לזכות לאה אסתר בת פרימט
This Shabbos I was zocheh to give a shiur in shul [it is WEIRD to give a shiur without an mp3 player] and quoted the gemara in Ksubos [105] about how various Amoraim disqualified themselves as judges because the litigant had done them some very slight favor [such as removing a feather that fell on him]. They felt that now they would be biased in favor of the person because he had done them a favor.
What is going ON??? A judge, an Amora, a Tzadik, will twist the judgment, maybe 50 million dollars, in favor of someone who performed for him the slightest favor?? So corrupt!! Or so it seems...
The answer is based on the words of the Pachad Yitzchak we saw here and here. Because the Rabbis had such a TREMENDOUS sense of gratitude they suspected themselves of being biased in favor of any benefactor, as minimal a favor as was done for them.
We would REALLY fix the world if we properly appreciated all that others do for us. But we [for the most part] don't. We just feel entitled. Remove the feeling of entitlement is to end most Shalom Bayis problems, children problems etc. etc.
That is a GREAT Avoda for Elul.
Increasing our sense of gratitude. First to think about what people have done for us, how we would have fared without them [like our teachers and parents - we'd be both illiterate and not alive] and then express our gratitude in any way possible.
That is the bare bones of the shiur - sans the jokes....
