NUM96 If, among your colleagues, there is one who is more advanced than you in the service of God, whose deeds are better than yours, and who endeavors to draw closer to God more than you do, the evil inclination will try to incite you against that person and will say to you: “Any manifestation of diligence in God's service on the part of someone beside you underscores your own deficiency. Were it not for that individual, you would appear, to both man and God, more righteous than any of your contemporaries. Incite against him, envy and hate him. Search for his defects and anything contemptible in him. Lie in wait to discover his failings, and keep track of his mistakes. Call attention to them as best you can, and discredit him on their account. If you can spread slander about him, to diminish his reputation among the people, do so.” Answer it by saying, “How shall I despise one whom God loves, disparage one whom the Creator praises? If I am too lazy to fulfill God's service as he does, should I also hate he who fulfills it? That is no way to repay the Creator, make He be exalted, for what I owe Him! Rather, it is my duty, for love of Him, to love those who love Him; And, out of honor for Him, to honor those who honor Him, as it is written: ‘He honors those who revere God’ (Tehillim 15:4). You know what happened to Miriam in the narrative beginning, ‘Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe...’ (Bemidbar 12:1), and what happened to Korach and his party when they were envious of Moshe and Aharon, and drew near to God.”