Daily Chizuk #0432

We try hard not to feel haughty over the blessings that Hashem bestows upon us. Whether it’s talents, wealth, strengths or wisdom. But there’s another area that needs chizuk to protect us from having pride in. That is the area of our observance of Torah and mitzvot. If someone worked very hard to perform a mitzvah the best way, investing hours of time and energy, being as meticulous as possible, it’s only natural for him or her to feel that they deserve to be praised for it. It’s natural to feel that he is better than others and he should be respected for his efforts because other people did not do as well as him. However, that type of pride is forbidden, as it says in Pirkeh Avot, even if a person learned an abundance of Torah, he should never pat himself on the back “כי לכך נוצרת – because all you’re doing is what’s expected of you."
The more humility we have, the greater space we make for Hashem to reside within us and the more chen we’ll have in His eyes.