Stay Away from Glory

The Haftarah from last week’s Parsha, discussed שמואל הנביא and his admonition of the עם when he was about to appoint a king.

Shmuel viewed the request for a king as a personal challenge of his leadership. He reminds the people that he attempted to serve the people faithfully. Like Moshe Rabbeinu, he mentions that he did not even take one donkey for his personal use as one of the perks of his lofty position.

Pirkei Avot warns אהוב את המלאכה ושנא את הרבנות, love the work, but hate the glory. We are to learn to shy away from seeking fame, glory, and honor.

Even our greatest leaders, Moshe and Shmuel, had their positions challenged, where they were forced to defend themselves of ridiculous accusations, to justify their positions of leadership.