An irreligious man came to the Rebbe in a certain city and boasted that he was an expert in languages. He had recently been in a government office and was able to interpret a word that even their scribes did not know. He was very conceited because of this knowledge.
One of the Rebbe’s disciples, an extraordinary, God-fearing scholar, was sitting there. He said to the Rebbe, “Maybe it is better to be conceited because of something foolish than to be conceited, Heaven forbid, because of one’s knowledge of Torah.”
Then he said, “No. The opposite is true. The Talmud tells us that when Rabbi Akiva was in prison, Papus said to him, 'Happy are you, Rabbi Akiva, for you were imprisoned for the sake of the Torah. Woe is to Papus, for I was imprisoned for mere foolishness’” (Berakhot 61b).
It is brought in Likutey Moharan (I, 22:12) that the punishment for conceit is imprisonment (see also Likutey Moharan II, 63). Also discussed is the imprisonment of Rabbi Akiva.
אִישׁ אֶחָד מֵהַקַּלֵּי עוֹלָם, נִכְנַס אֶצְלוֹ בְּעִיר אַחַת וְהִתְפָּאֵר לְפָנָיו עַל אֲשֶׁר הוּא מְלֻמָּד בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹת הַגּוֹיִים, כִּי הָיָה עַתָּה בְּבָתֵּי עַרְכָּאוֹת שֶׁלָּהֶם וְלֹא יָדְעוּ הַסּוֹפְרִים שֶׁלָּהֶם תֵּבָה אַחַת לִקְרוֹתָהּ הֵיטֵב וְהוּא פֵּרְשָׁהּ לָהֶם. וְהָיָה לְזֶה הָאִישׁ הַנַּ"ל גַּדְלוּת גָּדוֹל מְאֹד עַל שֶׁהוּא מְלֻמָּד כָּל כָּךְ בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹתֵיהֶם.
An irreligious man came to the Rebbe in a certain city and boasted that he was an expert in languages. He had recently been in a government office and was able to interpret a word that even their scribes did not know. He was very conceited because of this knowledge.
וְאַחַר כָּךְ יָצָא הָאִישׁ הַנַּ"ל וְהָיָה רַבֵּנוּ ז"ל מִתְלוֹצֵץ מִמֶּנּוּ עַל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ גַּדְלוּת כָּל כָּךְ מִשְּׁטוּתִים כָּאֵלֶּה.
When the man left, the Rebbe ridiculed him for such foolish conceit.
וְיָשַׁב שָׁם אִישׁ אֶחָד מֵאֲנָשָׁיו שֶׁהָיָה לַמְדָן מֻפְלָג וִירֵא ה'. וְעָנָה וְאָמַר לְרַבֵּנוּ ז"ל: "אֶפְשָׁר טוֹב יוֹתֵר מַה שֶּׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ גַּדְלוּת מִדִּבְרֵי שְׁטוּת מִמִּי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ גַּדְלוּת ח"ו מִדִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה?"
One of the Rebbe’s disciples, an extraordinary, God-fearing scholar, was sitting there. He said to the Rebbe, “Maybe it is better to be conceited because of something foolish than to be conceited, Heaven forbid, because of one’s knowledge of Torah.”
וְשָׁתַק רַבֵּנוּ ז"ל אֵיזֶה שָׁעָה קַלָּה.
The Rebbe was silent for a moment.
וְאַחַר כָּךְ עָנָה וְאָמַר: אַדְּרַבָּא נַהֲפֹךְ הוּא! וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל (בְּרָכוֹת סא:): לְעִנְיַן ר' עֲקִיבָא שֶׁנִּתְפַּס בִּתְפִיסָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ פַּפּוּס: אַשְׁרֶיךָ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא שֶׁנִּתְפַּסְתָּ עַל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה, וְאוֹי לוֹ לְפַפּוּס שֶׁנִּתְפַּס עַל דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים.
Then he said, “No. The opposite is true. The Talmud tells us that when Rabbi Akiva was in prison, Papus said to him, 'Happy are you, Rabbi Akiva, for you were imprisoned for the sake of the Torah. Woe is to Papus, for I was imprisoned for mere foolishness’” (Berakhot 61b).
כִּי עֹנֶשׁ הַגַּדְלוּת הוּא תְּפִיסָה. (וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמְּבֹאָר בְּהַתּוֹרָה "חוֹתָם בְּתוֹךְ חוֹתָם" סִימָן כב לִקּוּטֵי מוֹהֲרָ"ן חֵלֶק רִאשׁוֹן וְעַיֵּן בְּלִקּוּטֵי תִּנְיָנָא סִימָן ס"ג בְּהַתּוֹרָה הַמַּתְחֶלֶת כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ מִלְחָמוֹת וְכוּ', כִּי שָׁם מוּבָא מֵעִנְיַן הַתְּפִיסָה שֶׁל רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא עַיֵּן שָׁם).
It is brought in Likutey Moharan (I, 22:12) that the punishment for conceit is imprisonment (see also Likutey Moharan II, 63). Also discussed is the imprisonment of Rabbi Akiva.
נִמְצָא, שֶׁהַגַּדְלוּת שֶׁעָנְשׁוֹ תְּפִיסָה, כְּשֶׁהוּא עַל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה, טוֹב יוֹתֵר מֵהַגַּדְלוּת עַל דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים.
It is better to be imprisoned for the conceit of Torah than to be conceited because of foolishness.