Shemirat HaLashon שמירת הלשון

There are some [who are habituated to lashon hara] because of pride. That is, considering himself wise and a man above men, all being lowly in his eyes, wherefore his heart prompts him to scoff at his friend. His pride also brings him to envy and hate his friend who is honored in the eyes of the people of the city, because it seems to him that his [own] honor is diminished because of this. He will think to himself: "If not for him, I would be regarded among men as an eminent person." And he will probe hidden things in order to have something to say against him, be it true or false, in order to denigrate his name among people and to show his superiority to him and to diminish his eminence and to humiliate and shame him. And sometimes his pride will bring him into all four classes [who do not behold the Divine Presence]: CHASHMAL [chanefim-flatterers; shakranim-liars; mesaprei lashon hara-speakers of lashon hara; leitzanim-scoffers]. He will speak demeaningly of his friend, so that he be honored and his friend despised; and he will mock him for not being eminent in his eyes. And he will glory in falsehood, in qualities that he does not possess. And because of his pride, he will flatter evildoers always and not reprove them, so that they not hate him and diminish his honor.

Therefore, one who wishes to purify his soul from this bitter sin should reflect always upon the great baseness of pride. For how should a person be proud when the beginning of his existence is a putrefying drop and he is destined for a place of dust, maggot and worm, and his remnant consumes his remnant?

He should also reflect upon the severity of this sin, a negative commandment among the 613 mitzvoth, as it is written (Devarim 8:14): "And your heart will swell [with pride] and you will forget the L-rd your G-d," as listed in Semag. And Chazal have said (Sotah 4b): "One who is haughty of heart is like a server of idols." And the more one thinks to magnify his name in the world, the more it is diminished and his body is spurned by the creations. He should also reflect upon the greatness of his punishment in this world and in the world to come, as they said (Succah 29b): "Because of four things the possessions of householders go to waste … and haughtiness of heart." And they also say (Sotah 5a): "All who have haughtiness of heart are in the end deflated." And we also learn there: R. Chisda said: "Whoever has haughtiness of heart — the Holy One Blessed be He says of him: 'He and I cannot inhabit the [same] world.'" And R. Elazar said: "If one has haughtiness of heart, his dust does not stir for the resurrection." And this is measure for measure. For instead of reflecting always that he is destined for a pace of dust, maggot, and work, to still his pride, he did not think thus, but only that the heights of the rocks would be his domain forever and that the spacious heights would be his eternal rest, above all of his contemporaries. Therefore, when his body turns to dust, his dust lacks the power to stir from its place, and all will arise and stand on their feet, and he will remain lying low, beneath the soles of the feet of all the people whom he vaunted himself over while yet in life. And he is also abominated because of this in the eyes of the Blessed L-rd, as it is written (Mishlei 16:5): "The abomination of the L-rd are all the haughty of heart."

And when one reflects upon his great poverty in Torah and mitzvoth, he will have nothing to be proud about. As Chazal have said (Nedarim 41a): "One who lacks this [(Torah)], what has he acquired?" And even if he has some Torah and good deeds, when he reflects upon them in truth, he will find that he has not attained even half and even a third [of the potential] of the wisdom that the Holy One Blessed be He has implanted in his soul.

[And the holy books have provided for this a telling parable, which I think I saw in Zichru Torath Mosheh: (To what may this be compared?) To the [instance of] a wealthy merchant who sends two men to a distant country to purchase precious jewels for him. To one he gives for this a thousand golden pieces; to the other, only a hundred, and they waste their money on the way on trifles, until the first remains with only two hundred golden pieces, and the second, with forty. One day, they start quarreling with each other, the first saying to the second: "Can you compare yourself to me? You are a pauper, not possessing even a fourth of what I do?" Another man speaks up, and says to him: "Fool and haughty one, with what should you be proud? Don't we know that the money is not yours and that you are only a messenger to bring merchandise to your sender? And, in truth, you are poorer than the second, over whom you have vaunted yourself. For he owes his sender only sixty golden pieces, which he scattered in his folly, whereas you have scattered eight hundred golden pieces on trifles. What will you say to your sender about such a great sum? Will you not then be covered with shame and humiliation, much more than this poor pauper?" So is it, exactly, in our case. For are we not all messengers of the Merciful One from the upper world to this one, each one to amend his soul and to "polish" it according to the amount of wisdom that the Holy One Blessed be He implanted in it?" Therefore, one should not vaunt himself because of the superiority of his wisdom to that of his friend; for is it not not his, but only given to him for the ultimate end. Rather, he should think to himself about how many days and how many years he neglected Torah, and that he will have to give an accounting of his activities for every day of the days of his life.

And this is the language of Sefer Hapardess of Maharam Cordovero, the Gate of Sanctuaries 1: "A level above the four holy creatures, is Yofiel, the angel of Torah, with all the keys of wisdom in his hand. And when the soul rises on high, the angel, Deah, [knowledge,] questions it on the wisdom it acquired in this world. And to the extent that it toiled in Torah and pursued it, to that extent will it receive its reward. And if it could have occupied itself with Torah but did not, it pushes it below, under that sanctuary, in shame and humiliation. And when the seraphs under the [heavenly] creature lift their wings and beat them one against the other, they burn that soul until it is burnt, etc. And thus is it judged every day, although it have good deeds, because it did not occupy itself with Torah as is should have."

Therefore, the man of heart must reflect upon this all the days of his life, as it is written in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu, that a man should see to it to grasp in his hand what he has learned so that shame and humiliation not overcome him on the day of judgment, when they say: "Arise and set forth the Scripture that you have read and the Mishnah that you have learned."]