When A Person Is Broken He Needs to Feel Superior
Bitachon Weekly | December 25, 2024
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When A Person Is Broken He Needs to Feel Superior

Bitachon Weekly | June 27, 2025

When Ahron had: חַלִישוּת הַדַעַת distress because he wasn’t part of the Korbanos of the Nesi'im, Hashem told him: שֶלְךָ גְדוֹלָה מִשֶלָהֶן “Your portion is better than theirs”. You are superior, since you have the Mitzva of the Menorah, which outlasts the Korbanos and is a Mitzva Le’doros (forever). This is a Mitzva of oil, which floats on top of all liquids. It is the Mitzva of Ahron, who became greater than all the Nesi'im with this Mitzva. A rule: When a person is broken, he needs to feel superior. Eventually things will even out.

The Rambam says that a Yasom and Almana feel very broken and low, and therefore we need to be soft and nice and be M'chabed them. When giving them Tochacha, we need to be soft and give them Kavod! But when giving Tochacha to ordinary people, the Rambam says that you need to be soft, but he doesn’t mention being M'chabed. We see that giving the most Kavod belongs to: שְ פֵ לֵ י רוּחַ those whose spirit is low.

רמב"ם הלכות דעות (ו י) חייב אדם להזהר ביתומים ואלמנות מפני שנפשן שפלה למאד ורוחן נמוכה, אע"פ שהן בעלי ממון... (full Hebrew text omitted for brevity)

רמב"ם הלכות דעות (ו ז) המוכיח את חבירו... צריך להוכיחו בינו לבין עצמו וידבר לו בנחת ובלשון רכה ויודיעו שאינו אומר לו אלא לטובתו להביאו לחיי העולם הבא.

רש"י בפרשת משפטים עה"פ כָל אַלְמָנָה וְיָתוֹם לֹא תְעַנּוּן (כב כא) הוא הדין לכל אדם אלא שדבר הכתוב בהווה לפי שהם תשושי כח ודבר מצוי לענותם. (היינו בכל אדם שהוא אומלל. ספר חפץ חיים, לאוין טו, בבאר מים חיים .)

If You Feel Like a Nebach, You Should Davka Be M'chabed Yourself

Rashi in Chumash says that anyone broken is in the same category as a Yasom and Almana, and you have to be careful not to hurt them (and according to the Rambam you need to give them extra Kavod). People view Yesomim and Almanos like “nebachs”, but the Rambam teaches us just the opposite; we need to give them more Kavod than others!

The same with yourself; if you feel like a nebach, you should go extreme, and Davka be M'chabed yourself.

When Ahron had: חַלִישוּת הַדַעַת distress because he wasn’t part of the Korbanos of the Nesi'im, Hashem told him: שֶלְךָ גְדוֹלָה מִשֶלָהֶן “Your portion is better than theirs”. You are superior, since you have the Mitzva of the Menorah, which outlasts the Korbanos and is a Mitzva Le’doros (forever). This is a Mitzva of oil, which floats on top of all liquids. It is the Mitzva of Ahron, who became greater than all the Nesi'im with this Mitzva. A rule: When a person is broken, he needs to feel superior. Eventually things will even out.

The Rambam says that a Yasom and Almana feel very broken and low, and therefore we need to be soft and nice and be M'chabed them. When giving them Tochacha, we need to be soft and give them Kavod! But when giving Tochacha to ordinary people, the Rambam says that you need to be soft, but he doesn’t mention being M'chabed. We see that giving the most Kavod belongs to: שְ פֵ לֵ י רוּחַ those whose spirit is low.

רמב"ם הלכות דעות (ו י) חייב אדם להזהר ביתומים ואלמנות מפני שנפשן שפלה למאד ורוחן נמוכה, אע"פ שהן בעלי ממון... (full Hebrew text omitted for brevity)

רמב"ם הלכות דעות (ו ז) המוכיח את חבירו... צריך להוכיחו בינו לבין עצמו וידבר לו בנחת ובלשון רכה ויודיעו שאינו אומר לו אלא לטובתו להביאו לחיי העולם הבא.

רש"י בפרשת משפטים עה"פ כָל אַלְמָנָה וְיָתוֹם לֹא תְעַנּוּן (כב כא) הוא הדין לכל אדם אלא שדבר הכתוב בהווה לפי שהם תשושי כח ודבר מצוי לענותם. (היינו בכל אדם שהוא אומלל. ספר חפץ חיים, לאוין טו, בבאר מים חיים .)

If You Feel Like a Nebach, You Should Davka Be M'chabed Yourself

Rashi in Chumash says that anyone broken is in the same category as a Yasom and Almana, and you have to be careful not to hurt them (and according to the Rambam you need to give them extra Kavod). People view Yesomim and Almanos like “nebachs”, but the Rambam teaches us just the opposite; we need to give them more Kavod than others!

The same with yourself; if you feel like a nebach, you should go extreme, and Davka be M'chabed yourself.

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