B"H
Monday, Sivan 16, 5786 / June 1, 2026
Many congregations have a custom to study a chapter of Pirkei Avot (Chapters of our Fathers) each Shabbat between Pesach and Rosh Hashana. In the second chapter of Pirkei Avot, the Talmudic sage Rabbi Eliezer says: ”Your fellow’s honor should be as dear to you as your own.”
The simple meaning is that another person’s honor should be valued by you just as your own honor. However, there is another explanation, which is illustrated by the following story: Rabbi Shmelke was a great Torah scholar, who was invited to Niklosburg to accept the rabbinical position of that city.
Before addressing the crowd for the first time, Rabbi Shmelke asked for a private room. Everyone thought that he was tired and wanted to rest before addressing the crowd.
After a while, someone went to call on the rabbi and bring him to the packed synagogue for his first address to the congregation. To his surprise, when he came to the room, he heard the rabbi speaking. Knowing that there was no one in the room, he was curious and peeked through the keyhole. He saw the rabbi pacing back and forth in the room and talking to himself. He was saying, “Shalom Rabbi Shmelke.. Thank you, Rabbi Shmelke.. What a great speech you gave, Rabbi Shmelke..” Not wanting to embarrass the rabbi, he left.
Later, Rabbi Shmelke went to the synagogue, where he gave his speech. Everyone was amazed at his brilliance and clarity of thought. He was unanimously accepted as Rabbi of Niklosburg.
The man who overheard the rabbi speaking to himself was bothered by what he saw. He had to ask the rabbi about it. “Rabbi, I happen to have overheard you praising yourself. What was the point?”
Rabbi Shmelke replied: “I was worried that after my lecture, people will come over to thank me and praise me, I may become proud and haughty. I was worried that I may transgress the mitzvah of being humble. So, I went into the room and sang my own praises. The more I did it, the more I couldn’t stand it. I realized how foolish and meaningless it is to be praised by yourself. Now that I felt bothered by being praised, I knew that when people will praise me afterwards, it won’t affect me, just as praising myself didn’t mean anything to me.”
Concluded Rabbi Shmelke: “This is what Rabbi Eliezer teaches us in Pirkei Avot: ‘The honor of your fellow should be as considerate to you as your own.’ In other words, when your fellow gives you honor and praise, consider it as you would praise yourself! It shouldn’taffect you to the point where it takes over your humility. It should be as insignificant to you as self-praise.
Our sages say, “Whoever runs away from honor… honor chases after them. But one who chases after honor… honor runs away from them.”
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY