We now return to our regular regimen of Hovot HaLevavot, after an almost six-week break. We pick up at Shaar Revi’i, perek ,ד where the Hovot HaLevavot tells us the following:
ויש מבני אדם כתות שאינם משתדלים לקנות הממון ולהרבות ממנו
There are people whose whole goal for money is not for food, nor clothing, nor housing,
Why do they need it?
אלא לאהבת הכבוד מבני אדם ,ולעשות להם שם
Because they want honor and to make a name for themselves.
And, if that’s the goal, he says,
ואין מספיק להם ממנו שום דבר
There will never be enough.
This is a tremendous Hiddush that we must spend some time on.
The Hovot HaLevavot tells us that there are three reasons for a person to want money. Some, like Yaakov Avinu, need it for בגד ללבוש ולחם לאכול -clothing to wear, and food to eat. They don’t need the money necessarily, it’s just a means to get those things.
Others want money because it feels good to have it.
Then, there’s the third group. They don’t care about anything but the Kavod/Honor that money brings. That is never-ending. There’s a Gemara that says that those that have one hundred want two hundred, and those that have two hundred want four hundred. They’re not satisfied but at least there’s a finite need there.
If a person wants Kavod, however, that destroy everything.
Haman is most the glaring example of this. He had everything. He was second in command. He had just left the first party of the king and queen, and got invited to party two, with the king and queen again. He was on top of the world.
וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָמָן֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא שָׂמֵ֖חַ וְט֣וֹב לֵ֑ב
And Haman walked out that day “Sameach VeTov Lev.” Happy and glad of heart.
This is an unbelievable title.
Rav Ades says it’s shocking. You need a lot of good middot to get to this level of Sameach VeTov Lev. How could Haman have reached such a level? Well, he was happy and glad of heart, because he had everything in the world, but how long did it last?
וְכִרְאוֹת֩ הָמָ֨ן אֶֽת־מָרְדֳּכַ֜י בְּשַׁ֣עַר הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְלֹא־קָם֙ וְלֹא־זָ֣ע מִמֶּ֔נּוּ וַיִּמָּלֵ֥א הָמָ֛ן עַֽל־מָרְדֳּכַ֖י חֵמָֽה
When he saw Mordechai at the King’s gate, and Mordechai didn’t move, he was infuriated.
Nevertheless, וַיִּתְאַפַּ֣ק הָמָ֔ן
Haman controlled himself, he didn’t show it on his face, and went home. But he was depressed, so
וַיִּשְׁלַ֛ח וַיָּבֵ֥א אֶת־אֹהֲבָ֖יו וְאֶת־זֶ֥רֶשׁ אִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃
He called all of his friends and his wife Zeresh,
וַיְסַפֵּ֨ר לָהֶ֥ם הָמָ֛ן אֶת־כְּב֥וֹד עָשְׁר֖וֹ וְרֹ֣ב בָּנָ֑יו וְאֵת֩ כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר גִּדְּל֤וֹ הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ וְאֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִשְּׂא֔וֹ עַל־הַשָּׂרִ֖ים וְעַבְדֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
and Haman told them all about the great honor and respect he got from his wealth, his many sons, and all about how the king had promoted him and advanced him above the officials and the king’s courtiers.
And he to top it all off, he told them that he was going to the party.
But then, he let out the truth:
וְכָל־זֶ֕ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ שֹׁוֶ֖ה לִ֑י בְּכָל־עֵ֗ת אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֲנִ֤י רֹאֶה֙ אֶת־מָרְדֳּכַ֣י הַיְּהוּדִ֔י יוֹשֵׁ֖ב בְּשַׁ֥עַר הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
“Yet all this is worth nothing to me
every time I see that Jew Mordecai sitting in the palace gate.”
It was all worth nothing to Haman.
Mordechai, who Haman knew deep down represented truth, wouldn’t bow to him. Haman didn’t get respect from where it was really supposed to be coming from. All of the respect Haman got was worthless to him. His false, fantasy-world of honor was shattered. It was all artificial. He had nothing.
If man is chasing honor, says the Hovot HaLevavot, all the bitachon in the world won’t help. Honor is a never-ending, bottomless pit that you can never fill.
So much so that the Arizal says that the last letter of each word in Haman’s phrase,
“It’s all worthless to me”
־זֶ֕ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ שֹׁוֶ֖ה לִ֑י
Heh, Vav, Heh, and Yud -are the letters of Hashem’s name, but backwards.
The Arizal says this is because this attitude of Haman’s, of seeking honor and respect, regardless of everything he had, can take every bit of G-d’s (name of) mercy, flip it upside-down, and make it all worthless and meaningless. That is the negative force of honor.
BeH, we will spend more time on this.
It is now Isru Hag, and we just left what we call the Clouds of Glory, the Ananeh HaKavod- which are “Clouds of Honor and Respect.” Whose honor and respect?
Some commentaries say this refers to the honor and respect of the Jewish people.
If you feel honored and respected by G-d, you’re happy with the simplest of things. It’s real honor and respect. That’s the mitzvah of Succah. You can sit in a hut with the schach on top, and be happy because you know what G-d thinks of you. You know your true worth.
This is a key point.
Some people wonder: “Why aren’t I happy? Why isn’t my bitachon working?”
And the answer is because there is something that bitachon can’t fulfill: The bottomless pit of chasing honor instead of chasing reality.
Have a great day.