Rabbi Yigal Cohen – What is Scholar's Envy?

Envy does not pass over Torah scholars. If we studied three pages of the Talmud today, a sense of satisfaction surely fills our hearts until the moment our study partner tells us they had special heavenly assistance and managed to study seven pages. Then, our satisfaction with our three pages diminishes, and instead of dancing with joy over the gift Hashem has given us to study His Torah, even a single word of which has immeasurable value, we find ourselves unsatisfied with the three pages we learned.

If you ask - isn't it written in the Talmud (Baba Batra 21): "Scholar's envy increases wisdom"?

This type of envy demands true happiness in one's heart over a friend's success in Torah and a sincere desire for us to also give pleasure to Hashem and never to envy or wish for the decline of a friend's worth. Sadly, what often happens is the opposite. Certainly, one should not envy the honor due to a friend because of their greatness in Torah.

If you truly want your envy to increase your wisdom, you must first of all thank Hashem for your friend's success and feel joy in your heart that a Jew can please Hashem. You should even pray for their continued success in their holy work. Only then should you pray for and desire the privilege of Torah study and dissemination for yourself.

How many times have I encountered people who approach me speaking ill of other Jews, and from their words, I understand envy speaks from within them. It pains them to see others succeed and themselves fail, and this envy can lead them to what our sages warned (Masechet Derech Eretz, Chapter "The Outsider," Halacha 13): "Those who speak lashon hara have no share in the world to come".

In the book "Orchot Tzaddikim" (Gate of Envy), it is brought what became of those driven by greed who sought what was not theirs. The first to envy was the primordial serpent, who lusted after Eve, Adam's wife, and caused death to the world, losing even what it had been granted, condemned to "crawl on its belly and eat dust all the days of its life" (Genesis 3:14).

So it was with Cain - born with one twin sister who was also his wife, while Abel was born with two twin sisters who were also his wives. Burning with envy against his brother, and because Hashem favored Abel's offering over his, Cain rose against his brother and killed him, losing both worlds.

Korah was also a wealthy man, greatly learned in Torah, even possessing the Holy Spirit. Yet, he could not stand the success of Moses and Aaron, and envy consumed him. Together with 250 Israelite leaders (apparently, this bad trait burned within them as well), he challenged Moses and Aaron, who were the most humble.

If we pause and reflect on what happened, all of Israel saw Moses ascend Mount Sinai and return with a radiant face so bright they could not look at him. Hashem revealed Himself to him, saying, "I am Hashem your God," and the Divine Presence spoke with him daily. Could anyone wise dare oppose him? Certainly not.

So how did Korah dare dispute Moses and Aaron???

The answer is clear: when envy enters a person, their reason departs. They can even dispute Hashem Himself. The end of Korah, as the Talmud states (Sanhedrin 109b), is that he has no portion in the world to come.

Jeroboam ben Nebat was the greatest of his generation in Torah to the point the Talmud notes all the sages of Israel were like the grasses of the field before him because he knew the entire Torah by heart.

But he forgot or failed to understand one thing: "Envy, desire, and honor drive a person out of the world" (Pirkei Avot 4:21).

After he sinned, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 102a) recounts that Hashem still appeared to him and said, "Repent, and you, I, and the son of Jesse will walk together in Paradise!"

Jeroboam asked, "Who leads?"

Hashem replied, "The son of Jesse before!"

"If so," Jeroboam answered, "I refuse..."

Unbelievable...

Hashem Himself urges him to repent, initially saying, "You and I with the son of Jesse will walk in Paradise," meaning Hashem intended for Jeroboam to precede David. However, he wanted to hear explicitly that he was better than David and would walk ahead in Paradise. And so, he was cut off from this world and the next, all because he failed to eradicate envy within himself.

Such was the end of Absalom, son of King David, who coveted his father's throne to the point of leading a rebellion against his own father. How ungrateful is that?

Let us not be mistaken in thinking Absalom was a simpleton; on the contrary, he was great in Torah and fear of God. Still, envy of his father's kingship clouded his judgment to the point of doing horrific deeds to David's wives, as recorded in the Book of Samuel, and he attempted to kill his righteous and holy father, ultimately killed by Joab, son of Zeruiah. If not for David's prayers to raise him from Gehenna, his end would have been dire.

This pattern recurred throughout the generations with significant figures whom envy deranged. If we wish to truly delight the King of kings and live a joyful life in this world and the next, we must do all we can to eradicate envy within us and cultivate love for Israel and a generous heart toward all.

The book 'Yagel Libi B'Yishuatecha' is available at select stores and in Hidabroot Shops