The sefer, not a speaker
Tomer Devorah is a sefer, not a lecturer — one of the most beloved works of mussar in the Jewish library. Written by Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, the Ramak, in sixteenth-century Tzfas, it is short in length and vast in demand, and this collection is a set of shiurim that learn it.
Its central idea is bold: that a person is meant to emulate Hashem's own attributes of mercy. Building on the thirteen middos of rachamim, the sefer walks through each one and asks how a human being can live it — in patience, in forgiveness, and in how one bears with others.
Middos as the real work
What makes Tomer Devorah endure is that it turns lofty attributes into concrete behavior. To emulate Hashem's forbearance, the sefer argues, is to hold back anger at someone who has wronged you; to emulate His mercy is to keep doing good for a person even so. Middos become the avodah, not an afterthought.
Shiurim on the sefer draw out exactly this. Learned slowly, each attribute becomes a practical challenge for the week — a specific way to soften a reaction or extend a kindness — which is why the work is a staple of Elul and of mussar sedorim year-round.
How the shiurim help
A guided shiur adds the background the terse text assumes. The Ramak writes with kabbalistic underpinnings, and a teacher can supply enough of that framework for the mussar to land without requiring the listener to be a mekubal.
Taken in order, the shiurim mirror the sefer's own structure — attribute by attribute — so a listener finishes not with a summary but with a map of concrete traits to work on.
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At a glance
Key takeaways
- Tomer Devorah is a sefer, not a speaker — the classic mussar work of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, the Ramak.
- Its theme is emulating Hashem's thirteen attributes of mercy in one's own character.
- The sefer turns lofty ideals into concrete work on patience, forgiveness and forbearance.
- It is a staple of Elul and of mussar learning year-round.
- Search Lehallel for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.
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