Musar for Pirkei Avot 4:19
שְׁמוּאֵל הַקָּטָן אוֹמֵר, (משלי כד) בִּנְפֹל אוֹיִבְךָ אַל תִּשְׂמָח וּבִכָּשְׁלוֹ אַל יָגֵל לִבֶּךָ, פֶּן יִרְאֶה ה' וְרַע בְּעֵינָיו וְהֵשִׁיב מֵעָלָיו אַפּוֹ:
Shmuel Hakatan says: "When your foe falls do not rejoice, and when he stumbles, let your heart not be merry" [This is a verse in Proverbs (24:17), but Shmuel Hakatan was wont to reprove men with it], (18): "Lest the L rd see, and it be evil in His eyes [that in your heart you have made Him like your messenger to satisfy your lust] and He turn His wrath from him." [Since it is not written "veshav" (and He shall repent Himself") but "veheshiv" ("and He shall turn"), the implication is that He will turn it from your foe unto you.]
Shenei Luchot HaBerit
When G–d spoke of the Israelites being His witnesses in Isaiah 43,10, this was an allusion to the good G–d will perform for the Jewish people in the days of the Messiah when He will renew the covenant with us -one that will never be severed- and one which will symbolise that Israel has been totally refined, both the patriarchs and their descendants. At that time the השגחה will be based on the Israelites being צדיקים בני צדיקים, righteous people descended from righteous people. Our sages have stated in Avot 4,19: "Nothing is in our hands: we can neither explain the prosperity of the lawless nor the sufferings of the righteous."
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