Talmud for Jonah 4:2
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֨ל אֶל־יְהוָ֜ה וַיֹּאמַ֗ר אָנָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ הֲלוֹא־זֶ֣ה דְבָרִ֗י עַד־הֱיוֹתִי֙ עַל־אַדְמָתִ֔י עַל־כֵּ֥ן קִדַּ֖מְתִּי לִבְרֹ֣חַ תַּרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה כִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ אֵֽל־חַנּ֣וּן וְרַח֔וּם אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד וְנִחָ֖ם עַל־הָרָעָֽה׃
And he prayed unto the LORD, and said: ‘I pray Thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in mine own country? Therefore I fled beforehand unto Tarshish; for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and compassionate, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy, and repentest Thee of the evil.
Avot D'Rabbi Natan
Rabbi Shimon would say: Be careful when you say the Shema and your prayers. And when you pray, do not make your prayer just a regular conversation, but a deep pleading before the Holy Blessed One, as it says (Jonah 4:2), “For You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, full of kindness and forgiving punishment.” Rabbi Eliezer would say: Be diligent in studying Torah, and know how to respond to a heretic, and do not forget one word of Torah. Know before whom you labor and with whom you have made your covenant, and know that He can be trusted to reward you for your actions.
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