A Matter of Pride

Question

Hi I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the following issues. For example, if one does well in school or at work and they are given compliments, is he allowed to feel good about his accomplishments? Is one allowed to take credit for achievement?

I ask this because Judaism teaches that G0d does all. However, is there room for being proud of one’s accomplishments? May one think, “Wow! I really did a good job on …”?

What is the proper and kosher way to think about this matter?

Thanks!

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Pride, when applied incorrectly, is a very destructive trait since it often leads a person to believe that they can manage just fine without God.

    There is no problem, however, to feel a sense of pride in having done something well, or for achieving a certain attainment, so long as the real source of your pride comes from the fact that you feel an incredible sense of gratitude to God that He allowed you to achieve whatever you did.

    Moshe, our Teacher, was the greatest person ever to live, and yet he is described as being “a very humble man.” Humility is not the same as modesty. Moshe was perfectly aware of how great he was and how the world would view him for eternity through the words of the Torah that he wrote down, and yet he did not feel that he achieved anything by himself, but rather that his attainments were because God allowed and guided him to success.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team