Ten Minutes of Meaning (Part 190): Who Needs Credit - Mesillas Yesharim

okay good morning please help yourself to uh coffee and donuts welcome back to 10 minutes of meaning 10 minutes to a better version of ourselves generously sponsored anonymously we remain very grateful to our Anonymous sponsors also sponsored in memory Vesta tilabasas Damascus family remains very very much in our hearts on our minds and in art filos we're on the 22nd chapter of Mrs been talking to us all the way nearly towards the end of the safe for about one of the most important character traits so critical so core so important and yet so difficult so he reserves speaking about it almost until the end and that is of humility and of modesty genuine real authentic not fraudulent counterfeit not posturing not humble bragging but real this describes that real modesty real humility takes two forms one dimashava one the Mesa one is the way that we think we think about ourselves the way we process everything happening around us whether we believe the hype whether we build the hype whether we contribute to the hype what do we think what do we believe about ourselves how do we interact with the world around us how do we interpret the world around us and then the second is mimisa which we'll get into in a moment and in says how could you possibly grow arrogant how could you possibly have pride with whatever accomplishment or achievement with whatever breakthrough or growth you have you also know where you come up short you know maybe nobody else does other than you and the almighty but we know we know who we are and what we struggle with we know where we come up short and how we fail we know how human infallible we are we discussed last week we've done segments commentary points out the gemara that who's rich somebody who's basically say is next to a shulchran meaning that even while you're indulging in Delicacies you know you're gonna have to go to the basaki say you're a human being even the moment of tasting wealth and opulence we're humbled and reminded the bathroom is the great equalizer nobody is above it nobody doesn't need it nobody hasn't ever once felt the urgency of it when you're not in a convenient place near it and so who's in Usher real wealth is to even while we're indulging in the ashiras of the shulchan to nevertheless stay mindful even that moment of the basaki say the basaki say that all of us are human we put our pants on one leg at a time everybody needs a bathroom any virtue we acquire any accomplished on our achievement anything good that we do is nothing less than a Divine Act of benevolence it's hashem's graciousness and kinds that he gives us the physical strength he gives us the wisdom the skill set it gives us the opportunity and the invitation even though he's by his nature a physical makeup lowly and shameful where Shuffle the NIV Zod mode the truth is we're all future worm food we're all finite and mere mortals we all have shortcomings and failures and anything we have Hashem positioned us he graciously and benevolently invited us to take advantage of that opportunity so all we should never do is feel gratitude I forgot which one of Malcolm gladwell's books he talks about I think it was Bill Gates in that in a while but I think it was Bill Gates who grew up near a university that had one of the earliest computers and he was curious as a kid because I think his parents maybe were on staff he had access and opportunity to fiddle with and play with the computer from a very young age and that led him down the path in the career of of course Bill Gates and Microsoft and Microsoft so Bill Gates could look around today and say I'm a billionaire Microsoft it's in countless computers around the world as big as apple is Bill Gates and Microsoft still far surpass and outnumber they could say it's all me I'm brilliant and I'm a brilliant business mind a strategic thinker and a program and a coder and we can look back at his life and say who said I needed to be born to those parents and live in that location and be adjacent to that University and have access at that time how many others are curious but couldn't pursue the Curiosity and therefore remained curious and never ever invented or created anything just one small example but each of us in our own lives whatever we have whatever we've done should look at and say to ourselves if I weren't born to those parents in this place in that time I weren't given these blessings and talents and skills so I'm going to take pride it's me I should be prideful and arrogant we really Shuffle the NIV zadma ode the truth is we're all mere mortals and we're all finite and anything we have and anything we've done we've put in our effort we should be proud of the initiative we took we've made the most of what we were given we quoted the ram who says that we should realize don't say but say ing it's our that we used but he's the one who gives us that says imagine there's somebody can afford they can't afford a meal they can't afford clothing they can't afford tuition then someone kindly graciously generously pays for them gives them money what are they going to walk around and show off about that meal they're going to walk around and flex about their child's tuition is paid for they're going to walk around and flaunt the clothing they're wearing that they were gifted and given through the generosity of another of course not they're going to graciously accept it receive it with humility and gratitude and not be prideful same is true for any individual if your eyes are open and you could see that what we have any virtue Talent skills opportunities it's all from Hashem can you show me how can I possibly repay Hashem for all this kindness he did for me all that kindness whoever I am whatever I have yes I work hard yes we have to realize the potential yes we have to take the gifts and run with them but we would be nothing we would have nothing if not for him so the mashava when our mind races to start believing what other people say you're right when our mind races to think that the honor that we're getting we're due when our mind races to want honor or to want recognition or to want attention to stop and say am I kidding I know the other part of me that nobody sees I know how fallible I know my struggles I know my failures I know my weaknesses and I know that whatever I have it's only a gift and it's on loan it's not permanent and it could disappear any moment so I'm going to be prideful I'm going to be arrogant got to walk around Humble foreign maybe you're listening to this or you're reading this and you say to yourself ah I don't have to worry about this I'm a humble person that Temptation never comes to me grandma crosses my mind I'm not worried that I'm going to stumble in this way so then quickly draws up countless examples of great people great great people in our own tradition who stumbled um why is the book not written with his name some prophets some great leaders have books named for them why not because he uh he took credit for himself he took credit for himself said about him regarding the lack of peace it was bitter for me is anyone who wants to take the credit for himself you know I forgot who said this but it's amazing what can you accomplish when no one needs to take the credit it's an amazing what people can accomplish when no one needs to take the credit you have a committee you have a group of people you have concerned citizens you have members of Aquila and when no one's vying for the credit it's amazing what could be accomplished but the person who wants their Name In Lights person who wants the credit person who wants to be the leader you pursue covered it runs away from you you pursue credit the credit's given to someone else so what do you see from here don't take credit for the good things that you even did you did something positive you did something good you don't do it for the credit you don't need the credit don't be conceited don't be arrogant ego shouldn't be inflated as a result these great leaders these great leaders they were great inside and out through and through so they had to struggle to not actually take credit for their greatness but we shouldn't even be tempted our struggle should be so much less because we're not great we're not great but we're honest with ourselves when we look in the mirror and we have self-awareness we realize we're not close to great we're nothing should be nothing so we should less be tempted we should have a lesson of a temptation to struggle to ever think that we should take credit because next time but you read the sadoros the smartest greatest person today would have been the lowliest nothing person of yesterday so we're going to grow arrogant we're going to have our ego inflated absurd it's delusional all you have to do is have a little self-awareness all a person has to do is be a little bit honest with themselves and then we'll never be tempted will never be tempted by a sense of arrogance or Pride we'll be able to leave without Nevis it sounds so simple but it's so hard and that's why it's pericard base it's chapter 22 it's the end of the safer because you have to learn zahira since Jesus and the keys and Tara you have to learn all these other qualities to be able to really have a self-awareness to really understand our place and to truly credit Hashem pick up with next time 8 45 living with a Muna stay happiest stay healthy and stay holy