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 growth

Suggested 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.

featured articles

steady-flame patience

We sometimes think of patience as a passive virtue, similar to endurance; the kind of patience that enables us to perform a repetitive task, to get through setbacks and challenges, ...

by rabbi russ resnik in torah

well worth the wait

“Be patient, brothers, till the coming of the Lord. And look, the farmer’s waiting for the precious fruit out of the earth. Be patient until it drinks the first and later r...

by rabbi benjamin ehrenfeld in besorah

patience, passive and active

I 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 t...

by rabbi russ resnik in besorah

patience as a spoke on a wheel

You’re supposed to be somewhere.  You didn’t leave on time, or maybe you did.  You didn’t plan for mishaps, or maybe you planned for the worst and thought you were p...

by rebbetzin malkah in daily living

warning: impatience is contagious

The remarkable yet sad outcome is the punishment of Moses and Aaron: they will not set foot into the land. One can imagine the great sadness they felt - all their striving for the...

by rebbetzin malkah in torah

patience that breeds change

Our Rabbis taught: A certain heathen once came before Shammai and asked him, "‘How many Torot have you?" ...

by rebbetzin malkah in mesorah

the patience of Hillel

Talmud - Mas. Shabbath 31a [Our Rabbis taught: A man should always be gentle like Hillel, and not impatient like Shammai.] It once happened that two men made a wager with each...

by rebbetzin malkah in mesorah

patience as suffering

The Hebrew word for patience is savlanut, which also means "tolerance." This same Hebrew root also gives rise to words that means "suffer" (sevel) and "burdens" (sivlot). If we equ...

by rebbetzin malkah in meditation

accounting  questions to ask yourself Use these questions to evaluate your day: What were the "seeds" that started to erode your patience today? Think of several good things that happened today.  What was you... by rebbetzin malkah

quotes  from the mussar masters "Woe to the pampered one who has never been trained to be patient. Either today or in the future he is destined to sip from the cup of affliction."  -- Rabbi M. M. Leffin, Ches... by riverton mussar

more articles

daily living

 patience is love Patience is a learned virtue. When I was very young, I didn’t have any patience. I wanted everything, and wanted it NOW! As life went on, I learned patience through resignation... by rabbi michael schiffman patience in healing Last week I had the privilege of experiencing the removal of all four wisdom teeth and one extra tooth that had grown behind one of my top front teeth. The entire experience has bee... by rabbi benjamin ehrenfeld what we admire in others I’ve heard Patience defined, not as the ability to wait, but as the ability to wait with a good attitude. Patience is a wonderful thing, but no one wants to have it for themselves... by rabbi michael schiffman patience as a spoke on a wheel You’re supposed to be somewhere.  You didn’t leave on time, or maybe you did.  You didn’t plan for mishaps, or maybe you planned for the worst and thought you were p... by rebbetzin malkah

torah

 steady-flame patience We sometimes think of patience as a passive virtue, similar to endurance; the kind of patience that enables us to perform a repetitive task, to get through setbacks and challenges, ... by rabbi russ resnik patience and purpose When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them; but he acted like a stranger toward them . . . (Gen. 42:7). Of all the themes that run through the story of Joseph and his brother... by rabbi russ resnik waiting for words to unfold Most civilizations have been cultures of the eye. Judaism, with its belief in the invisible God who transcends the universe, and its prohibition against visual representations of Go... by rabbi russ resnik appropriate patience We most often think of patience or savlanut as the capacity to deal with frustrating delays or obstacles that interfere with our plans or objectives. ... by rabbi paul saal patience muscles Most of us have heard it said, at one point or another, “all good things come to those who wait.” We have also probably heard, “you can’t always get what you want.”&n... by rabbi benjamin ehrenfeld be patient—God knows My granddaughter Orli recently joined a Little League team for special needs kids and I went to the opening game. When her team got up to bat, most of the kids used a batting tee, b... by rabbi russ resnik warning: impatience is contagious The remarkable yet sad outcome is the punishment of Moses and Aaron: they will not set foot into the land. One can imagine the great sadness they felt - all their striving for the... by rebbetzin malkah

besorah

 enough already You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? -- Matt. 17:17a A good friend recently described me in public as ... by rabbi russ resnik patient with joy I think I’m a pretty patient guy, but I saw something this week that put my patience to shame. ... by rabbi russ resnik the birth of our dreams Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Shimon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. (Luke 2:25) ... by rabbi benjamin ehrenfeld an impatient generation Though the fig tree may not blossom,Nor fruit be on the vines;Though the labor of the olive may fail,And the fields yield no food;Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,And... by rabbi russ resnik well worth the wait “Be patient, brothers, till the coming of the Lord. And look, the farmer’s waiting for the precious fruit out of the earth. Be patient until it drinks the first and later r... by rabbi benjamin ehrenfeld patience, passive and active I 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 t... by rabbi russ resnik

mesorah

 compassionate faith Rav Kook understands savlanut in terms more closely related to what we would call “tolerance.” More often than not, religious people are faulted for their lack of tolerance... by rabbi benjamin ehrenfeld positive interruptions Our patience is tested the most when we encounter life circumstances that alter our vision of how the world around us should look. These circumstances most often come in the ... by rabbi benjamin ehrenfeld patience that breeds change Our Rabbis taught: A certain heathen once came before Shammai and asked him, "‘How many Torot have you?" ... by rebbetzin malkah the patience of Hillel Talmud - Mas. Shabbath 31a [Our Rabbis taught: A man should always be gentle like Hillel, and not impatient like Shammai.] It once happened that two men made a wager with each... by rebbetzin malkah

meditation

 patience as suffering The Hebrew word for patience is savlanut, which also means "tolerance." This same Hebrew root also gives rise to words that means "suffer" (sevel) and "burdens" (sivlot). If we equ... by rebbetzin malkah

stories

 patience as wisdom There was a great and mighty king who had many peasants working for him in his kingdom. One of the peasants rebelled against the king and would not listen to his laws. When the ... by rebbetzin malkah

podcasts

patience - life without a script