Arrogance

גאוה GAAVA - ARROGANCE:

BOOK ONE

1. The Mashiach will not come until all the arrogance in the world ceases.

2. Through arrogance, one comes to homosexual desires, also one comes to anger. Also, sometimes a woman cannot conceive because she (overly) adorns herself and is arrogant.

3. Through arrogance, famine comes to the world.

4. Through arrogance, one comes to drunkenness and vice-versa.

5. Through arrogance, one comes to be frightened.

6. A remedy (or propitious) to annul arrogance, is to give charity.

7. One who arrogantly imposes rabbinical authority, God arouses enemies against him.

8. One who experiences an uplifted heart, should know that the hour (time) is successful for him.

9. One who saves poor people has power in his gaze on arrogant people to humble them.

10. One who walks in a public marketplace and falls, for certain he has a large ego.

11. Conducive to overcoming arrogance: to have empathize Jewish suffering.

12. A poor man who is pursued by a wicked man; know that the poor man is haughty.

13. Pride causes a loss of faith.

14. Pride blocks one’s heart and eyes from perceiving the Blessed God’s wonders and from experiencing awe before Him.

15. One should not find cause to be haughty due to brilliant perceptions or good deeds, for it all comes by way of the tzadik of the generation and one is merely by the tzadik like a pen by a scribe.

16. Eating and drinking bring to arrogance.

17. A rectification for arrogance is that one should fast.

18. Conducive to (overcoming) arrogance; to look at the sky.

19. A person is spooked by nightmares in order to remove embedded arrogance, which is concealed from him, which he doesn't discern.

20. Anyone who is conceited; his wisdom and prophecy (possibly: intuition) depart.

21. An arrogant pauper is unbearable (to the intellect). He, too, eventually has regret and is despised in his own eyes.

22. An egotist [someone beautiful] is unable to humble his self-regard and will come to forgetfulness.

23. A conceited person is (considered physically) handicapped.

24. Depending upon the necessity of the matter, it may be permissible to act in a way which appears arrogant.

25. An arrogant person will eventually commit adultery. He is like an idolater, like one who denies the essentials of faith, like one who committed all forms of incest, and like one who built an alter for idolatry. His importance diminishes to nothing, he deserves to be chopped down like the idolatrous Asherah tree. His remains will not be stirred for the resurrection and the Shechinah wails over him.

26. [Wearing] a Tzaddik’s hat is conducive to removing arrogance. (translators note: hence the Nanach beanie!)

27. Through faith, you will be able to break yourself from pride, and rule over the vice of arrogance.

28. An arrogant person, his thoughts (plans) are unsuccessful.

29. When you happen upon a transgression without awareness, it is certain that you have arrogance, and through this (accidental sin, Heaven) is showing you that you are not yet a tzaddik.

30. When any conceit comes to you, be concerned from calamity (befalling you).

31. A poor man of humble spirit, even though he doesn't give charity, he is better than a prideful rich man, even though he gives charity.

32. When pride falls upon you, visualize before you your father’s image.

33. Arrogance is a sign of (or for) downfall, God forbid.

34. Arrogance is a result of your not having rectified the sins of youth.

35. One who's wine sours, it is certain that he is haughty.

36. One who is haughty, his dwelling place will not endure.

37. One who has arrogance, I (God) and he cannot dwell (together) in the world. Even a slight breeze troubles him. His prayer goes unheeded. He does not have healing. He becomes impoverished in Torah, and his wife denigrates him.

38. One who dons the garb of a Torah scholar and he is not a Torah scholar, will not be brought into God’s partition.

39. Pride holds back (the coming of) Messiah, and confounds a person from the world.

40. The verse (Job 20:6): אם יעלה לשמים שיאו וראשו לעב יגיע (כגללו לנצח יאבד ראיו יאמרו איו – “If his height rises to the sky, and his head reaches the cloud(s) [he will be eternally destroyed like dung, those that look upon him will say, where is he?]”. And the verse (Proverbs 27:24): כי לא לעולם חסן ואם נזר לדור ודור – “For refuge is not forever, and is the crown (of wealth) lasting for generations?” are conducive to breaking haughtiness.