רַבִּי לְוִיטָס אִישׁ יַבְנֶה אוֹמֵר, מְאֹד מְאֹד הֱוֵי שְׁפַל רוּחַ, שֶׁתִּקְוַת אֱנוֹשׁ רִמָּה. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן בְּרוֹקָא אוֹמֵר, כָּל הַמְחַלֵּל שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם בַּסֵּתֶר, נִפְרָעִין מִמֶּנּוּ בְגָלוּי. אֶחָד שׁוֹגֵג וְאֶחָד מֵזִיד בְּחִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם:
R. Levitas Ish Yavneh says: Be extremely lowly spirited, for the "hope" of man is worms. [Even though in the other middoth the middle course is the best, with "pride," it is not so, but one must incline to the extreme of lowliness of spirit. For pride is especially despised. And, what is more, most men go astray in it, so that people are not disposed to separate from it, wherefore it requires especial distancing.] R. Yochanan ben Broka says: If one desecrates the name of Heaven in secret, it is exacted of him in the open. Both the unwitting and the witting are liable for desecration of the Name.
Shaarei Kedusha
Moreover, our rabbis, of blessed memory, said, “Whosoever desires to become a Chassid should fulfill the words of Pirkei Avot – which speak regarding the acquisition of good character traits. For example, our sages, of blessed memory, said, “Rabbi [Yehudah the Prince] said, “What is the straight path that a person should follow? Everything that is both beautiful to the doer and beautiful to him from others etc.” Akaviah ben Mehalalel said, “Contemplate three matters and you will never come to the possibility of transgressing. Know from whence you came and where you are going and before whom you are destined to give an accounting. From whence did you come? - From a putrid drop. Where are you going? – To a place of dust, maggots and worms. Before whom are you destined to give an accounting? – Before the King, King of kings, The Holy One, Blessed is He. Likewise, Rabbi Levitas of Yavneh said, “Be very, very humble, for the hope of man is maggots.” What Akaviah meant when he said, “and you will never come to the possibility of transgressing” is that you will never be subject to the Yetzer HaRa which causes a person to transgress, because your Yetzer HaRa will cease to be. However, if the Yetzer HaRa still exists and one merely restrains himself by force of willpower, he should have stated, “you will not transgress”.
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