Avos 4:19

בס׳ד

אבות ד:יט

Tiny Shmuel says: “When your enemy falls, don’t rejoice, And in his stumbling let your heart not gladden, Lest HaShem take notice and finds it evil in His sight, And turns His anger away from him” (Mishlei 24:17).

שְׁמוּאֵל הַקָּטָן אוֹמֵר, (משלי כד) בִּנְפֹל אוֹיִבְךָ אַל תִּשְׂמָח וּבִכָּשְׁלוֹ אַל יָגֵל לִבֶּךָ, פֶּן יִרְאֶה ה' וְרַע בְּעֵינָיו וְהֵשִׁיב מֵעָלָיו אַפּוֹ:

        

        The Yavneh Sage, Shmuel, was known for his humility.  Hence his nickname, “Tiny” (HaKatan).  His humility was so intense that, as we see here, he refused to transmit his own wisdom.  Rather, he simply quotes a pasuk from Mishlei that captures his own attitude towards life.  In his judgement the ULTIMATE act of self-importance is to assume that HaShem shares your own partial judgements about who is good and who is evil.  Your enemy’s suffering may have absolutely nothing to do with you.  If you gloat about it, as if the Creator of Heaven and Earth is at your personal disposal, you simply open yourself up to the sort of Divine Attention you may not really desire.

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