Chasidut su Proverbi 16:18

Pride and egocentrism are the foundation of the kelippah. The kelippos are sometimes called eser kisrin de-misaavusa,²⁷⁵See further Tanya, Chapter 6. “the ten crown of impurity.” They are called a crown, for their source is a sense of privilege and a large ego, as if they were kings.²⁷⁶The kelippah says, Ana emloch, “I will rule,” while holiness states, Attah hu Melech Malchei Ha-Melachim, “You, God rule over all kings.” Evil’s root is a self- aggrandizement that causes one to imagine that God is not the absolute authority and to imagine the thought, “I control my destiny.” Ego is what creates the distance between man and God that causes sin.²⁷⁷Consider the following explanation of the Maharal of Prague: “Akavia ben Mehalel’s advice addresses the root cause of sin. God placed in mankind a drive for sin, which is personified as the yetzer hara…. The power of the yetzer hara arises from arrogance. All desire, jealousy and other causes of sin originate from a heart that swells in pride…” (Maharal of Prague on Pirkei Avos 1:1, pg. 142-143).
Evil will always try first and foremost to overcome man by making him prideful, for nothing is more fundamentally destructive of man’s spiritual life than pride. This is part of what King Solomon meant when he said, “Pride comes before the fall” (Prov. 16:18): a man’s pride is what precipitates the fall of the soul into the dark prison of materialism (The Juggler and the King, pg. 37). Chametz, leavened dough, is the symbol and embodiment of this arrogance.