(יז) וזאת היא גאוות הגוף שהיא טובה: שמא יאמר האדם: הואיל והגאווה היא מידה רעה כל כך, אפרוש ממנה ביותר – עד שלא יאכל בשר ולא ישתה יין, ולא ישא אשה, ולא ישב בדירה נאה, ולא ילבש מלבוש נאה אלא השק והצמר, וקרועים ומלוכלכים; ומשתמש בכלים מלוכלכים ומאוסים, ולא ירחץ פניו ידיו ורגליו עד שישחיר תארו משאר אנשים. וכל זה כדי שיתרחק מן הגאווה, עד שלא יוכל להתרחק יותר.
(17) And there is a sort of personal pride or pride in one's person that is good and necessary. Otherwise, a man might say, "Since arrogance is so evil a quality I shall separate myself from pride even more." And then he denies himself meat, drinks no wine, does not marry, does not live in a nice dwelling, does not put on a nice garment, but wears sackloth and coarse wool, and torn, soiled clothes, uses soiled and ugly dishes and utensils, does not wash his face, hands and feet until his appearance becomes more bedraggled than the appearance of other men and he does all this so as to remove himself from pride as far as is possible.
Josephus. Antiquities Book 2. Bolding added for emphasis by curriculum author.
A man whose name was Amram, one of the nobler sort of the Hebrews, was afraid for his whole nation, lest it should fail, by the want of young men to be brought up hereafter, and was very uneasy at it, his wife being then with child, and he knew not what to do. Hereupon he betook himself to pray to God; and entreated Him to have compassion on those men who had nowise transgressed the laws of His worship, and to afford them deliverance from the miseries they at that time endured, and to render abortive their enemies’ hopes of the destruction of their nation. Accordingly God had mercy on him, and was moved by his supplication. He stood by him in his sleep, and exhorted him not to despair of His future favors. He said further, that He did not forget their piety towards Him, and would always reward them for it, as He had formerly granted His favor to their forefathers, and made them increase from a few to so great a multitude… Know therefore[, said He,] that I shall provide for you all in common what is for your good, and particularly for thyself what shall make thee famous; for that child, out of dread of whose nativity the Egyptians have doomed the Israelite children to destruction, shall be this child of thine, and shall be concealed from those who watch to destroy him: and when he is brought up in a surprising way, he shall deliver the Hebrew nation from the distress they are under from the Egyptians. His memory shall be famous while the world lasts; and this not only among the Hebrews, but foreigners also.
(שמות ב, א) וילך איש מבית לוי- להיכן הלך? אמר רב יהודה בר זבינא: שהלך בעצת בתו. תנא: עמרם גדול הדור היה כיון גזר פרעה הרשע "כל הבן הילוד היאורה תשליכוהו" אמר "לשוא אנו עמלין". עמד וגירש את אשתו, עמדו כולן וגירשו את נשותיהן.
אמרה לו בתו: "אבא, קשה גזירתך יותר משל פרעה, שפרעה לא גזר אלא על הזכרים ואתה גזרת על הזכרים ועל הנקיבות! פרעה לא גזר אלא בעוה"ז, ואתה בעוה"ז ולעוה"ב. פרעה הרשע, ספק מתקיימת גזירתו, ספק אינה מתקיימת. אתה צדיק, בודאי שגזירתך מתקיימת"!... עמד והחזיר את אשתו, עמדו כולן והחזירו את נשותיהן.
The verse states: “And there went a man of the house of Levi"... To where did he go? Rav Yehuda bar Zevina says: He followed his daughter's advice. It was taught Amram was the leader of his generation. Once wicked Pharaoh made the decree that all boys should be thrown into the Nile, [Amram] said: ‘We are striving for nothing!’ He then divorced his wife. Every man followed him and divorced their wives. His daughter said to him: ‘Father, your decree is worse than Pharaoh’s. Pharaoh’s decree applies only to boys, but yours applies to boys and girls. Pharaoh’s decree extends only to this world, but yours extends to this world and the world to come. The wicked Pharaoh’s decree might or might not be acted upon [in any given situation], but you are a righteous person so your decree will take effect. [Amram] went and brought back his wife. All the men brought back their wives as well…
Nechama Leibowitz. Studies in Exodus.
