Teshuvah is one of the most profound concepts in all of Hebrew thought. It means to turn — to stop moving in the wrong direction and return to YHWH and to the right path.
Self-control is the capacity to govern one’s own desires, impulses, emotions, and appetites in alignment with the Torah of YHWH. It is the internal discipline that makes all other virtues sustainable. Without self-control patience collapses under provocation, love yields to selfishness, and integrity crumbles under temptation.
Kavod literally means weight — to honor someone is to treat them as having substance, significance, and worth. In Hebrew culture honor was not reserved for the powerful and prestigious — it was owed to parents, elders, the poor, and the stranger.
The tongue is one of the most powerful instruments in human existence. Lashon Tehorah — pure speech — is the commitment to use words that build, heal, clarify, and honor, while refusing words that tear down, deceive, manipulate, or destroy.
Patience is the disciplined capacity to endure difficulty, delay, or provocation without losing composure, faith, or purpose. In Hebrew thought Erech Apayim literally means “long of nose” — a vivid image of one who does not flare up quickly. Patience is not passivity — it is active trust in YHWH’s timing.
