Q:
How can a person make progress and not get stuck in a rut? Let’s say for example in davening.
A:
And the answer is he should always attempt to be ahead of himself. You must always keep ahead of yourself a little bit. Which means that a sincere Jew must always be a little bit of a hypocrite; you always have to try to be a little bit better than you are.
So even though inwardly you don’t have that fire yet, but you have to act as if you have the fire. Raise your voice; if necessary move your body. Sway back and forth, and say the words incisively, vigorously.
That’s called going ahead of yourself. You actually are not what you’re saying but keeping one step ahead of yourself is going to keep you always progressing forward.
Of course you must always beware of trying to put on a good show to deceive other people. But for yourself, always keep ahead of yourself.
Even in tzedakah you can do that. Sometimes you take out what you wouldn’t give ordinarily. Take out a sum of money and give it even though you don’t want to.
Somebody once asked, I think it was the Chafetz Chaim. He asked him, “How can I get the middah of being a ba’al tzedakah, of not being stingy?”
So the Chafetz Chaim said “Start throwing money around. Take out money for tzedakah that you would never give. Do it recklessly to break the middah of having a tight fist.”
Now you’re not that but if you do it, you’re keeping ahead of yourself; you’re one step ahead.
The same thing is also if you’re a man who comes, let’s say, just in the nick of time to davening. They announce davening let’s say at a quarter to eight in your shul and so at a quarter to eight you’re there. Why should you waste any time?
No. Do it anyhow. If you come a little earlier, you’ll break with your past.
Now, you know that you’re not that kind of a man who comes to shul early but you do it anyhow. And you’ll become that kind of a man eventually.
And that’s why we should always try to outdo ourselves and not remain stuck in the rut where we are.
TAPE # 279 (August 1979)
