“In our generation it is impossible to maintain and sustain one’s spiritual achievements with Torah learning alone. One needs to combine Torah learning with mussar learning… Rabbeinu Yonah contains many foundational mussar lessons that strengthen a person in his avodas hammusar.” 

These words of the distinguished Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron, HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, stressed the concept that as important as limud haTorah is, it is not possible to truly achieve shleimus in avodas Hashem without also learning mussar. One of the foundational mussar sefarim that has sustained Klal Yisrael throughout the generations is the sefer Shaarei Teshuva written by Rabbeinu Yonah, one of the Rishonim. 

It is therefore with tremendous simcha in the Torah world that Kinyan Chochma, Dirshu’s daily mussar program, will be embarking on the sefer Shaarei Teshuva this coming Shiva Assar b’Tammuz. 

Kinyan Chochma is a daily mussar program wherein, a short piece of one of the mussar classics,  is learned daily. The sefarim learned are the classics, Mesilas Yesharim, Chovos Halevavos, Shaarei Teshuva, Orchos Tzaddikim, and others.  

The program was instituted to encourage learning mussar every day among all members of Klal Yisrael. The Gedolei Yisrael from both Eretz Yisrael and chutz la’aretz have enthusiastically called on Yidden the world over to join the program and incorporate daily learning of mussar into their lives together with their other learning sedarim. Lomdei Dirshu participating in the Kinyan Torah program have the added advantage of being able to take monthly tests on the mussar learned and receive stipends for excellent results. 

The venerated mashgiach of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas and Rav of Beis Medash Emunas Yisroel, HaGaon HaRav Moshe Wolfson, zt”l, was an enthusiastic supporter of the Kinyan Chochma program when it was first established in 2017. He said, “The importance that our earlier sages attached to learning works of yiras shomayim and mussar is well known. Nevertheless, the yetzer hara tries to get us to neglect learning mussar, to the extent that even bnei Torah overlook it. We must therefore feel indebted to Dirshu for encouraging Yidden the world over to strengthen themselves in this…”

The Lakewood Mashgiach Rav Mattisyohu Salomon, zt”l, despite being ill at the time of Kinyan Chochma’s establishment pushed himself to give the program his enthusiastic haskama saying “The obligation to learn mussar daily is well known, as Rav Yisrael Salanter explains at length in his sefer Ohr Yisrael, in the name of the poskim. It does not require a haskama. Nevertheless, because of its great benefit, the yetzer hara tries to find all kinds of excuses to deter a person from learning mussar. 

“That is why we are so glad that the Dirshu Organization has included mussar learning as one of their daily learning programs. This will encourage people and make it easy for lomdim to learn mussar daily, to know mussar and then to absorb the lessons into their lives…”

Now is the time to bring limud hamussar into your life. Now is the time to inject more meaning and more shleimus into your avodas Hashem by beginning the learning of the sefer Shaarei Teshuva of Rabbeinu Yonah, this Shiva Assar b’Tammuz. Is there any better way to prepare for the upcoming Yamim Noraim?!

Join now!

For information on how to join Kinyan Chochma and to receive a copy of the day’s limud, please call Dirshu at 1-888-5Dirshu or email [email protected]