The word גַאֲוָה is not mentioned at
all, while the word that comes closest to it גְּבוֹהָה,
is semantically similar but unrelated. So the closest that Avot gets to
condemnation of pride is this anonymous mishnah at 5:22 (with proof verses
omitted):
כָּל מִי
שֶׁיֶּשׁ בּוֹ שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים הַלָּלוּ, הוּא מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם
אָבִֽינוּ, וּשְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים אֲחֵרִים, הוּא מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל בִּלְעָם
הָרָשָׁע. תַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִֽינוּ: עַֽיִן טוֹבָה, וְרֽוּחַ
נְמוּכָה, וְנֶֽפֶשׁ שְׁפָלָה. תַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע: עַֽיִן
רָעָה, וְרֽוּחַ גְּבוֹהָה, וְנֶֽפֶשׁ רְחָבָה. מַה בֵּין תַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל
אַבְרָהָם אָבִֽינוּ לְתַלְמִידָיו שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע, תַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל
אַבְרָהָם אָבִֽינוּ אוֹכְלִין בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וְנוֹחֲלִין הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא
…אֲבָל תַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל
בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע יוֹרְשִׁין גֵּיהִנֹּם וְיוֹרְדִין לִבְאֵר שַֽׁחַת…
Whoever possesses these three traits is from the disciples of our father
Abraham; and whoever possesses three other traits is from the disciples of the
wicked Balaam. The disciples of our father Abraham have a good eye, a meek
spirit and a humble soul. The disciples of the wicked Balaam have an evil eye,
a haughty [גְּבוֹהָה] spirit
and a gross soul. What is the difference between the disciples of our father
Abraham and the disciples of the wicked Balaam? The disciples of our father
Abraham benefit in this world and inherit the World to Come […] The
disciples of the wicked Balaam inherit Gehinnom and descend into the pit of
destruction […].
This does not mean that
we should encourage pride. Both the Tanach (in Mishlei) and the apocrypha (in
Ben Sira) explicitly condemn it. So does our oral Torah: the Gemara at Sotah 5b
makes that clear. Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak argues for the zero option: a person must totally eliminate pride. Rav
Chiyya bar Ashi is prepared to tolerate “an eighth of an eighth” of pride on
the part of a talmid chacham, just enough to preserve his dignity to the point
at which others will not think less of his teaching.
So why is Avot so quiet
about this middah? If any reader of this post has an explanation, I invite them
to share it here.
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