„Sometimes a person falls from his level and corrupts much through exc…”

Much has been written against buffoonery. The scoffer repels a hundred reproofs and pulls the ground out from under words of ethical instruction. But in this passage Rav Kook wishes to write specifically against the opposite trait—gravity beyond the proper measure. 'The strict one cannot teach,' said the Sages in Tractate Avot, and here Rav Kook broadens the matter beyond study. One in whom gravity is excessive becomes corrupted. Excessive strictness, the discomfort with any lack of success, the constant striving for perfectionism, is also liable to create an immense deficiency within a person and to cause him to fall from his level.

It is important to make an effort, to act, to be serious. It is no less important to take care that we do not overdo it.

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For the recovery of Shimon ben Kusa (Devora Barchana)