משקל החסידותThe Scale of Piety

mishkal ha-ḥasidutIn Gamatria ↗

Weigh a pious act by its fruits, not its face.

The hardest work in piety is weighing it, because here the impulse slips in, pushing away good deeds as if bad and drawing in sins as if great mitzvot. Three things are needed: a straight heart that wants only to please God, close examination of one's deeds, and trust in God after all that. A pious act is judged by its results, not its look. Gedaliah ben Aḥikam, too pious to believe a warning against Yishmael, was murdered, and Israel's last embers were scattered. Rabbi Zekharyah ben Avkulas's scruples over Bar Kamtza's blemished offering brought the Temple down (Gittin 56a). Rebuke that will not be heard is better left unsaid. Extra pieties that make the crowd mock are better dropped. Once the law follows Beit Hillel, keeping it, even leniently, is greater piety than Rabbi Tarfon's strictness.

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