Tuesday, April 23, 2013
48 Ways to Acquire Torah: Claiming no Credit for One's Self
8:34 AM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
The next of the 48 ways to acquire Torah is claiming no credit for one's self. This means that if I have intelligence, a good job.. I shouldn't think that everything was done through the work of my hands, that there is someone (or being) that is helping me along the way.
Unfortunately we live in the "me" generation and everything I do is based on the work of my hands. I even heard someone say that I have become who I am despite who my parents are. That almost sounds like that they pulled themselves out of their mother's womb alone. "Why should I give any credibility to my parents? I did everything myself!"
Can it really be that as a baby, they clothed themselves, fed themselves...worked to bring in money to the house? How arrogant can a person be to think such a thing? This is the generation that we live in.
On the other hand, if I have worked very hard, got good grades, went to a good college and then found a good job, why do I have to thank G-d for that? I worked hard for it and now I am seeing the work of my own hands.
If we look at the Shemoneh Esrei (silent meditation), the first paragraph after the first three, we pray for knowledge. The obvious question is if I don't pray for it, does that mean I will be a dummy? We pray that G-d shine his goodness on us that He should give us knowledge, understanding...It is through G-d's will that we receive these things.
Yes, I have to put my best forward and work hard but at the end of the day, it is G-d that helps and makes it all happen. If I don't have that help, then all that effort doesn't really seem to matter and it won't help.
I have to learn to be humble and thankful for everything I have. Based on my own merits, I don't deserve it but G-d helps and continues to help us on a daily basis. We are allowed to be happy about our accomplishments but we have to remember that we are not allowed to step over people and think that we are so great.
In reality, as the Mishna in Pirke Avos tells us, if you have wisdom don't think you are so great because this is what you were created to do. You learned Torah, you have wisdom, it has changed your life and you think you have the right to be arrogant and think you are G-d's gift to the world? The Mishna tells us not to think that because that is what you were created to do in the first place!
No matter what success we may have, the Torah tells us that we shouldn't forget G-d in the process and think that we have done everything ourselves!
Unfortunately we live in the "me" generation and everything I do is based on the work of my hands. I even heard someone say that I have become who I am despite who my parents are. That almost sounds like that they pulled themselves out of their mother's womb alone. "Why should I give any credibility to my parents? I did everything myself!"
Can it really be that as a baby, they clothed themselves, fed themselves...worked to bring in money to the house? How arrogant can a person be to think such a thing? This is the generation that we live in.
On the other hand, if I have worked very hard, got good grades, went to a good college and then found a good job, why do I have to thank G-d for that? I worked hard for it and now I am seeing the work of my own hands.
If we look at the Shemoneh Esrei (silent meditation), the first paragraph after the first three, we pray for knowledge. The obvious question is if I don't pray for it, does that mean I will be a dummy? We pray that G-d shine his goodness on us that He should give us knowledge, understanding...It is through G-d's will that we receive these things.
Yes, I have to put my best forward and work hard but at the end of the day, it is G-d that helps and makes it all happen. If I don't have that help, then all that effort doesn't really seem to matter and it won't help.
I have to learn to be humble and thankful for everything I have. Based on my own merits, I don't deserve it but G-d helps and continues to help us on a daily basis. We are allowed to be happy about our accomplishments but we have to remember that we are not allowed to step over people and think that we are so great.
In reality, as the Mishna in Pirke Avos tells us, if you have wisdom don't think you are so great because this is what you were created to do. You learned Torah, you have wisdom, it has changed your life and you think you have the right to be arrogant and think you are G-d's gift to the world? The Mishna tells us not to think that because that is what you were created to do in the first place!
No matter what success we may have, the Torah tells us that we shouldn't forget G-d in the process and think that we have done everything ourselves!
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