Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
We're now day 13 in the Gate of Haughtiness in the Orch HaSaddikim, the Treasure of Life edition, on page 63. Gam ma'achalo yehi naki. We mentioned previously that the clothes that a person wears should be balanced, shouldn't be extreme in either way not extreme in the fancy, not extreme in the poor. So too, the food that a person eats ma'ach food that a person eats, what you eat, should be clean. A person shouldn't eat like a king. Eat like an average person, drink like an average person, according to what you're able to afford. A person shouldn't eat with dirty utensils, dirty dishes. As the verse tells us, you shall not abominate yourself, don't be putrid and disgusting before yourself. That's a sin in the Torah, in Leviticus 11. Ela hakol yiyeh b'nikius. Everything should be with cleanliness. Gam shulchano, gam mitoso yunikim. So to a person's table. A person's bed should be clean Bechol inyonav yunikim, and everything that a person deals with. A person should walk around have a clean desk, a clean room, a clean house. Gam gufo yenaki. A person's body should be clean. It shouldn't be smelly and it shouldn't be unclean in any way. Ach yizor lir chutzponov yodav. A person should be careful to wash his face and his hands and his legs and his feet in his entire body regularly, like we saw with Hillel the great elder sage, when he would depart from his students, he would go and walk with them. They would say where are you going to? Where are you going, amar Elohim, to do a mitzvah? Amar Elohim, what is that special mitzvah that you're going to observe? Amar Elohim, I'm going to the bathhouse to wash myself, to cleanse myself. Amar Elohim, is this indeed a mitzvah? Amar lahem hein? Yes, indeed, it's a mitzvah. U'ma ikonin shel malachim.

02:32
If, with respect to the statues of kings that are set up in the altars and circuses, their caretakers polishes and washes them, שְּמַעַמִּדִּּי נֹשְׁם בְּבַּתֵּי תַּרְתִּיֹוֹש ובְּבַּתֵּי קְרְקְשָׁוֹש, מִי שְ? He says these are just their animals and their statues. He says what's about me? I'm a servant of the Almighty. I have to be clean no less than the Tesla that my neighbor has. I, serving Hashem, have to be no less clean than the statues that they use for the kings, why I'm created in the image of Hashem and I'm an image of Hashem, and I'm an image of Hashem, as the verse states that God created man in the image of Hashem. Even more so, we have to ensure that we're properly about their cleanliness of their body, for the sake of being a respectable, decent human being, a servant of Hashem, not to be arrogant, not to show off, not to be haughty, even if it looks to others and appears possibly as haughtiness, since your intention is for the sake of heaven. It has a tremendous mitzvah associated with it. A tremendous mitzvah associated with it Gavas ha'adam b'chochma u'v'masim tovim yish ba shnei halakim. The arrogance of a person in his wisdom and in good deeds takes two forms one good and one not so good. Ha'echot tov e'echot ra, ha'gavah hara. What's the negative arrogance? Asher yivaz e'bnei adam b'liba u'b'fiv v'ch arrogance.

05:08
Someone who's really, really smart can look at other people. What dummies they're, silly, they're unintelligent, uneducated. We've all heard people on the interwebs or on what do they call that? The television, the satellite or whatever they call it, the news, right? And you see these pundits. They're talking, they're like they're the smart ones. And everybody else? You know the ones who shop at Walmart, the deplorables right so, the deplorables right so. And they're constantly talking about their own greatness, that he, I'm so intelligent, I'm so educated, I'm so smart. And in doing so, they're not going to be truthful when they're wrong. When they're wrong, they'll never admit it.

06:05
I'll share with you a story that happened to me. I was once interviewed on the radio and they asked me to speak. It was a rabbi and a priest that had a show together and they asked me to be a guest there. And they were talking and they asked me a question and then there was like a silence and they said Rabbi, you still there? I said, yeah, I'm here, I'm just thinking. And they were like stunned. And then I said to them you know, that's really a good question. Think about it. I don't have an answer, I really don't know. And then there was silence on their part. They were like stunned.

06:43
How can you say on national radio that you don't know something, right? I think like, yeah, the Talmud says even that you know. You want to know who's smart? Look who says I don't know? Right, so I try to be smart. Maybe I'm not Okay, but I try to at least make believe.

07:01
But on television you ever see someone say you know what? I think you're right. Actually, I think you're right. You'll never hear that. You'll never hear that my opinion and I'm going to stick to my opinion, even though I'm ignorant, even though I don't know what I'm talking about, even though you're smarter than me. Even though you have better proofs than me, I'm still going to stick with my opinion.

07:25
People have a very difficult time admitting they're wrong. A person who's arrogant thinks that I know the right thing, I'm smarter, I'm wiser, I'm more intelligent, my thoughts, my ideas, my actions are better than anyone else's, and he's always arrogant about because he wants everyone to praise him and say how smart he is and how brilliant. Oh your advice. We want you to come on our show and share with us your wisdom. And such King Solomon said. Amazing words from King Solomon. Let a stranger praise you and not your own mouth. It's from Proverbs 27, verse 2. Let others praise you, don't boast yourself.

08:39
The person who is haughty will always take credit for himself. He will take credit I'm so bright, I'm so wise, I'm so perfect. And therefore he'll never put an effort in studying Torah because he doesn't care about God or heaven or the honor of Hashem. The only thing he wants is for everyone to acknowledge that he is a good person and that he is a wise person, and that's where his satisfaction comes from. And such a person is also very, very happy when others fail, because it elevates him. When they fall, I rise and that's where I get my high from.

09:35
And he who takes joy in other people's failure. The terrible, terrible thing, one of the 24 things that do not allow a person to repent is someone who takes joy in other people's failure. A person who all of his deeds are good and boasts of them. To gain honor is like a fine dish, seasoned well with the best of spices, but which stands in the oven for too long. Imagine it's perfectly spiced, but it stays in the oven for too long. It's like all the freshest ingredients, everything is perfect. Imagine you're making that steak. It's like amazing, all of the spices, everything. But you kept it on the fire for too long, right until it becomes overcooked and spoiled. It becomes coals and you can't even eat it. He does great deeds, but you know what? He's busy self-congratulating himself till it becomes putrid in the eyes of others and in the eyes of heaven.