EXOD83 We must do everything that we can to spare others envy. Rashi (verse 10) cites the Midrash which states that for seven days Moshe refused to be appointed as the leader who would take the Jewish people out of Egypt because he did not want to be exalted above Aharon, his older brother. The Midrash states that Moshe finally consented to go to Egypt to ask for the release of the Jewish people from bondage only when God said to him, "When Aharon sees you, he will be glad in his heart" (verse 14). Aharon will not merely pretend to be happy for his brother's greatness, but will sincerely experience happiness. Midrash Tanchuma. Moshe's behavior was truly amazing. Moshe, who loved the Jewish people exceedingly and was willing to sacrifice his own comfort and safety for their welfare, refused to be the one who would release them from their misery, and besieged God to choose someone else in his stead. Why? Because Moshe was afraid that Aharon would feel slighted in being passed over for this great position of leadership. To spare his brother this pain, Moshe was willing to forgo the greatest privilege possible: to be the one who would save the entire nation. Only when Moshe was convinced that his prominence would not cause any suffering to Aharon did he consent to accept it. From here we see how careful we must be to spare others from even the smallest amount of suffering. Since man was created in the image of God, harming a fellow human being is similar, as it were, to harming his Creator. This is a lesson we must constantly remember. Rabbi Noson Tzvi Finkel in Ohr Hatzofun, Shmos, p. 15. If two prominent people come to a town and only one is honored, the recipient of honor should honor the other person to prevent his feeling jealous. Moreover, this will cause others to also honor the slighted person. Sefer Chasidim 359. There are advertisements which proclaim: "You will be the envy of the neighborhood." This "goal" should be shunned by us. We must do our utmost to spare others from envy. Moshe was willing to make an enormous sacrifice to this end. We may not be able to reach Moshe's level, but we must at least be as careful as possible not to cause envy. We should avoid boasting about our accomplishments, abilities, plans, children, etc.