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Neither Despair Nor Complacency

A person can be lost through despair or through self-satisfaction, so in either case the service of Hashem must go on without pause.

A teaching ofRav Shlomo HaKohen Rabinowitz of Radomskהרב שלמה בן דוב צבי ראבינאוויטשProfile ›

The sages teach that even if a snake is wound around your heel, or if the king asks after your welfare, you should not break off your davening. The Tiferes Shlomo asks what snake and king have in common, and answers that they stand for two dangers. A wicked person can be lost through his wickedness when he looks at himself, concludes that he has angered Hashem too much to return, and gives up. That despair is his worst sin. A tzaddik, on the other hand, can be lost through his righteousness, when his heart tells him he has reached great heights and can ease off. Both must continue serving Hashem. The same teaching explains Avrohom, who sat at the tent entrance like a poor man at a door, even when Hashem Himself had come to visit him.

Source: Tiferet Shlomo, on Torah, Vayera:1

Practical lessonKeep going, whichever way you feel

If today you feel that you have failed too many times to begin again, take one small step anyway: say one bracha slowly, or learn one halacha. If instead you feel that you have already done enough, quietly add one more small thing. The Tiferes Shlomo says that both the heavy heart and the satisfied heart can end the climb. Pick whichever sounds like you, and let your next action answer it.

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