Rav Avraham Pam ztz"l
“This shall be the law of the metzora on the day of his purification: He shall be brought to the priest.”
— Lev. 13:2
When a person believes he may be afflicted with tzaraas, a biblical-era spiritual malady that appeared as a physical disease, it is the task of the Kohen (priest) to diagnose the symptoms and determine one's status. If he is indeed afflicted, the Kohen must declare the person ritually impure, thereby requiring him to separate himself from the community and adhere to all the other restrictions that tzaraas places upon him.
The Mishnah (Nega'im 3:1) says that any qualified person can examine the tzaraas affliction, but only a Kohen is empowered to decide whether it is impure or not.
The Mishnah (Nega'im 2:5) says that a Kohen is permitted to examine anyone's affliction except his own. If he gets a tzaraas affliction, he must go to another Kohen for an evaluation.
This Mishnah is the source of a common expression: "A person does not see his own afflictions (i.e., faults or shortcomings)."
Some people have very sharp eyes when it comes to seeing the faults of others. They are able to discern and criticize the negative attributes, mistakes, or misjudgments of others. Yet, they are totally blind to their own shortcomings and consider themselves the epitome of perfection, completely beyond reproach.
If someone criticizes them for anything, they self-righteously explode in anger at the affront to their dignity. How tragic it is that they fail to take to heart the words of Proverbs (4:13), Hold fast to mussar [loving rebuke] and do not let go. Guard it for it is your life. Instead of being appreciative of those who try to steer them away from error and sin, they feel insulted that they have been criticized and corrected.
Fortunate are those who appreciate the direction and correction that others offer them and accept it with gratitude.
There is another side to the coin which can be even more damaging to a person than his inability to see his own faults. That is his inability to see his virtues.
The Divine blesses each person with various attributes and skills, some with more talents and some with less. One of the most clever and damaging tactics of the Evil Inclination is to convince a person that he has no virtues. Cloaking his deceit in a guise of humility, the Evil Inclination downplays and negates the true potential and achievements of the person, only highlighting his shortcomings and sins. When the person looks at the ''balance sheet'' of his life, all he sees are liabilities and deficits. This will undoubtedly lead him to sadness and depression as feelings of despair and worthlessness set in.
The Evil Inclination may tell him, ''You see you've accomplished nothing of any spiritual worth in your life. The World to Come is already lost, so why not at least enjoy the pleasures of this world?'' This will discourage any hope for spiritual growth and instead persuade him to undertake a hedonistic approach towards life.
The tendency, our Sages tell us, is that a person does not see his own greatness.
One may consider himself a failure, but who empowered him — and on what basis — does he make such a decision?
Rabbeinu Yonah writes in Shaar HaAvodah that ''the first opening in cleaving to the Divine is that a person recognize his self-worth and talents, as well as the greatness and importance of his forefathers and their preciousness to G od.'' If one realizes that he has special virtues and talents, he will be especially careful not to sully them with sins. Even if a person slips up from time to time and commits harmful actions, that does not mean he is permanently compromised by his mistakes. He must, of course, repent and then take the necessary precautions not to repeat the sins, and concentrate even more on self-improvement.
Recognizing one's own virtues is not a contradiction to humility. It means a person is cognizant of his G od-given skills and talents and now carries the great responsibility to utilize them for altruistic and Godly means.
The great sage, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986), in the introduction to the first volume of his encyclopedic Igros Moshe series which applies Jewish Law to contemporary issues, discusses what motivated him to publish it. After explaining that it is a solemn obligation of any qualified expert to render decisions on the queries brought before him (see Talmud, Sotah 22a), and the vital importance of clarifying complicated religious issues, he writes that by publishing his responsa he was certainly bringing much nachas (familial pride) to his late father, zt''l, ''who said about me that he hoped, and was almost absolutely certain, that many people would consult with me on lgegal and moral issues, in person or in writing, and, with the help of the Divine, I would be able to render the proper decisions.''
Like his namesake, Moses, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein was the most humble of men. The aforementioned quote is not in the least a contradiction to sincere modesty. It clearly illustrates that Rabbi Moshe recognized his ability to render decisions on the most complicated issues and did not shirk the responsibility of doing so. He knew what his virtues were and used them for the benefit of others.
Every person is endowed with virtues, which he must develop and utilize to the fullest of his ability. May the Divine bless us with the insight to realize the enormous treasures in our souls.
