Wednesday, May 19, 2004
We continue our countdown to Mattan Torah with short daily quotes from Messilat Yesharim:
-- From Ch. 22
"One thing is certain -- modesty removes many stumbling-blocks along the way and brings you closer to the great good. The modest person is little concerned for matters of this world and is not envious of its vanities. Also, the friendship of a modest person is very wonderful; people enjoy his company. Of a necessity he does not come to anger or argumentation, and everything he does is done peaceably and serenely. One who merits this trait is fortunate."
-- From Ch. 23
"There are two things that bring you to humility: force of habit, and reflection. Force of habit involves your slowly habituating yourself to act humbly along the lines we have delineated -- by sitting in a less than auspicious place, by walking at the back of a company of people, and by dressing in modest clothing (clothing that is respectable, but not outstanding)."
"As it is in our heart's nature to swell and grow haughty, it is difficult to uproot this natural inclination at its source. The only way anything like it can be accomplished is by your taking control of the external actions that are available to you. Thus you can slowly affect the internality of it, which you do not have as much control over."
"Reflection involves various things. The first is as indicated in the statement of Akavyah ben Mahalalel, (Avot 3:1) 'Know where you have come from -- a putrid drop; and where you are going -- to a place of dust, vermin and worms; and before Whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning -- the King of kings, the Holy One (blessed be He).' In truth, these realizations stifle all arrogance and help foster humility. When you will face the imperfection inherent in your humanity and the lowliness of your origins, you will find that you have no reason to be arrogant at all."
"If you will reflect further and try to imagine for just a moment your appearance before the great Angelic Court, when you will stand before the King of kings, the Holy One (blessed be He), who is the ultimate in holiness and purity, thick in the mystery of the Holy Ones, the mighty servants who are great in power, who do His will without a blemish-- you: lowly, imperfect and inherently shameful, impure and sullied because of your actions ... Could you even lift your head? Is there anything you could say?'
"The second object of reflection involves the consequences of the changes that come about through the passage of time. The rich can easily become poor, the ruler can easily become the ruled, the honored the despised. Since it is so easy to transform into something which is so abhorrent to you at this point, how can you possibly be proud of your current, so tenuous situation?"
"What you should ultimately do is recognize the fallibility of human knowledge and of how liable it is for error and untruth. It is more likely to be wrong than right. So ... try to learn from all people and take advice so that you will not stumble."
"What deters from this trait is the overabundance of ... the good things in this world .... The pious find it better to deprive themselves sometimes, so that they might subdue the inclination towards arrogance, which prospers in a climate of plenty."
"What is most likely to deter [humility] is ignorance and lack of true knowledge. As can be seen, arrogance is most often found in the more ignorant .... and we see [also] that Moses, the best of men, was the most humble of men."
(c) 2004 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
You can always contact Rabbi Feldman at feldman@torah.org
May this series on Messilat Yesharim, which is offered in loving memory of my recently departed uncle, Chaim ben Avraham Stone a"h, serve as an aliyah for his neshama.
********************************
Get your own copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” by logging onto http://www.aronson.com/jbookstore/ and typing in "The Gates of Repentance".
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has translated and commented upon "The Gates of Repentance", "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). And his new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available from Judaica Press.
His works are available in bookstores and in various locations on the Web.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled "Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal".
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-- From Ch. 22
"One thing is certain -- modesty removes many stumbling-blocks along the way and brings you closer to the great good. The modest person is little concerned for matters of this world and is not envious of its vanities. Also, the friendship of a modest person is very wonderful; people enjoy his company. Of a necessity he does not come to anger or argumentation, and everything he does is done peaceably and serenely. One who merits this trait is fortunate."
-- From Ch. 23
"There are two things that bring you to humility: force of habit, and reflection. Force of habit involves your slowly habituating yourself to act humbly along the lines we have delineated -- by sitting in a less than auspicious place, by walking at the back of a company of people, and by dressing in modest clothing (clothing that is respectable, but not outstanding)."
"As it is in our heart's nature to swell and grow haughty, it is difficult to uproot this natural inclination at its source. The only way anything like it can be accomplished is by your taking control of the external actions that are available to you. Thus you can slowly affect the internality of it, which you do not have as much control over."
"Reflection involves various things. The first is as indicated in the statement of Akavyah ben Mahalalel, (Avot 3:1) 'Know where you have come from -- a putrid drop; and where you are going -- to a place of dust, vermin and worms; and before Whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning -- the King of kings, the Holy One (blessed be He).' In truth, these realizations stifle all arrogance and help foster humility. When you will face the imperfection inherent in your humanity and the lowliness of your origins, you will find that you have no reason to be arrogant at all."
"If you will reflect further and try to imagine for just a moment your appearance before the great Angelic Court, when you will stand before the King of kings, the Holy One (blessed be He), who is the ultimate in holiness and purity, thick in the mystery of the Holy Ones, the mighty servants who are great in power, who do His will without a blemish-- you: lowly, imperfect and inherently shameful, impure and sullied because of your actions ... Could you even lift your head? Is there anything you could say?'
"The second object of reflection involves the consequences of the changes that come about through the passage of time. The rich can easily become poor, the ruler can easily become the ruled, the honored the despised. Since it is so easy to transform into something which is so abhorrent to you at this point, how can you possibly be proud of your current, so tenuous situation?"
"What you should ultimately do is recognize the fallibility of human knowledge and of how liable it is for error and untruth. It is more likely to be wrong than right. So ... try to learn from all people and take advice so that you will not stumble."
"What deters from this trait is the overabundance of ... the good things in this world .... The pious find it better to deprive themselves sometimes, so that they might subdue the inclination towards arrogance, which prospers in a climate of plenty."
"What is most likely to deter [humility] is ignorance and lack of true knowledge. As can be seen, arrogance is most often found in the more ignorant .... and we see [also] that Moses, the best of men, was the most humble of men."
(c) 2004 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
You can always contact Rabbi Feldman at feldman@torah.org
May this series on Messilat Yesharim, which is offered in loving memory of my recently departed uncle, Chaim ben Avraham Stone a"h, serve as an aliyah for his neshama.
********************************
Get your own copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” by logging onto http://www.aronson.com/jbookstore/ and typing in "The Gates of Repentance".
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has translated and commented upon "The Gates of Repentance", "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). And his new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available from Judaica Press.
His works are available in bookstores and in various locations on the Web.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled "Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal".
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