NUM137 On the one hand, the intent underlying every mitzvah and act of the Divine service should aim [to bring about] the ascendancy of the glory of the Divine Presence, and this will be accomplished by His creatures' [efforts] to please Him. On the other hand, there is anguish and supplication concerning the ascendancy of His glory, which awaits its consummation through the ascendancy of the glory and tranquility of Israel. There is however, a second rationale behind the virtue of piety, and that is the [concern for the] good of the generation. For it is befitting that the actions of a pious person should be directed toward the good of his entire generation – – to enhance their standing and to shield them [from punishment]. This is expressed in the verse (Yeshayahu 3:10): "Praise the righteous for the good [he has done], for they eat the fruit of their deeds," i.e., the entire generation eats of his fruit. Similarly our Sages of blessed memory have said (Bava Basra 15a), "'Is there a tree there?' [this verse] means: Is there anyone who shields his generation the way a tree gives shelter?" And note that it is the will of the Divine Presence that the pious of Israel should transfer merit to, and atone for, the other strata around them. This is what was said by our Sages of blessed memory with reference to the [four] species within the lulav (based on Vayikra Rabbah 30:12): "Let these come and atone for those." The Holy One blessed be He has no desire to have the wicked perish. Rather, it is incumbent upon the pious to try and enhance their standing and to atone for them.

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NUM183 The factors that undermine th[e] virtue [of piety] are [the result of] insufficient examination in the aforementioned matters, i.e., the lack of awareness regarding the base nature of pleasure, the pursuit of honor, and insufficient preparation for the service of the Eternal. The first two factors sway a person's thinking, lowering him toward other motives, like an adulteress who consorts unfaithfully with other men. These externally oriented motives are called "the adultery of the heart," as it is written [this verse]: "And you must not be searching, following your heart and your eyes after which you [tend to] stray." For the tendency of the heart is to stray from the ideal perspective that it was meant to cleave to, [embracing instead] vanities and false appearances. And [the latter factor] – preparing oneself insufficiently – prevents the removal of one's heart of that innate thoughtlessness that derives from the material world. This thoughtlessness befouls the Divine service with its stench.

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NUM209 What caused Korach to perish, and along with him his whole entourage? It was only the desire for honor. It is stated explicitly [this verse]: "And [now] you wish to have the priesthood as well!" The Sages of blessed memory (Bemidbar Rabbah 18:2) related that all of this was the result of [Korach's] seeing Elitzafan ben Uziel [chosen] as Nasi [leader of their tribe], for Korach desired to be Nasi in his place.

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NUM274 In summation: a person must survey all of his deeds and oversee all his ways, in order to remove any bad tendency or trait, let alone a sin or a transgression. It is also necessary that a man be meticulous in his ways and weigh them daily, like the leading merchants do when they assess all their undertakings to prevent their businesses from falling into ruin. One should schedule fixed times and hours for this (rather than doing so randomly) and adhere to them faithfully, because there is so much at stake. Our Sages of blessed memory have explicitly taught us the need for this type of evaluation. And this is what they, of blessed memory, have said (Bava Basra 78b) on the following verse: "'Therefore, the Allegorists said, come to Cheshbon' [this verse], and therefore, those who rule over their evil inclination say, 'come and evaluate the balance sheet of the world [a play on the word Chesbon which refers to an Emorite City but can also mean a balance sheet] – the loss of a mitzvah versus its gain, and the gain of a transgression versus its loss.…'" This is because truthful advice of this nature can only be given and can only be appreciated by those who have already freed themselves from the control of their evil inclination and who rule over it. One who remains imprisoned by his evil inclination can either see or grasp this truth. His evil inclination literally blinds his eyes, and he is like one who walks in darkness and cannot see the obstacles before him.

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DEUT5 [A position of] authority is nothing less than a great burden mounted on the shoulders of the one who is carrying it. As long as one is [merely] an individual living among his people and mingling with [other] individuals, he is only responsible for himself [his own deeds]. Yet once he is raised to [a position of] authority and power, he becomes responsible for everyone who is under his rule and dominion, because it is his duty to oversee all of them – to guide them toward knowledge and understanding and to steer their deeds [along the] right [path]. But if [that ideal is] not [achieved], the Sages apply the words ואשמם בראשיכם -- "And their guilt is on your heads" (Devarim Rabbah 1:10). [This phrase derives from [this verse], ואשימם בראשיכם - "And [I] appointed them [as] your leaders over you." As for honor, it is no more than the greatest of vanities, leading a person away from himself and from his Master and causing him to totally disregard his duty. One who is cognizant of this will surely spurn and despise it. And the praises that people give him will weigh heavily upon him, for when he sees how they amplify their praises for what in reality he does not possess, he will feel only shame and will sigh over the fact that he not only has to contend with his own misfortune (his lack of these virtues) but also with the false praise that people heap upon him, which further adds to his shame.

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DEUT99 A person must place himself on a temporary footing in this world and a permanent one in relation to his service [of the Eternal]. With worldly matters, he must be content and satisfied with whatever he happens to find; he must take from what comes his way, shun ease and be prepared to work and toil; and his heart should be secure in its trust in the Eternal, without fear of the consequences that time and its afflictions may bring. But you may object: "We find that the Sages required one to protect himself carefully, wherever he is, and not place himself in danger, even if he is a tzaddik and a man of deeds. And, they said (Kesubos 30a): 'Everything is in the hands of Heaven except [illnesses that result from] the cold and the heat,' and it is clearly written [this verse]: 'You shall be very careful of yourselves.' So we see that one cannot decide to 'have trust in the Eternal' in all circumstances, as it further states: 'Even for a mitzvah [one must be careful not to endanger himself] [see Pesachim 8b]." One has to distinguish between different kinds of fear: there is fear that is appropriate and fear that is irrational. There is "trusting in the Eternal" and there is recklessness. For the Master, Blessed be He, created man with an intelligent mind and the ability to reason, so that he would be able to conduct himself properly and safeguard himself from the noxious phenomena that have been created to punish evildoers. One who chooses to ignore wisdom and is willing to place himself in danger is not displaying trust but rather recklessness. [Such a person] is sinning by flouting the will of the Creator, may His Name be blessed, who wants man to protect himself.

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DEUT222 See [[DEUT1674]] Deuteronomy 32:6 father PATH 131

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DEUT334 See [[EXOD251]] Exodus 16:7 what PATH 154

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DEUT382 … the primary traits of character [having] prevalence in our lives… are pride, anger, envy, and lust. All of these are harmful traits whose destructive effects are recognized and universally acknowledged [as] harmful both intrinsically and in their outcome, all of them function outside [the parameters of] intelligence and wisdom, and each one by itself has the capacity to lead a person to severe transgressions. Referring to pride, Scripture explicitly cautions us [this verse]: "And your heart will be proud and you will forget the eternal, your God."

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DEUT384 The factors that lead to the loss of [humility] are extravagance and overindulgence regarding the good things of this world, as stated explicitly in Scripture (this and two preceding verses): "So that it will not happen, [when] you eat and are satisfied… that you become conceited.…" For this reason, those who are pious have found that it is beneficial for a person to sometimes afflict himself, in order to humble the [evil] inclination of haughtiness, since it only succeeds in strengthening itself through excess. This is similar to what they of blessed memory have said (Berachos 32a): "A lion does not roar over a basket of straw, but over a basket of meat."

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