Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The 48 ways to Acquire Torah: Run away from Honor
11:22 AM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
The next of the 48 ways to acquire Torah is to run away from honor. What is the problem with getting a little bit of honor? What is the danger that the Mishna here is telling us about?
Honor is something that has the potential to ruin a person. The reason is that when a person is honored, even if he deserves to be, it can cause that individual to think that he is better than he is. Not only that, they may think they are so great, that they look down upon others.
The more a person is honored, the more this feeds into their mindset that they are really greater than they are. Everyone compliments them, respects them, wants to be friends with them...it creates a false illusion in many ways.
The Mishna earlier states that a person has to know their place. In terms of learning Torah, if a person learned a lot of Torah, they shouldn't think they are so great because that is what they are created for in the first place! Even if they have learned a lot of Torah, does that give the person the right to mistreat others or look down upon them?
Honor can build a person's self-esteem for hard work that they have done during their lifetime. At the same time, it can "build" them up so much as individuals that they don't listen to others and think they are better than others.
Who is considered a talmid chacham (a rabbinic scholar)? Someone who listens to people even if they are on a lower level than them and someone who is always talmid (student) and wants to gain knowledge from others regardless of what spiritual level that person may be on.
Honor is one of those character traits that the more a person receives, the more they want and desire it. That is why the Mishna states here that one should distance themselves from it.
Honor is something that has the potential to ruin a person. The reason is that when a person is honored, even if he deserves to be, it can cause that individual to think that he is better than he is. Not only that, they may think they are so great, that they look down upon others.
The more a person is honored, the more this feeds into their mindset that they are really greater than they are. Everyone compliments them, respects them, wants to be friends with them...it creates a false illusion in many ways.
The Mishna earlier states that a person has to know their place. In terms of learning Torah, if a person learned a lot of Torah, they shouldn't think they are so great because that is what they are created for in the first place! Even if they have learned a lot of Torah, does that give the person the right to mistreat others or look down upon them?
Honor can build a person's self-esteem for hard work that they have done during their lifetime. At the same time, it can "build" them up so much as individuals that they don't listen to others and think they are better than others.
Who is considered a talmid chacham (a rabbinic scholar)? Someone who listens to people even if they are on a lower level than them and someone who is always talmid (student) and wants to gain knowledge from others regardless of what spiritual level that person may be on.
Honor is one of those character traits that the more a person receives, the more they want and desire it. That is why the Mishna states here that one should distance themselves from it.
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