Moses intervened on three occasions to save the victim from the aggressor. Each of these represents an archetype. First he intervenes in a clash between a Jew and a non-Jew, second between two Jews and third between two non-Jews. In all three cases Moses championed the just cause…Had we been told only of the first clash, we might have doubted the unselfishness of his motives. Perhaps he had been activated by a sense of solidarity with his own people, hatred for the stronger oppressing his people rather than pure justice. Had we been faced with the second example…perhaps he was revolted by the disgrace of watching internal strife amongst his own folk, activated by national pride…Came the third clash where both parties were outsiders, neither brothers nor neighbors. His sense of justice and fair play was exclusively involved.
(א) וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: מֶלֶךְ בְּמִשְׁפָּט יַעֲמִיד אֶרֶץ, וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמוֹת יֶהֶרְסֶנָּה (משלי כט, ד). מַלְכָּהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה, בְּמִשְׁפָּט שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה, מַעֲמִיד אֶת הָאָרֶץ. וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמוֹת יֶהֶרְסֶנָּה. אִם מֵשִׁים אָדָם עַצְמוֹ כַּתְּרוּמָה הַזּוֹ שֶׁמֻּשְׁלֶכֶת בְּזָוִית הַבַּית וְאוֹמֵר מַה לִּי בְּטֹרַח הַצִּבּוּר, מַה לִּי בְּדִינֵיהֶם, מַה לִּי לִשְׁמֹעַ קוֹלָם, שָׁלוֹם עָלַיִךְ נַפְשִׁי, הֲרֵי זֶה מַחֲרִיב אֶת הָעוֹלָם. הֱוֵי וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמוֹת יֶהֶרְסֶנָּה.
(ב) מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי אַסִּי, כְּשֶׁהָיָה מִסְתַּלֵּק מִן הָעוֹלָם, נִכְנַס בֶּן אֲחוֹתוֹ אֶצְלוֹ, מְצָאוֹ בּוֹכֶה. אָמַר לוֹ: רַבִּי, מִפְּנֵי מָה אַתָּה בּוֹכֶה? יֵשׁ תּוֹרָה שֶׁלֹּא לָמַדְתָּ וְלִמַּדְתָּ, הֲרֵי תַּלְמִידֶיךָ יוֹשְׁבִים לְפָנֶיךָ. יֵשׁ גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים שֶׁלֹּא עָשִׂיתָ. וְעַל כָּל מִדּוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ בְּךָ, הָיִיתָ מִתְרַחֵק מִן הַדַּיָּנִין, וְלֹא נָתַתָּ רְשׁוּת עַל עַצְמְךָ לְהִתְמַנּוֹת עַל צָרְכֵי צִבּוּר. אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, עָלֶיהָ אֲנִי בּוֹכֶה, שֶׁמָּא אֶתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן עַל שֶׁהָיִיתִי יָכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת דִּינֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, הֱוֵי, וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמוֹת יֶהֶרְסֶנָּה.
(1) Now these are the ordinances (Exod. 21:1). Scripture says elsewhere: The king by justice establisheth the land, but the man who sets himself apart (terumah)1The word terumah means “something set aside,” as with the priestly offering. overthroweth it (Prov. 29:4). The Torah’s king rules through justice and thereby causes the earth to endure, but the man who sets himself apart (terumah) overthrows it. This implies that if a man acts as though he were a terumah (the portion separated, or set aside, for the priests) by secluding himself in the corner of his home and declaring: “What concern are the problems of the community to me? What does their judgment mean to me? Why should I listen to them? I will do well (without them),” he helps to destroy the world. Hence the man of separation (terumah) overthroweth it.
(2) It is related that when R. Ammi was about to die his sister’s son visited him and found him weeping. He said to him: “My master, why do you weep? Is there a single law that you have not learned and taught? Indeed even now thy disciples sit in your presence. Is there any kind deed you have not performed? But more important than all the virtues you possess is the fact that you have restrained yourself from acting as a judge and have refrained from the overseeing the needs of the community.” Whereupon he replied: “My son, that is why I weep. Perhaps I shall have to account for the fact that I refused to serve as a judge in Israel though I was able to do so.” Hence, but the man of separation overthroweth it.