Smallness in Holiness

Even the fear of Heaven can appear in a diminished, petty form. A person can turn his encounter with the mitzvot from an encounter with the greatness of God into an endless preoccupation with himself. Am I alright, am I enough, how do I look, where do I stand compared to others. Rav Kook speaks of a person whose soul is lofty, whose life seeks breadth, depth, and mission. When he inserts himself into a world too small, the bad traits begin to trouble him. Instead of holiness expanding him, it begins to contract him. Fear, criticism, envy, and imagined honor enter precisely there. This is the place where one must return to greatness. To give the details a place within a broader, more joyful and humble view. And then, precisely out of that greatness, the person becomes filled with humility, recognizes true honor, and flees from imagined honor.