Ten Minutes of Meaning (Part 195): Run Away From Kavod - Mesillas Yesharim

good morning book it's over 10 minutes of meeting is sponsored generously Anonymous please help yourself to coffee and donuts we are missiles to sharam the 22nd chapter we've been learning about the media of another the Meda of humility deep into the safer only once we've built on the building blocks of the qualities and character traits and growth that come before we arrive at the media of humility with a sign and Signal how difficult it is to truly and authentically live a humble life we spoke about humility and thought in our attitude and our self-perception and our self-awareness we talked about humility and practice in our posture and the way we carry ourselves on the way we walk and the way we speak and the way we engage others we are up to hating the rabbin it where do I sign up Senator bonus the first chapter reminds us love work work is not a concession love work love the Toya love the effort love the work and hate be averse to rabonis does mean the rabbin it hate rabbis hate rabbis hit your Educators hate your teachers is that what it means for some their mahmir on the Salah but that's not what the Mishra means the mission when it says be a verse it doesn't mean rabbis per se it means the positions of authority a person should have an aversion to positions of authority it means that it's a concession someone needs to get up and give the drasha someone needs to pass someone needs to officiate the life cycle events someone needs to give an excuse for the coffee and donuts to give a short sheer so someone has to make the concession to speak but really we should be a verse first really get Hashem himself God is described as a kale Mr God Is Secret he's hidden he's humble and we too should just want to blend in do our thing contribute in our in our quiet way we should not seek positions of authority we should not seek to be responsible and furthermore it says also tells us one whose heart swells when making Allah decisions is a wicked and arrogant fool because others rely on you because you're in a position of authority it's not only true in the rabbin it you could be the president vice president Treasurer you could be the chair of the co-chair you could be the initiator or the head of a project of an institution of a communal organization just because you have been given and granted and blessed and because you bear the awesome responsibility of leadership don't ever ever let that go to your head it's not a source of it is a privilege and a responsibility fascinating one who pursues and chases honor honor runs away from you it's interesting because you would have thought our Rabbi said there's no such thing as honor honor is empty and frivolous honor is futile honor is silly they wouldn't even recognize or acknowledge there's such a thing as honor to pursue but they recognize there's honor we all the human psyche has this Instinct and it wants recognition it wants honor it wants glory it wants a name it wants influence maybe we've never lived in a time more just a sign or symbol of our generation we have an entire name some people have a career choice you go to the career counselor what do you want to be a doctor a lawyer an accountant what do you want to be so some people now will say I want to be an influencer what's an influencer I want to be an influencer I want a huge following online I want companies to send me free things to wear them or talk about them or drink them or eat them or feature them I want to be an influencer whoever had such a career choice I want honor I want the most followers I want the most name recognition I want the most Fame I want the biggest Fortune I want the biggest influence that's not the Jewish way of having influence you have influence not when you run after honor but when you want to run away from it when you run away from it the Moshe Feinstein's that sound was asked once by the New York Times you're the Posse where they learn that language but you are the authority deciser of the generation where do you go to school for that what do you sign up for that where do you get that title ramosha says I never asked for it I never wanted it I never signed up for it people in the neighborhood started asking me questions you could look this up online this was an interview at the New York Times people ask me questions and I guess they like the answers I gave so people beyond the neighborhood started asking questions and then more and more ask questions I'm just there to help people and answer their questions I never signed up for a title I never signed up for any Authority the Jewish way is to run away from honor not to pursue it when you pursue it the Torah says it runs away from you why because it is Holy wh unhonorable to run after honor meaning the moment that you are declaring I want to be an influencer your influence is diminished and the moment you say I don't seek influence I just want to make a difference I just want to inspire I just want to help I just want to support it's not about me the brand is Hashem the brand is as Torah is the moment that you could be of influence when you seek honor you're acting in a dishonorable way when you run away from honor that in fact is deemed honorable well and furthermore it says do not be quick to enter into controversy don't run after a fight your version of How To Love Israel and how you measure it and did you qualify for it who loves Israel the most and how do you demonstrate it don't enter The Fray put your head down do your thing do what you think is right and that's beautiful encourage celebrate thank Hashem for the Miracles and a gift and the generation in which we're living on any topic on any policy discussion did we not see the friends and family that are no longer even speaking because of the fight that took place you know at the Shiva last week ravlia Rabbi Leo D there were people who came to visit him who were friends of his and friends online and friends on Facebook who in the heart of the controversy over Corona and the power policies and the shutdowns stop speaking to each other and they went two and a half years three years they didn't speak to each other and when a person's wife and two children get murdered all of a sudden things are put in perspective these friends whom they had stopped speaking with each other came to pay chevical you could see this video was recorded as was everything at the Shiva and he says to them and he says to everyone in the world and he's saying to us he said when you imagine not talking to someone over something that they say no bracha did they celebrate properly not properly acknowledge they this way that way the other way that they shaved they didn't when you think you're not going to talk to someone the lockdown they didn't have the lockdown they ate brisket they stayed six feet away they stayed six inches too close when you thought I'm gonna stop talking to someone over it this is what Rabbi Leo did said now picture if their wife and two children were murdered by terrorists would you pay a Shiva call and if the answer is yes then don't wait don't stop talking figure it away keep talking if it wasn't important enough to keep you from paying a shiver call in a tragedy then don't wait for the tragedy find a way to keep talking even right now don't think that your Daya your attitude your approach your policy your conclusion is the one and only way life and the world are complicated and they're nuanced and keep your head down and do your thing and Advocate and fight for what you believe in and for Justin just causes but not in a way that's going to divide and separate we need less of that in that world we need a lot more of humble humble Unity Leola mati rats don't look for Authority don't look for the one who has to make the decisions don't look for positions of of influence very interesting comment of our rabbis of anyone who accepts a position of Authority for his own benefit is no different than an adulterer who derives pleasure from the body of a woman whom he shouldn't be with about Authority not sure I would have come to that metaphor parallel or that comparison so what's the comparison what is the connection so I sort of done this commentary says you know what the comparison is quoting he says when a person is married what's the marriage called under the khopa's kadushan kadushan this week's Parish kadusha kadusha Holiness is when you elevate something and you give it a sacred purpose when you have a pledge of faithfulness to it to elevate to lift it to to make it something significant when you violate when you desecrate that faithfulness instead of elevating it you diminish it and you lower it you make it Unholy you violated its sanctity similarly a person who pursues a position of authority so someone says will you be the chair will you be the honorary at the dinner will you serve as the president will you be the rabbi and you say yeah my ego my name I get to make announcements I get to give the Russia I get to be on a video I get to be featured and yeah for me for my pleasure you took something which is kadosh kadosh having Authority having responsibility serving others in a community is a position of kadusha it's sacred it's holy the moment you introduced to it your personal benefit your ego your self-interest in it now you made it just like a marriage which is violated just like a marriage which Holiness is is is profaned so to the Holiness of authority the Holiness of helping and changing the world is profaned the moment the moment you do it in a way to derive personal benefit from it we have to we have to serve I know I just made it much harder to find honorees of the dinner I know it made it harder to find anyone to volunteer to be a chair of a committee but that's not his point his point is work hard on behalf of the Jewish people work hard and accept to be honored because others will follow and grow in your way work hard but don't do it do it reluctantly with hesitation do it with humility that the brand is not you you are a mouthpiece and an instrument a vehicle of Hashem to make the world a better place enjoy the coffee and donuts they're happy stay healthy and stay holy