What is Olam HaMiddos? Well, it literally translates to a world of middos, which means character traits. The study of this self-improvement refers to the work of your own character refinement and the reshaping and enhancing of one’s moral and spiritual traits. In this sense, every human being carries within them a personal “world,” which can be considered as a sort of private world of their emotions, desires, strengths, and weaknesses. The task of Olam HaMiddos, written physically in sefer (book) Olam HaMiddos by Rabbi Moshe Don Kestenbaum, is to pamper that inner world and keep it sacred.
These aspects of Olam HaMiddos inspired me to start a peer learning journey on the topic. Having the opportunity to study with a counselor with whom I became close, as well as two of my peers, learning this specific Chinuch (education of personal transformation) is a trusting experience.
Mind you, at this very moment I still am in the midst of learning; however, it was intimidating for me to begin. I didn’t want to fall into the mindset that it wouldn’t work on myself, and that it was merely words on paper telling me what to do. But, I knew that in the end, I would be a more collected and mensch-y version of myself, and that helped me to overcome my doubts and fears. That acceptance alone is one step in learning Olam HaMiddos.
Much like any topic, it takes a while for you to truly understand the purpose or meaning behind it. For me, it was trying to wrap my mind around how middos does not only refer to good characteristics, but bad ones as well. If you want to make a change for yourself, both spiritually and mentally, you must mend your negative traits alongside enhancing your positive ones.
It is much easier said than done to create a whole new way of living and thinking. The living patterns we all have are most certainly habits, and we all know how hard changing habits are. It may be easy to understand how to change, but to truly put it into practice takes effort and time.
Daily, I find myself in situations where I catch myself and see how it is a perfect example of needing to apply this Mussar (discipline focused on cultivating middos). Whether it’s preventing me from an overwhelming outburst from stress, a negative interaction with a peer, or even helping a friend, my thoughts and actions are in the process of being reshaped to recognize a more positive and calm approach. Even if I were beginning to take a new perspective before, there is always room for improvement.
Becoming a more generous and thoughtful person is not the only perk to learning Olam Hamiddos. The spiritual effect it has on an individual is a bonus too. It has the ability to truly refine a person’s focus and pathway in life. Not only does it require vulnerability, but also the willingness to reflect on yourself and criticize your ways.
Spiritual improvement is not limited to affecting your own personal traits. Through learning, I’ve come to realize there is fulfillment and satisfaction coming from being Shomer Shabbat and pushing myself to recite tefilah every day. Beginning to implement these changes in my everyday life has caused me to realize the significance of having a relationship with religion. The impact it is starting to take on my decisions has been huge; my connections with people, my thoughts, and the way I speak is noticeably more positive.
Any individual could become more Orthodox, however it is not enough to just observe and practice religious rituals, or even study TaNaKh. What truly brings depth and value to these actions is enhancing your character development.
Rabbi Kestenbaum teaches, “A person’s purpose in this world is to perfect his middos,” and, “we were given the Torah, in order to help us fix our middos” (Olam HaMiddos, 23-24).
You cannot only consider yourself righteous through knowledge; it is also necessary to have exemplary character and continuously work on character development. For a person to not work and focus on their middos, they can be considered to be missing the entire goal and purpose of divine service.
Teaching myself the correct and respectable way to react and the beneficial way of thought has refined my personal traits. Throughout my life, I’ve come to realize how influential every person is on the people surrounding them. To implement Tikkun HaMiddot, you can contribute to a broader process of repairing our world, also referred to as Tikkun Olam. Just one person’s inner transformation and positivity can ripple outward.
This learning experience projected positive change and motivated me. While it is hard implementing new habits, each step I take towards incorporating Olam Hamiddos in my life, the more positive impacts I hope to create and experience.
