„A great examination must be made by everyone who probes into the secr…”
„A great examination must be made by everyone who probes into the secrets of their soul regarding the feeling of pride: which is the corrupt feeling that drives a person out of their mind and out of the mind of their Creator, and which is the refined feeling that broadens a person's mind and reminds them of their spiritual being, full of glory and splendor.”From Middot HaRe'iyah
Sometimes we judge ourselves erroneously and make the situation more severe. The Rav brings the example of pride, which causes great, snowballing damage to a person who dwells in it. Sometimes there is within us a trait that broadens the mind, that we are glad to have and use, and that may resemble pride in our eyes. In order to check whether it is pride or a positive trait, we must ask ourselves: what does it do to us? Does it cause us dizziness before our friends, our family, and before the Holy One, or does this trait serve and give to all those around us and to our spiritual level? The more the trait benefits and advances us, the more it is a positive trait. And breaking it, God forbid, may cause damage.
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