JHP S1E4 Mesirut - the threshold of heroism

Jewish Heroism Project

Mesirut is the threshold of heroism. It is the power of breaking through which can push a story, a life journey and even history past the bounds of what appears possible. This class introduces mesirah, the power to give more than you have, as the fourth path of Jewish heroism. It begins by introducing the element of heroism which involves breaking boundaries, and then offers an explanation of which our definition of heroism is mesirut nefesh, a going beyond the limits of the embodied self. Next we trace the meaning of term through a powerful metaphor, and three elements of textual exploration. Then Yitzchak is presented as the archetype of mesirut through a look at the story of his binding on the altar. Finally we learn how mesirut has functioned as a heroic driver in Jewish history by examining Theodore Herlz’s life.