Occasionally, it is necessary for a person to have pride, as it is written, “He also took pride in [following] God’s ways” (2 Chronicles 17:6). This is as beneficial as fasting. For when someone must achieve an insight or ascend to some spiritual level, it is necessary to forget his earlier wisdom. As we find, Rabbi Zeira fasted in order to forget the Babylonian Talmud (Bava Metzia 85a). This is because he had to achieve an even greater insight—i.e., the Torah of the Land of Israel. And pride helps, like the aforementioned fasting. The reason is that pride too causes him to forget his wisdom, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Pesachim 66b): Anyone who is prideful, his wisdom leaves him.
However, this requires added wisdom, because pride is certainly a very serious prohibition. If he truly becomes prideful, his wisdom will certainly leave him entirely and he will not achieve the insight, but become a bona fide fool. Therefore, he must have abundant skill for this, [to know] how he should behave such that he has pride only so that he might forget the earlier wisdom he needs to forget, as explained above, and despite this be a truly humble person.
לִפְעָמִים צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לוֹ גַּדְלוּת, כְּמָה שֶׁכָּתוּב (דברי הימים־ב יז): וַיִּגְבַּהּ לִבּוֹ בְּדַרְכֵי ה'; וְהוּא מוֹעִיל כְּמוֹ תַּעֲנִית, כִּי כְּשֶׁצָּרִיךְ לָבוֹא לְהַשָּׂגָה וְלַעֲלוֹת לְאֵיזֶה מַדְרֵגָה, אֲזַי צָרִיךְ לִשְׁכֹּחַ אֶת חָכְמָתוֹ שֶׁמִּקֹּדֶם. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ (ב"מ פה), שֶׁרַבִּי זֵירָא הִתְעַנָּה כְּדֵי לִשְׁכֹּחַ תַּלְמוּד בַּבְלִי, כִּי הָיָה צָרִיךְ לָבוֹא לְהַשָּׂגָה יוֹתֵר גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁהִיא תּוֹרַת אֶרֶץ־יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְהַגַּדְלוּת מוֹעִיל כְּמוֹ הַתַּעֲנִית הַנַּ"ל, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי הַגַּדְלוּת שׁוֹכֵחַ גַּם כֵּן אֶת חָכְמָתוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (פסחים סו:): כָּל הַמִּתְגָּאֶה חָכְמָתוֹ מִסְתַּלֶּקֶת מִמֶּנּוּ.
Occasionally, it is necessary for a person to have pride, as it is written, “He also took pride in [following] God’s ways” (2 Chronicles 17:6). This is as beneficial as fasting. For when someone must achieve an insight or ascend to some spiritual level, it is necessary to forget his earlier wisdom. As we find, Rabbi Zeira fasted in order to forget the Babylonian Talmud (Bava Metzia 85a). This is because he had to achieve an even greater insight—i.e., the Torah of the Land of Israel. And pride helps, like the aforementioned fasting. The reason is that pride too causes him to forget his wisdom, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Pesachim 66b): Anyone who is prideful, his wisdom leaves him.
אַךְ צָרִיךְ לָזֶה חָכְמָה יְתֵרָה, כִּי בְּוַדַּאי גַּדְלוּת הוּא אִסּוּר גָּדוֹל מְאֹד, וְאִם יִתְגָּאֶה בֶּאֱמֶת, בְּוַדַּאי חָכְמָתוֹ תִּסְתַּלֵּק מִמֶּנּוּ לְגַמְרֵי, וְלֹא יָבוֹא לְהַשָּׂגָה, וְיִהְיֶה נַעֲשֶׂה שׁוֹטֶה מַמָּשׁ, אַךְ צָרִיךְ לָזֶה אָמָּנוּת יְתֵרָה, אֵיךְ לְהִתְנַהֵג בָּזֶה, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לוֹ גַּדְלוּת רַק כְּדֵי לִשְׁכֹּחַ חָכְמָתוֹ שֶׁמִּקֹּדֶם, שֶׁהוּא צָרִיךְ לִשְׁכֹּחַ כַּנַּ"ל, וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן יִהְיֶה עָנָו בֶּאֱמֶת:
However, this requires added wisdom, because pride is certainly a very serious prohibition. If he truly becomes prideful, his wisdom will certainly leave him entirely and he will not achieve the insight, but become a bona fide fool. Therefore, he must have abundant skill for this, [to know] how he should behave such that he has pride only so that he might forget the earlier wisdom he needs to forget, as explained above, and despite this be a truly humble person.