„As long as arrogance is in the heart, it is impossible to repent, and…”

When a person is inwardly certain of his superiority over the collective, when a person thinks that a certain talent that exists within him places him in a position equal to and stronger than another, he cannot find a way of rectification and improvement.

Repentance and the ability to advance are not made possible in such a state.

The ability to improve begins with the understanding of each and every one of us that we have something to learn from another, that we have room to advance—that we are not perfect, and that the gifts we received from Heaven in the form of talents, abilities, or various endowments are no reason to think that we are worth more.

This is true on the level of the individual, and true on the level of the collective. If we feel a sense of stagnation in Israeli public life, we must cause our elected officials to stop the games of arrogance and to begin to listen.

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In memory of Shalom ben Regina