PIRKEI AVOS/ETHICS OF THE FATHERS 3:11

[11] Rebe Chaninah ben Dosa says: Anyone whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom will endure; but anyone whose wisdom precedes his fear of sin, his wisdom will not endure.

The phrase “whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom” begets two important insights concerning one’s mastery of sin. Firstly, one should heighten his awareness that as long as we exist upon this earth, we are subject to the influence of diverse material powers that threaten to interrupt our spirituality. Contemplation of the spiritual dangers that surround us will help us inculcate a measure of caution, i.e., fear of sin, that will deliver us from succumbing to lesser desires and extravagance.

The second aspect of “fear of sin” refers to the sins that one has already committed—and his sincere desire to rectify them through Torah study. For the Torah is “mikve Yisrael”—the pool of purification for the nation of Israel. Thus, when one immerses himself in Torah study, the “waters of Torah” purify his soul, and the light of Torah illuminates the path of good for him to walk.

Hence, when a person learns Torah with the correct intention, i.e., to purify his soul—then HaShem will grant him two blessings. One, the Torah will purify him and restore him to good; and second, his wisdom will endure since he learned Torah with the proper intention.

Moreover, the holiness of the Torah is so awesome, that even if he does not intend that his Torah study will purify him, nevertheless, the light of Torah will return him to pursue good. However, since he does not make an effort to have the proper intention, his wisdom will not endure, for his learning is lacking purity.

Through the study of Torah, HaShem grants us the golden opportunity to cleanse our souls of all the impurities engendered by our misjudgments. As long as we consecrate our Torah study to this worthy purpose—our souls will be purified, we will follow the path good, and our wisdom will endure.

Implement: Envision yourself immersing your head in a cool waterfall of cleansing Torah waters.

[Based on the commentary of Rav Chaim Voloshin to Pirkei Avos]

Rabbi,

Although I heartily agree with your post, I think, given the name of the Forum, I need to say that far too little emphasis is put on controlling our actions. The study of Torah should be the ongoing effort for all of us, BUT, out here in the world, Torah knowledge and polishing the soul do not always translate into derech eretz. I see far too many yeshiva students who do not seem to be able to relate to people with courtesy and sever panim yafot. Mussar should include an emphasis on this, too.

Shalom Eliezer,
I agree with you. There is no question the the entire Torah rests on excellence of character and conduct. Rav Yisrael Salanter said that Torah without Mussar is like trying to see without eyes!
Kol Tuv,
Rabbi Miller

I think there is a stereotype of Yeshiva Bochurim here. In my experiences, I find that Yeshiva bochurim to have fine middos at least above-average of the general population. Of course there are some bad apples in every group, and just because someone is officially in Yeshiva doesn't make him a Ben Torah (i.e. if you see his Middos lack, maybe his Torah is lacking, i.e. being in yeshiva "because he has to" but not doing much in learning or anything else positive).
There is also another factor here. What about people who don't treat the bochurim with courtesy and respect, but degrade them? When they get a response from them in the same vein, they now see yeshiva bochurim as "michutzafim".
I once said a "shmuez" quoting a Gemmarah in the 23rd perek of Shabbos. A "Min" came over to Rav Yehoshua Ben Korcha to make fun of his baldness. R"Y responded by making fun of the "Min". There was a back and forth exchange until the Min blurted out that R"Y is trying to start up with him, which R"Y responded, "you're the one who started".
How did the min forget after a short exchange that he started? I answered (and I see it all the time) that people that make fun of others (or are rude, etc.)have the mindset that it's his right to do so, and we'll all have a laugh at the other's expense, and that's part of the "script". Now when he gets a rebuttal (or is spoken rudely in kind) now the other guy is starting up. In his mind only he has the right and nobody else. So the rebuttal is uncalled for and a "beginning of a new fight"
I definitely don't see when someone approaches a bacher respectfully, that he'll answer with chutzpah, but rather it's usually when talked to rudely he'll answer in kind, with the first one clueless as to how rude he was and doesn't understand why he got such a response.
Whether or not the bocher is right for answering in kind could be debated, but you can't expect a 16 year old so advanced in middos that would be quiet and not answer back when talked to rudely.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rav Chaim,