Rabbi Levinsky Sermon: March 20
Keeping Your Cool
Equanimity—hishtavut—is the ability to keep your cool, even when life doesn’t go the way you expect. The Baal Shem Tov teaches that when praise and insult no longer control our inner state, we become freer and more grounded. But that kind of steadiness doesn’t happen automatically. It is built through practice: relying less on others for our sense of stability, turning outward to help others, and cultivating joy. Over time, these habits reshape how we respond to frustration. Spiritual growth is rarely dramatic. It is the quiet work of becoming a little less reactive and a little more steady in the face of everyday challenges.
