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Friday

י"ט אדר ב’ התשפ"ד

Friday
י"ט אדר ב’ התשפ"ד

חיפוש בארכיון

466. Authority

Authority is a misfortune which buries its owners, whether because a person is liable to pride himself because of it and to project unnecessary fear upon the community not for the sake of heaven and he is liable to do a number of things inappropriately and to cheapen the honour of the individual and of the multitude and the like.  Therefore “who is the man who desires life?” – he should flee from (being in a position of) authority.  In a place where there are no other people and he is forced to act in a position of authority, he must control himself exceedingly not to become proud and in his heart he should lower himself and recognize the smallness of his worth and be careful about the honor of all people.  If he needs to lay down the law, he should weigh up his deeds with a balance and with scales of justice to do it in the appropriate fashion according to the needs of the time and all his deeds should be for the sake of heaven and he should not rely on his own understanding but should listen to the advice of a sage and his salvation is in taking advice.  He should pour out his soul before Hashem that He should grant him with good advice before Him that no mishap should occur under his rule and he should not become proud.  After all of this perhaps there is hope that he will fulfil his obligations and he will find favor and good understanding in the eyes of G-d and man.

“My brothers and my nation, take this sefer Torah, and with this, and like this learn well, so that you should have it good; listen and enliven your soul, and achieve gladness and joy in this world and the world to come” (From the author’s intro.)