Halakha Ulangan 23:10: Sefer Chasidim & Mishneh Torah, Negative Mitzvot

Concerning the root of humility, one must remove oneself from a situation involving high office and honor, and let him not include himself with other individuals. How so? If he was before his teacher and he remembered a question or some query that he posed or some answer that he supplied, let him not say to his teacher or his friend, “So have I answered, so have I asked,” but “So have you asked,” in order that his heart may not be gratified.¹Rashi, Shabbath 30b. Also let him give his teacher or friend the honor and not himself. For such do we find with Moses, when he said to Joshua, “Choose us our men” (Exod. 17:9).²Mekilta, ed. Jacob Z. Lauterbach (3 Vols.; Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1933-1935), Exodus II, 140. From this Rabbi Gamaliel derived and wrote, “The matter pleases me and my colleagues.”³Sanhedrin 11b. And it is also written that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isa. 6:8). From this the Torah indicated the path of humility for scholars. If you question why it is written, “Whom shall I send,” and it is not written “Shall we send,” the answer is: let it not be said that there are two powers governing the universe.⁴Sanhedrin 38b. And he should mention his friend’s name before his own in all matters, in French, “vous et moi,” and let him not say “moi et vous.” Thus the Schools of Hillel and Shammai were wont to do. In relating the opinions of both each one mentioned the other’s reason before indicating its own,⁵Erubin 13b. even in worldly matters.⁶Let him show respect to others. And when he sits in council and knows both question and a good answer, let him not jump to speak until he sees that it will not occur to others, then may he speak.⁷Aboth 1:17. And when he hears his friend speaking of a certain matter and he knows of it, likewise let him not leap and interrupt his friend’s remarks, saying, “I know about it”; rather let him be silent and hear him out.⁸Aboth 5:10. For there will be many instances wherein he will hear explanations that he did not hear previously. Moreover what profit is there to glory in the matter saying, “I know as well as you do.” The end of the matter is that in every way that one is able to diminish his own honor in order to magnify the honor of those that fear God let him do so, as it is written, “In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honoreth them that fear the Lord” (Ps. 15:4). And if he sees that others pride themselves through humility resulting in his own embarrassment, let him listen to them. For example, if they are greater than he is and they do not wish to walk before him, i.e., they say, “We are also humble,” and because of this he is embarrassed in that he must walk before them; he is exposed to embarrassment because they urge him to walk in front and he grieves lest they say of him, “How impudent this one is who goes before us, it is we who are greater than he, and see how he magnifies himself because of it,” and in this they pride themselves. In spite of this he should bear the embarrassment in order to respect them, and it will be regarded as a sin and transgression on their part in that they honor themselves at the expense of his embarrassment Let him not honor his friend in a way that causes him embarrassment. For example, he (his friend) is customarily called by name, but he calls him “teacher,” and he (his friend) is embarrassed by this, in that he feels mocked and ridiculed.⁹Gittin 56a. (When studying with two teachers) Let him not praise one in the presence of the other¹⁰Pesahim 100a. nor praise his teacher’s teacher in his teacher’s presence, that he should say to his teacher, “So and so your teacher,¹¹Rashi, Ketuboth 69a. etc….” Here is a case where students spoke to their teacher Rabbi Eliezer concerning Rabbi Eliezer’s teacher Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai, saying, “Your colleagues have already been polled concerning you and have permitted it.”¹²Betzah 5b. Although a person should not profit from his humility,¹³Sotah 22b. as has already been stated; one should not extoll his own humility since it is written, “Let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth” (Prov. 27:2), however if he wishes to praise himself to his students and friends in order that they learn from his ways, he may praise himself, as David stated, “And I was single-hearted with Him” (Ps. 18:22), “For I have kept the ways of the Lord.” And so do we find a scholar who related to his students his good deeds for which he achieved longevity.¹⁴Megillah 28a. Let a man not stand in a place where he is being praised,¹⁵Aboth of Rabbi Nathan, ed. Schechter, version A, Chapter XXXIX, p. 87. for it is impossible that he should not profit thereof. All the good deeds that a man might perform, are as a dish without salt if he be lacking in humility.¹⁶Berakoth 34a. And all humility which has not in it fear of heaven is as victuals without seasoning. This world compares to the world to come as sleeping to wakefulness. In a dream one is not ashamed. For if one were ashamed, imaginings such as, for example, that he is sleeping with a woman and playing with her would not occur to him. He would not do things (in his dream) that he would be ashamed of if they were done while awake. The reason is that dreams come as a result of imaginings.¹⁷Ibid., 55b. If a man entertains impure thoughts he is not ashamed of them (his impure fancies), because (he realizes) that a man does not know or have an understanding of what his neighbor imagines in his heart, (for this reason) therefore he is not embarrassed during his dream. He who is God-fearing with all his heart and because of fear of his Creator does not imagine evil things when awake, will also never be visited with evil imaginings in his dreams.¹⁸Ketuboth 46a. And so did Ezekiel (4:14) say, “My soul hath not been polluted.” I did not imagine by day and therefore did not come to pollution at night.¹⁹Hullin 44b. And so did our rabbis explain, “Thou shalt keep thee from every evil thing” (Deut. 23:10). A man should not imagine by day and come to pollution by night.²⁰Ketuboth 46a.

A man should not look at a woman even though she be unattractive,¹Abodah Zarah 20a. neither at the colored garments of a woman, neither at animals during mating,²Ibid. even though he be “full of eyes” as the Angel of Death. The rabbis have taught, “Thou shalt keep thee from every evil thing” (Deut. 23:10). From this Rabbi Phineas ben Jair makes the following³Ibid. deduction: “Torah leads to zeal, and zeal leads to care, and care leads to cleanliness, and cleanliness leads to self-control, and self-control leads to purity, and purity leads to fear of sin, and fear of sin leads to saintliness, and saintliness leads to the resurrection of the dead; and saintliness is greater than all, as it is written, “Then Thou spokest in vision to Thy godly ones” (Ps. 89:20). Others say humility is greater than them all, as it is written, “Because the Lord hath annointed me to bring good tidings unto the humble” (Isa. 61:1). To bring good tidings to the saintly is not written, but to the humble. But the wicked who have evil imaginings and do not guard themselves against evil, come to uncleanliness at night, and to dreams, and to impure fancies leading to pollution. And as there is no shame for the dream, so is there no embarrassment for the wicked with their deeds in this world, as it is written, “Yet they are not at all ashamed, neither know they how to blush” (Jer. 6:15). And all those wicked who imagine evil things and do not dispel them with study of the Torah or with other means, in the world to come The Holy One, blessed be He, will give recompense; for in the same measure that a man commits evil so will he be repaid.⁴Sotah 8b. Even though humility brings a person to the world to come, humility does not exist in the world to come, and no person will be able to honor his neighbor by saying, “Sit beside me.” For each one will rest on his couch and each one will come in peace to the place that is prepared for him. And each one who humbles himself in this world and is able to rule over himself and take a position of leadership and administration in the community, and has no desire to exalt himself, as did the Sons of Bathyra (Elders of Bathyra) who resigned their leadership in deference to Hillel who was greater than they,⁵J. T. Pesahim 6:1. and all others like them, will be at the forefront in the world to come.

That anyone who is unclean shall not enter the Camp of the Levites, and corresponding to it, in subsequent generations was the Temple mount, as it is said, “…. he shall not come within the camp” (Deut. 23:11).