyn Saltzman
Mar 113 min read
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Mussar It!
When Rabbi Jamie went on sabbatical several years ago, fellow congregant Bonnie Houghton and I agreed to take the responsibility of...

Marilyn Saltzman
Feb 93 min read
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Communing with the Aspen
At a holiday party, I heard about a new (to me) writing process called nature journaling. A friend directed me to a website hosted by...

Marilyn Saltzman
Jan 153 min read
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“Orbital” Mussar
Reading Samantha Harvey’s novel “Orbital,” I discovered a number of Mussar lessons. The winner of the Booker Prize for Fiction, the book...

Marilyn Saltzman
Dec 14, 20243 min read
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1 comment
Humility and Response-ability*
How can humility lead to response-ability, the ability to respond with compassion and love, rather than wanting to take responsibility –...

Marilyn Saltzman
Nov 11, 20243 min read
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1 comment
Teshuvah - Returning to a Higher Self
Rosh Hashanah family lunch, circa 1960: Matzo ball soup. Chopped liver. Challah. Mandarin orange noodle kugel. Roast chicken. Honey cake...

Marilyn Saltzman
Oct 10, 20242 min read
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Anavah (Humility) and Leadership
As a meek elementary school student, I turned down the chance to run for treasurer of Student Council. In high school, I refused the...

Marilyn Saltzman
Sep 11, 20243 min read
44 views
1 comment


Around the World with Mussar
It’s been a busy summer of travel, from The Netherlands to Yellowstone, New Mexico, St. Louis, Massachusetts and Connecticut – five...

Marilyn Saltzman
Aug 20, 20245 min read
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1 comment


Kavod (honor): Remembering Their Names
When we started planning a Viking cruise that would originate in Amsterdam, my sister, Ellen, and I knew that we wanted to visit the...

Marilyn Saltzman
Jul 14, 20243 min read
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A Grandmother's Journey 2.0
This week my granddaughter got her driver’s permit and went on a date. Selam. Driving. Selam. At the movies with a boy. Whether I’m ready...

Marilyn Saltzman
Jun 13, 20242 min read
27 views
4 comments
Surviving the storm: Power tools and kind neighbors
Mid-March. Herald of spring? Not here! 39 inches of snow on the driveway, Over four feet of hardpack where the county plowed us in. Our...

Marilyn Saltzman
Apr 13, 20241 min read
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Seder – Order in the Office
My home office has some treasures: A musical snow globe, circa 2002 – gifted to me by a young Jeffco student who organized an...

Marilyn Saltzman
Mar 13, 20243 min read
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“Mussar-izing” Commercial Slogans
Last weekend, Super Bowl advertisers paid $7 million for a 30-second spot with the hope of making their brands and slogans memorable to...

Marilyn Saltzman
Feb 15, 20242 min read
28 views
1 comment
Learning to Surf
“You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn I have never tried surfing. My feeble attempt at paddle boarding...

Marilyn Saltzman
Jan 14, 20243 min read
31 views
3 comments
Mussar and...Jazzercise??
I’m a septuagenarian with osteoporosis. So when my teacher friend Deb encouraged me to come to Jazzercise class in October, I thought...

Marilyn Saltzman
Dec 13, 20233 min read
147 views
2 comments
Untying Knots, Uniting Souls
They choke off air and stop the blood from pulsating freely.” When Rabbi Jamie read the poetic prayer, “Untie,” by Rabbi Sheila Peltz...

Marilyn Saltzman
Nov 10, 20233 min read
69 views
1 comment
Tears, Laughter, Gratitude – In Celebration of Bubbe*
October 8, 2023 was the 25th anniversary of Bubbe’s death. It’s hard to believe that this force of nature, who impacted so many of our...

Marilyn Saltzman
Oct 15, 20233 min read
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“In high tide or in low tide, I will be by your side.” *
Dedicated to Irv: “You're my anchor in life's ocean, but most of all you’re my best friend.” ** In August, Irv and I celebrated our 55th...

Marilyn Saltzman
Sep 13, 20233 min read
126 views
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