<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 10/25/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Elliott Shevin</b> <<a href="mailto:eshevin@hotmail.com">eshevin@hotmail.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div><span class="q">
Richard Wolpoe wrote:<br>
<br>> And I can tell you ma'asim where rich people are told NOT to perfect<br></span>> themselves but to be ba'alei tzedakkah instead in order to support the poor<br>> of the community....<br>
> Certainly we all work on middos to a degree but self-perfection is not for the <br>
> masses. Most of us have jobs to do first....<br>
<br>
It depends on what you'd call "self-perfection."</div></blockquote><div><br>I am saying that the role and societal obigatiosn of of certain individuals transcends their rqeeirement of self-perfcetion.<br><br>
If they self-perfect fine, but not at the sacrifice of their primary role,<br><br>Illustration: had Yonah run off to get better midos it mihgt have done him some good but not at the scrifice of his calling to speak to Nineveh. That mission was parament no mater how grumpy a character he appears to be.
<br><br>A B'al Musasr MIGHT have said: " You know Yona is a mal-conentent who lacks hakaras hatov and is so grumpy he should FIRST perfect his middos and THEN take off to Ninenveh."<br><br>OR when Moshe Told Yehosvhua 'becahr lanu anashim" Yeshoshua COULD have said, "Look Moseh Rabeeinu! I know I am a great general, but remember how I judgemntal I am by saying things like "adoni Moshe kelo'eim.' I think I need a course in savlanus first before I take on the role of general."
<br></div><br><div><br> </div><br></div><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Kol Tuv / Best Regards,<br><a href="mailto:RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com">RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com</a><br>Please Visit: <br><a href="http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/">
http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/</a>