equanimity
rabbi russ resnik
equanimity and adrenaline

A few years ago, I took up rappelling, the art of descending sheer cliffs by rope and harness, so that we could explore the red-rock canyons of Southern Utah. After I had begun to learn the basics, Steve, our guide, said to me, “You’re one of those people who wants to speed up when your adrenaline starts to flow.”

equanimity and adrenaline
loving-kindness
rabbi russ resnik
fairness or freebie?

Some things in life have to be earned, and some things cannot be. We can earn respect and reputation by our behavior, but sometimes we need help, or forgiveness, or just a break, that we haven’t earned and don’t deserve. And we can also give to others gifts they don’t deserve and don’t have to earn. That sort of undeserved kindness is captured by the word Hesed, often translated as lovingkindness.

fairness or freebie?
adaptability
rabbi russ resnik
age and adaptability

The other day I had coffee with Hal, the father of one of our chavurah members. He had just written his second novel, this one based on his amazing experiences as a Jewish-American soldier fighting the Nazis in World War II. We got together to talk about his book.

age and adaptability
silence
rabbi russ resnik
authentic listening

One of the current terms of religious discussion that I’ve grown to suspect is “spirituality.” I’m tired of hearing people say, “I’m not religious; I’m spiritual,” which often means I don’t have any outward signs of religious or transcendent life, but, trust me, I possess many lofty sentiments.

authentic listening
loving-kindness
rabbi russ resnik
chesed in action

Chesed or loving-kindness is an essential human attribute, but it’s first of all a divine attribute. If we want to cultivate chesed, we should pay attention to how Hashem exercises it. And God’s chesed is on display at the conclusion of the Haftarot of Comfort, the passages from Isaiah that we read during this period between Tisha B’av and Rosh Hashanah.

chesed in action

pleasant with the young

pleasant with the young

art-hands2

When one is engaged in any act of service, such as giving charity, offering prayer, performing an obligatory or voluntary act, or voicing rebuke, he should not engage in it with any pride or arrogance in his heart.  Rather, he should be humble and lowly before the Creator, both outwardly and inwardly.  [His act] should be as nothing to him, when compared with how much he owes G-d – so much more than this one act!  As it says, "With what shall I come before Hashem, bow low before G-d on high?  Shall I come before Him with burnt-offerings, with yearling calves?  Would G-d be pleased with thousands of rams?... He has told you, O man, what is good, and what G-d requires of you: only to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk modestly with your G-d."  (Micah 6:6-8)  – Rabbi Bachya ibn Paquda, Duties of the Heart, The Gate of Humility

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middah summary template-v4

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cat-inspiration
inspiration

These are our special April Fools 2012 articles. Trust with caution!

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patience

02-patience.png

{acp _pattern 248}{acp top-intro/}Endurance enlightens the mind and soul.Patience is a means not only to inner peace but outer peace. It is the ability to endure situations of all kinds and to remain level-headed. Patience out of balance can appear two ways. One extreme displays frustration, rage, and aggravation, while the other extreme displays apathy and indifference. Patience displayed in balance helps relationships and situations through rough spots and promotes healthy growthSuggested exercises:

  • When you are in a situation and about to lose your temper, recite the memory phrase in your mind before you react.
  • Plan to be early for all appointments this week and bring a book for the wait.
  • When frustrated in traffic, have a favorite song handy for cue-up and enjoy the moment.
  • If you are ready to lose your patience with a person, stop the seeds of impatience and say something kind to that person.{acp /top-intro}

{acp top-intro-old/} Memory verse: "When something bad happens to you and you did not have the power to avoid it, do not aggravate the situation even more through wasted grief." -- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Lefin of Satanov, Cheshbon HaNefesh"Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you fall into trials of any kind, for you know that the testing of your faith produces patience; and let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." -- James 1:2-4{acp /top-intro-old}{acp top-memory/}"When something bad happens to you and you did not have the power to avoid it, do not aggravate the situation even more through wasted grief." -- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Lefin of Satanov, Cheshbon HaNefesh{acp /top-memory}{acp top-long-def/}Just as copper holds its heat well, consistently and equally, so too do people who have patience.  They possess the strength control their heat, or their temper.  They are able to hold their emotions in check and handle stressful or unexpected situations.{acp /top-long-def}{acp top-image images/stories/middot/02-patience.jpg}{acp print-version print/W02-patience.pdf}{acp quotes-cat 242}{acp inspiration-cat 243}{acp meditation-cat 244}{acp torah-cat 245}{acp mesorah-cat 246}{acp besorah-cat 247}{acp daily-cat 248}{acp stories-cat 249}{acp accounting-cat 250}{acp podcast-cat 238}{acp _end}

questions to ask yourself

art-questions.jpg

Use these questions to evaluate your day:

  1. What were the "seeds" that started to erode your patience today?

  2. Think of several good things that happened today. What was your reaction to them in contrast to your moments of challenge?

  3. If you lost your patience today, is this something that you have lost your patience over previously?

  4. If you were on the verge of losing your patience but didn't, what did you employ that worked?

  5. Were you able to use prayer or meditation to suffer through the circumstances?

  6. If you lost your patience today, describe how it happened.

  7. What causes you to lose patience most often?

patience, passive and active

patience, passive and active

art-counterI was recently stuck in line at the car rental counter behind a guy who appeared to have never rented a car before in his life. I’d say he was a classic nudnik, but I don’t think I should call someone a name in an article about ethics. With shorts a bit too tight and hitched up a bit too high upon his potbelly, and close-cropped gray hair over a worried brow, he questioned every line in the rental agreement.