Sublime

Insofar as Moses was declared the humblest of all human beings (Num 12:3), he can be viewed as the actualization of the character trait of self-sacrifice associated with Abraham, whence one may adduce the principle that the seventh is like the first.

Maimonides lays out: learn the truth from whoever says it.37

Shimen has no interest in justifying his stringencies or his leniencies, or in convincing others to accept them. He’s completely comfortable in his own skin. He has no interest in sugarcoating Judaism to make it more palatable to those of refined taste. In fact, since for him Judaism is defined by tradition, the very idea of “fixing” it is

When we turn to Hashem with bitachon, and we show Him that we have no one else to depend on – not the boss, the bank manager, the CPA, the lawyer or the doctor – then Hashem fulfills all our needs as well.

articulated principles of halakha serve us when we don’t have clear intuitions on the matter at hand.

from the perspective of the dominant class in Israel.

Only if my desires have been educated beyond selfishness to the common good do I experience law as freedom itself—as the Psalm put it: “I will walk in freedom for I have sought out Your law.”

That is how we must lead if we want people to come with us, giving of their best. There must be a vision to inspire us, telling us why we should do what we are asked to do. There must be a narrative: this is what happened, this is who we are, and this is why the vision is so important to us. Then there must be the law, the code, the fastidious