Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Welcome back, my dear friends, to Day 26 in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orchos Tzaddikim. We're on page 137, and this is the final class in the Gate of Humility, yesh O Danova. There is another form of humility, shehi ra'o min agaiva, which is even worse than one who is haughty and arrogant Ki'inion she'osu nevi'i sheker, like those that were done by the false prophets that would wear clothes and make believe that they were like the truthful prophets so that people will accept what they say and that they should be persuasive, and that they should be persuasive and they shall not wear a hairy mantle in order to deceive. Therefore, those who dress like those who are righteous and speak like those, and they try to mimic those who are truly pious and righteous, just so that people will be persuaded by them and people will believe in their greatness, which is false, and they will be flattering to those who they need to be flattering to, and they'll be employing trickery in a hidden way so that nobody knows, in private, they're really not so scrupulous and they don't act externally. They're really not so scrupulous. Ve'ein chosheshem l'kayem hamitzos rak b'rabim, ve'lo k'shem b'yachet. And they don't act externally, outside, among people, the same way they do when they're private, meaning outside, they show a face of being all righteous and holy, but really that's not the way they act inside. Ve'gon vim das abrios, and they're stealing and misleading the opinions of people.

02:10
Eluheim mechalolim, hashem baruch hu. These are people who are desecrating the name of Hashem, yosef mechol ageim, and this is worse than all of the haughty, arrogant people V'hem gormim she'en haolam aminim lotovim v'hem nechsh, than all of the haughty, arrogant people. Not only that they're causing damage to their own character and to their own reputation, but they're also causing damage to the reputation of all the truly righteous people out there who are now going to be suspected. Oh, is he going to cheat me? Oh, is he going to lie? Is he another one of those lying rabbis, another one of those lying prophets? And people will say shiom rushema, elu, heim ka'elu. Maybe this real rabbi is really like that other faker that we learned about. And if you identify someone who is a real faker, like the one described here, you have to publicize it and you have to let people know. We let the flatters be exposed to prevent the desecration of Hashem.

03:26
Therefore, awaken yourself and do not be remiss in curing yourself of haughtiness and deception, in curing yourself of haughtiness and deception. Ve'altimona ba'avur. Shetir eharbe m'bnei gilcha oisimken, if you see others doing this, don't give in to it. She'eina mesir. Ma'gavas va'aramos. Ve'omrim l'morchichim miho ish hazeh lo gava.

03:50
Would they go and they rebuttal others who are criticizing? Who do you think you are to tell us what to do? Who do you think you are to tell us what to do? They will ask who does not have haughtiness and who can exercise enough care to be completely honest in business dealings and not deceive anyone and do anything properly and do everything properly. Who is that person that can do it? I know people who do this, so it's fine, I'm going to do like them and what they get in the world to come, I'll get the same thing.

04:39
These who think in such a way. It is silliness beyond comprehension. Moshal, like an example, a metaphor. Someone whose eyes hurt him and he has power. It's like someone who has something hurting him in his eye and there's a certain medication that you can take that's known to be effective. So he says I don't need to take this medication, because what will it be if I become blind? What's the big deal? There are many blind people out there in the world, so I'll be another blind person. Really, whatever is going to be for them, those blind people will be for me. Everybodyo zeh lag v'shtus lefnei kol. Everybody knows that this is a stupid, silly argument for someone to make, to say I'll just be blind like everybody else. Oh, there are other blind people. So here this arrogant person is saying it's okay. There are other people who are untrustworthy, unscrupulous in their business and therefore it's okay. Whatever their destiny is, mine will be the same.

06:02
On page 140, the last page of this chapter, therefore, pay attention for your soul and do all the efforts you can in every possible way, and don't pay attention to those who are beneath you, those who are either in intelligence or in the ways of Hashem, because they will only bring you down. In your service of Hashem and in your intelligence, always aspire to be around those who are greater than you, so that you elevate yourself and you're around good people. So you want to be good like them. I know a story just recently a friend of mine started working for a company and in this company, the people. There's an atmosphere there of giving charity. There's an atmosphere Everyone's giving charity. So he commented to me that he suddenly he's in an environment where everyone is giving charity, so he too is giving more charity than he's ever given. Before you get absorbed by your environment, it's a good thing. Hang around people who are better than you and you'll become better as well.

07:24
וישתה לרדוף אחרו ולהשיגו כפי יכולתך. And try to go after that goodness and try to attain it as much as you can במהלך החוכמה ועבודך הקבוצה ברוך הוא, in the aspiration for wisdom and in the service of Hashem. וזה in the aspiration for wisdom and in the service of Hashem. And let us know, let us pursue to know, hashem and His coming forth will be as sure as the morning. He will come as the rain to us, as the strong rain that waters the earth. Hashem should bless us all that we should merit to acquire this magnificent trait of humility, serve Hashem properly, with love, and to never, ever fall to the ways of those who are beneath us, but rather be those who are elevating ourselves and elevating those around us to the service of Hashem. Thank you so much. I look forward to continue the Gate of Shame tomorrow.