INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH SPIRITUALITY:Cultivating Mindful Leaders, Transforming Jewish Life

TIKKUN MIDDOT PROJECTMade possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

s

THE “BIG QUESTION”

Can faith communities create sustainable structures positively impacting their members’ lifelong character development?

THE TIKKUN MIDDOT PROJECT

A three-year study of 28 Jewish communities developing their members’ moral character through mindfulness and tikkun middot practice .

Each community must be led by clergy or other leader trained by the Institute in mindfulness practice, who will engage in a personal practice of character development while implementing a parallel process within the community.

THEORY OF CHANGECultivating mindfulness practice and attention to middot (spiritual/moral qualities) will help community members: become more aware of and acknowledge negative behavioral patterns transform challenging situations into opportunities to strengthen their character respond in such situations with greater clarity, wisdom, and compassion

OUTCOMESParticipants will report an increase in

recognizing situations in which they typically react negatively; responding to such situations by choosing to practice the middot; and perceiving their religious community supporting and modeling positive moral character.

 

TIKKUN MIDDOT LEADER GROUPSIJS-trained leader participates as individual in facilitated small group (4-5 participants) process over 10months, utilizing Tikkun Middot curriculum.Components: Monthly 90-minute facilitated va’ad/group session via

videoconference Interim weekly sichat chaverim, text study in chevruta, mentoring sessions by phone Kabbalot: specific actions Cheshbon hanefesh journaling

TIKKUN MIDDOT STUDY GROUPS

Several months after beginning his/her own Tikkun Middot Leader Group, he/she will teach the Tikkun Middot curriculum to a small group (recommendation: no more than 12) key professional and/or lay leaders who are well-positioned to train/teach others in community and infuse tikkun middot practice throughout as many aspects of communal life as possible.

TIKKUN MIDDOT TASK FORCEEach community develops a Tikkun Middot Task Force (which should include, but is not limited, to participants in the Tikkun Middot Study Group) which will design, refine, and implement a plan to strategically integrate tikkun middot practice within community in a systemic, sustainable manner. Possible components of a plan might include: Highlighting mindfulness and middot in communal prayer Weaving tikkun middot into d’rashot and learning Opening Board and/or committee meetings with mindfulness practice

and middot studyPosters for lobby etc. with middah, verse, and meditative phrase

Song or niggun of the month relating to middah Monthly email to community describing middah and scenarios in which

it might be practiced

TIKKUN MIDDOT CURRICULA:

Ten-unit “middah of month” curricula featuring text study, heshbon hanefesh (personal reflection), hevruta study, small group process, and exercises

Adult curriculum developed by Rabbi David Jaffe of Boston Family (parent/child) curriculum developed by Miki Young (Philadelphia)

MIDDOT UNITS hitlamdut, making what we learn deeply impact our lives behira, discerning the critical decision point for our actions anavah, humility savlanut, patience hesed, lovingkindness kavod, respect shtika, thoughtful speech bitachon, trust emunah, trustworthiness seder, orderliness and integration

COHORT ONE (16 COMMUNITIES)

Applications due by Friday, June 14 Selections announced by end of June Communities begin promoting Tikkun Middot Project,

especially during fall holidays in September 2014 Orientation retreat/conference in New Jersey (location

TBA), Sunday-Tuesday, October 27-29 TIKKUN MIDDOT LEADERS GROUPS Nov.2013-June 2014 TIKKUN MIDDOT STUDY GROUPS Jan. 2014-Dec. 2014 TIKKUN MIDDOT COMMUNITY PROJECTS Sept. 2014-June

2015

 

COHORT TWO (12 COMMUNITIES)

Applications due end of October, 2014 Selections announced mid-November 2014 Orientation retreat/conference February 2014 TIKKUN MIDDOT LEADERS GROUPS

March 2014-Dec. 2014 TIKKUN MIDDOT STUDY GROUPS

May 2014-April 2015 TIKKUN MIDDOT COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Sept. 2014 –June 2015 

SELECTION CRITERIA Collaborative leadership team for planning and implementation Advance “buy-in” from key community leaders Past experience with mindfulness and/or tikkun middot practice

in community Systemic: integrates tikkun middot practice into as many areas

of communal life and as many demographic categories as possible

Sustainable: creates structural changes in communal life which will continue to engage community in tikkun middot practice beyond the year

Size of community is a factor

 

USE OF $7500 AWARD May NOT be used to defray existing operating expenses or

pay for refreshments

May be used to support travel and accommodations at October retreat/conference for additional team members from participating communities

May be used for outside scholars/teachers, training, consultation, resources, additional curriculum development, and materials for implementing project

 

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE Participating communities required to post resources

and materials on community’s wiki webpage A team from each participating community will share

its project’s “best practices” and challenges via webinars

Each participating community must have a team representative on these monthly “best practices” webinars