Improve Your Character Work conscientiously to improve your character traits. Work particularly hard to improve any trait that you recognize as especially flawed. Wage war against it. Your strategy should be to seek advice on how to improve it. Learn what is keeping you from improving, and then remove that obstacle. If you do not succeed the first time, try again. If one piece of advice does not work for you, try another approach. If you do not retreat from the field of battle but remain constant, strong and active, God will assist you, and you will be victorious.
In general, making a study of yourself will be very helpful to you. Let us look at how this works. Imagine two people who are easily angered. If they do not examine themselves well, they will find this lowly trait difficult to overcome. But if they look into it deeply and penetratingly so that they come to its root cause, they will be able to bring healing more quickly than if they had not done so.
The cause of each person’s anger may be quite different. One person may simply have be angry by nature. But the other person may not have a problem with anger per se. His problem might be an expanded ego, as a result of which everyone else appears to him to be no more important than an ape. That is why he grows so angry and curses and ridicules others. A man like this could devote his entire life to working on his anger to no avail. After all, he is responding normally to what he perceives to be reality. Even a person who doesn’t have an issue with anger could come to yell at—perhaps even strike—a destructive or stubborn animal such as an ape or donkey. Once this person looks at himself deeply so that he comes to understand the core of his anger, and realizes that it is actually an expression of egotism, he will work on his egotism, until it is rehabilitated.
Or let us take an example who presents an egotistical personality. He might simply be an egotist. But it is also possible that he is egotistical because he has never been in the company of people greater than he is. Or, even if he does find himself in their company, he doesn’t recognize their greatness. If, for example, he has some skill in learning Torah, he thinks that he is a great scholar, superior to everyone else. The cure for this condition is simple and quite straightforward. He should keep company with people greater than himself and speak with them, and he should study books that discuss treat great and holy character traits and attainments. This will bring him to recognize his insignificance, and he will grow ashamed of his previous egotism.
תִּזָּהֵר מְאֹד בְּתִקּוּן מִדּוֹתֶיךָ, וְכָל מִדָּה שֶׁתֵּדַע בְּעַצְמְךָ שֶׁיּוֹתֵר פְּגוּמָה בְּךָ תִּכְפֹּל עֲבוֹדָתְךָ בָּהּ, וּבְתַחְבּוּלוֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה לְךָ מִלְחָמָה, הַיְנוּ תַּחְקֹר לִמְצוֹא לְךָ עֵצוֹת אֵיךְ לְתַקְּנָהּ, וּבְעִקַּר תַּחֲקֹר עַל הַמְּנִיעָה שֶׁמּוֹנַעַת אוֹתְךָ מִלְּתַקֵּן אֶת הַמִּדָּה הַפְּגוּמָה, וְאֶת הַמְּנִיעָה תַּעֲבִיר, וְאִם לֹא עָלָה בַּפַּעַם הא' תְּנַסֶּה עוֹד פַּעַם, וְאִם לֹא בְּעֵצָה זוֹ תְּנַסֶּה בְּעֵצָה אַחֶרֶת, וְאִם לֹא תָּסוּר מִשְּׂדֵה הַמִּלְחָמָה תַּתְמִיד תִּתְחַזֵּק וְתַעֲבֹד, בֶּטַח יַעֲזֹר לְךָ ד' וְתוּכַל לָהּ.
Improve Your Character
Work conscientiously to improve your character traits. Work particularly hard to improve any trait that you recognize as especially flawed. Wage war against it. Your strategy should be to seek advice on how to improve it. Learn what is keeping you from improving, and then remove that obstacle. If you do not succeed the first time, try again. If one piece of advice does not work for you, try another approach. If you do not retreat from the field of battle but remain constant, strong and active, God will assist you, and you will be victorious.
וּבִכְלַל הָעִיּוּן בְּעַצְמוֹ מוֹעִיל הַרְבֵּה, וּבִפְרָט הָעִיּוּן בְּמִדּוֹתָיו, כִּי יֵשׁ שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם בְּמִדָּה גְּרוּעָה אַחַת, שֶׁל כַּעַס לְמָשָׁל, וְאִם לֹא יַחְקֹרוּ אַחַר עַצְמוּתָם קָשֶׁה לָהֶם לְשַׁבֵּר אֶת הַמִּדָּה הַגְּרוּעָה, וְאִם יַחְקֹרוּ יַחְדְּרוּ בְּמִדָּתָם, וְיָבוֹאוּ עַד הַגַּרְעִין שֶׁבְּרָעָתָם, יָקֵל לָהֶם לְרַפְּאוֹת פִּצְעָם עַד מְהֵרָה.
