The Sources
A Story: The Broken Pitum

Probably no one would argue with or object to the statement, “Good character is an important value in Judaism.” But what about the statements, “Good character is a central value” or “Good character is the central value in Judaism”? A number of sources seem to point in that direction. (“Middot” is Hebrew for character traits.)

The Sources:

Clinging to G-d
“For if you surely keep all of the mitzvot that I command you to do, to love Hashem your G-d, to walk in all of His ways and to cling to Him.” – (Devarim 11:22)
“These are the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it says: 'Hashem, Hashem, merciful and showing favor, long suffering and full of lovingkindness and truth, . . .' (Shemot 34:6) and it says, 'All those who call the name of Hashem will escape.' (Yoel 3:5) How can one call the name of Hashem? Rather, just as He is called Merciful and showing favor, so you should also be merciful and show favor and give altruistically to all. . . .Just like Hashem is called a Tzaddik (Righteous) . . . so should you be righteous , , , Just like Hashem is called a Chassid . . . so you should be a chassid . . .." -- (Sifrei Eikev 13)

"The Torah Was Given to Purify Man" -- Midrash Rabba
“The sages expound on the verse: “The word of Hashem is pure (“tzerufa”), a guard for all those who take refuge in Him.” The word “tzerufa” is taken to mean, purify, forge, and the verse reads, The word of Hashem purifies . . . . What does it matter to Hashem, asks Rav in the Midrash, whether one slaughters an animal from the front (kosher slaughtering) or from the back (not kosher)? It must be that the Torah was given to purify man. “ (Bereishit Rabba 44:1)

Middot vs. Mitzvot -- Rav Chaim Vital
“The character traits are not included within the 613 commandments because they are essential preparations for keeping or transgressing the 613 commandments. Because they are foundations and roots they are not counted. It turns out that one must be more careful about improper character traits than about keeping mitzvot.” (Rav Chayim Vital zt”l -- Shaarei Kedusha 1:2)

The Purpose of Life -- the Vilna Gaon
“Hold on to mussar and do not let go; watch it for it is your life” (Mishlei 4:13)

“For it is your life: For a person is alive in order to break a [negative] character trait that he has not broken until now. Therefore one should always strengthen one’s self; for if he does not strengthen himself, why is he alive? (Vilna Gaon’s commentary on Mishlei 4:13)

The Main Purpose of Man's Creation -- Saadia Gaon and the Baal Shem Tov
“Go out from your land (‘Lekh lekha’). . . and Rashi explains, ‘I will make your nature known in the world.’ I heard from my teacher (the Baal Shem Tov) may his memory be blessed, who quoted Rav Saadia Gaon: For the main purpose of man’s creation in this world is to break his bad character traits. . . For instance, if he has a hot personality and by nature gets angry easily he should try and break his anger as much as possible . . . “ (Baal Shem Tov on the Torah – Parshat Lekh Lekha 3, 4)

Clinging to Hashem -- the Baalei Hamussar and Chasidus
“As much as middot take up a central place from a human perspective, and they are the splendor of the elevated man . . . . Even more so, this is the case in the approach of the baalei hamussar who, as we have seen, see character as the whole of man. Middot take up an incomparably more central place according to the approach of Chassidut, because the goal of Torah and mitzvot is to come to deveikut (clinging) with Hashem. The sages said, “Cling to His middot” because middot are the foundation of clinging to Hashem. Until one has perfected his middot he is not able to connect up with Hashem . . . . (Netivot Shalom: vol. I, Purifying Middot, introduction, p. 76)

A Story: The Broken Pitum

Told over by Adam Heavenrich at Daniel and Melissa Glass’ Sheva Berakhot, heard from Rabbi Shurin, who heard it from his father Rav Yisroel Shurin, who heard it from Rav Yosef B. Soloveitchik, zt”l

There were two very wealthy talmidei chakhamim in Vilna, Reb Leib and Reb Ber, both of them respected students of Rav Chaim Volozhin. They had very different personalities. While Reb Leib had a very calm personality, was very laid back and easygoing, Reb Ber was very quick moving and energetic, but also easily agitated and sometimes even uptight.

One year the price of the four species, especially etrogim, was extremely high in Eastern Europe. In general it was high – they were always imported from warmer climates – but this year an etrog could only be found at a very high price. Reb Leib and Reb Ber decided to pool their resources and purchase a set of the four species. They got one and kept it at Reb Leib’s house. The plan was for Reb Ber to come to Reb Leib’s house early Sukkot morning, and for the two of them to first do the mitzva before the rest of Vilna Jewry took their turn with the set.

Now Reb Leib had a live in melamed (tutor) for his children. On Sukkot morning all of Vilna was on line outside Reb Leib’s house to take the lulav and etrog and Reb Leib and the melamed were waiting for Reb Ber to come. The melamed figured, since anyway they’re waiting, he’ll do the mitzva in the interim, and received permission from Reb Leib to use the lulav and etrog. After all, how long does it take to shake a lulav – and it’s just sitting there anyways. As the melamed held the four minim, he heard the loud footsteps of Reb Ber bounding up the stairs, zariz (eager) to fulfill the mitzva. The melamed started to tremble in fear, imagining Reb Ber’s angry reaction. The melamed’s hands started to shake and he lost his grip and dropped the etrog, breaking the pitum (the little flowerlike appendage at the top of an etrog) and thereby invalidating it!

Reb Leib looked at his melamed and gently said, “Don’t worry, it happens. Apparently this year we weren’t meant to take the lulav and etrog.” Reb Ber, though, reacted radically differently. He saw the shaking melamed and the broken etrog and began to berate him in loud tones (heard by the Vilna community, waiting outside in line). “How could you have the audacity to do such a thing? You ruined our Sukkot, etc.” That Sukkot the city of Vilna did not have a lulav and etrog, the melamed went out ashamed, but the incident was afterwards forgotten.

Every year around Chanuka time, Reb Leib and Reb Ber would go to Volozhin to give shiurim. Whereas every year the pair was usually well received by Rav Chaim, this year Reb Ber had a feeling he was not being honored by the Rosh Yeshiva the same way that Reb Leib was. He decided to mention somthing to Reb Chaim when saying goodbye.

Reb Ber approached Reb Chaim and said, “Excuse me Rebbe, perhaps I’m mistaken, but I had a feeling that the Rav did not relate to me during my visit the way he usually does. “ Rav Chaim looked at him and said, “You’re not mistaken.” “What is the issue?” asked Reb Ber.

Rav Chaim said (cryptically), “The Mashiach can come from Reb Leib but the Mashiach cannot come from you.” “What do you mean?” asked Reb Ber.

“When Boaz was sleeping in the middle of the night on his threshing floor he noticed a woman at the foot of his bed and began to tremble. What did he say? ‘Who are you? . . . . Blessed are you my daughter . . . ‘ And from their eventual marriage the Mashiach was born (David and the Mashiach are descended from Boaz and Ruth.). How would you, Reb Ber, have reacted? “You immodest woman! What are you doing in a man’s bed in the middle of the night?” You would have chased her out and there would have been no Mashiach. Because Boaz had good midot, because he was patient and calm, the Mashiach was able to come through him. That’s why I said, ‘The Mashiach can come from Reb Leib and the Mashiach cannot come from you.’”

Rav Chaim did not just say, “You have problematic middot.” He said, “The Mashiach cannot come from you.” Good character affects every aspect of our lives and has spinoffs we cannot even imagine – and the opposite is true, G-d forbid, for bad character. It was Boaz’s good character that enabled him to be the ancestor of the Mashiach.

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