Musar zu Jechezkiel 36:20

Just as we know that when an artisan does a task he has only one intention, to do it to the very best of his ability, and that according to the greatness of his skill will be the accuracy of his work, and since we see that the world is created with the utmost accuracy, we know that God created it with the utmost wisdom. Just as the good artisan has but one intent, to do lovely and good work, and just as a good and wise potter* whose whole intention is to fashion very beautiful vessels; if one of them should come forth unattractive, crooked or imperfect, he will reject it and he will not include it with the beautiful vessels, but he will cast it aside or will break it—so, too, the Creator, blessed be He, had only one intent, to create in His world the good and the pious. And if there exists sinners, God rejects them, for they do not perfect the work of creation. Just as the wise artisan when he produces a beautiful piece of work boasts of it to all who see him, so does the Creator, blessed be He, glory in His pious ones, as it is said (Isaiah 44:23), “And he doth glorify Himself in Israel.” And it says further (ibid., 49:3), “Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” He vaunts Himself in His pious ones, for they testify to the perfection of His work and offer clear evidence to the righteousness of His deeds. As for the wicked, they are the opposite of which we have spoken. They place a blemish on His creation. They are a cause of the profanation of His glorious name. So that those who see them say that the work of the Creator, blessed be He, is not good, as it is said (Ezekiel 36:20), “And when they came unto the nations, whither they came, they profaned My holy name; in that men said of them: These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of His land.”

And a Torah scholar that does not act modestly is liable, because he distances the Torah from the love of the creatures. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 114a), “About this is it stated (Proverbs 8:36), ‘all who hate me love death.’” The explanation of haters is, those that cause hate - as they cause the creatures to hate the Torah. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 86a), “[When a man] reads [Torah], studies [Mishnah, ...]; and he speaks pleasantly with other people, is pleasant with [them] in his business transactions in the marketplace and gives and takes faithfully - what do people say about him? Fortunate is his father [and his mother] who taught him Torah, [...], woe to the people who have not studied Torah. So-and-so who was taught Torah - see how [beautiful] are his ways, how proper are his deeds. About him does the verse state (Isaiah 49:3), ‘You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ [But when a man] reads [Torah], studies [Mishnah, ...]; but he does not speak pleasantly with other people, is not pleasant with [them] in his business transactions in the marketplace and does not give and take faithfully - what do people say about him? Woe to so-and-so who studied Torah, woe to his teacher and to his father who taught him Torah. So-and-so who studied Torah - see how [ugly] are his deeds, and how [corrupted] are his ways. About him, the verse states (Ezekiel 36:20), ‘they caused My holy name to be profaned, in that it was said of them, “These are the people of the Lord, yet they had to leave His land.”’”