In general, making a study of yourself will be very helpful to you. Let us look at how this works. Imagine two people who are easily angered. If they do not examine themselves well, they will find this lowly trait difficult to overcome. But if they look into it deeply and penetratingly so that they come to its root cause, they will be able to bring healing more quickly than if they had not done so.
כִּי יָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת שֶׁאֶחָד מֵהֶם אֵין לוֹ כְּלָל פְּגָם בְּמִדַּת כַּעֲסוֹ רַק פְּגָם שֶׁל גֵּאוּת, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁכָּל בְּנֵי אָדָם נִרְאִים בְּעֵינָיו כְּקוֹפִים, כּוֹעֵס עֲלֵיהֶם מְחָרֵף וּמְגַדֵּף אוֹתָם, וְיָכוֹל הוּא לַעֲבֹד כָּל שְׁנוֹתָיו לְהֵיטִיב רָעַת הַכַּעַס וְלֹא יוֹעִיל, כִּי הַאִם מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ בַּעַל כַּעס לֹא יִצְעַק אַף יַכֶּה לִפְעָמִים אֶת הַקּוֹף וְהַחֲמוֹר, וְאִם יַחְקֹר וְיָבוֹא עַד לגַּרְעִין כַּעֲסוֹ וְיִרְאֶה שֶׁרַק גֵּאוּת לִבּוֹ סִבַּת כַּעֲסוֹ, וִיתַקֵּן אֶת מִדַּת גַּאֲוָתוֹ וְשָׁב וְרָפָא לוֹ.
The cause of each person’s anger may be quite different. One person may simply have be angry by nature. But the other person may not have a problem with anger per se. His problem might be an expanded ego, as a result of which everyone else appears to him to be no more important than an ape. That is why he grows so angry and curses and ridicules others. A man like this could devote his entire life to working on his anger to no avail. After all, he is responding normally to what he perceives to be reality. Even a person who doesn’t have an issue with anger could come to yell at—perhaps even strike—a destructive or stubborn animal such as an ape or donkey. Once this person looks at himself deeply so that he comes to understand the core of his anger, and realizes that it is actually an expression of egotism, he will work on his egotism, until it is rehabilitated.
וְכֵן בְּמִדַּת גַּאֲוָה, יֵשׁ מִי שֶׁהוּא בַּעַל גַּאֲוָה בֶּאֱמֶת, וְיֵשׁ מִי שֶׁסִּבַּת גַּאֲוָתוֹ הִיא, שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִמְצָא בֵּין אֲנָשִׁים גְּדוֹלִים מִמֶּנּוּ וְאַף אִם נִמְצָא בֵּינֵיהֶם אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ אֶת גַּדְלוּתָם, לָכֵן דּוֹמֶה לוֹ שֶׁהוּא כֵּיוָן שֶׁיָּכוֹל לִלְמֹד מְעַט, לַמְדָן גָּדוֹל הוּא, וְשִׁכְמוֹ לְמַעְלָה מִכָּל הָעָם, וְתַקָּנָתוֹ פְּשׁוּטָה וְקַלָּה, שֶׁיִּתְחַבֵּר עִם אֲנָשִׁים גְּדוֹלִים מִמֶּנּוּ, וִידַבֵּר עִמָּהֶם, וִיעַיֵּן בּספָרִים מִמִּדּוֹת וּמַעֲלוֹת גְּדוֹלִים וּקְדוֹשִׁים, וְיִרְאֶה פְּחִיתוּתוֹ וְיִתְבַּיֵּשׁ בְּעַצְמוֹ עַל גַּאֲוָתוֹ הַקּוֹדֶמֶת.
Or let us take an example who presents an egotistical personality. He might simply be an egotist. But it is also possible that he is egotistical because he has never been in the company of people greater than he is. Or, even if he does find himself in their company, he doesn’t recognize their greatness. If, for example, he has some skill in learning Torah, he thinks that he is a great scholar, superior to everyone else. The cure for this condition is simple and quite straightforward. He should keep company with people greater than himself and speak with them, and he should study books that discuss treat great and holy character traits and attainments. This will bring him to recognize his insignificance, and he will grow ashamed of his previous egotism.