לרועה חזירים שהגיע למלךThe Swineherd King

le-ro'eh ḥazirim she-higgi'a le-melekhIn Gamatria ↗

Remember the herd you came from and the dust ahead.

Humility is acquired by habit and by reflection. Habit: take the lower seat, walk at the back, dress respectably but not lavishly, until outward acts draw the heart along. Reflection: Akavya ben Mahalalel's three questions (Avot 3:1), where you came from, where you are going, and before whom you will give account. A swineherd who became king cannot be proud while he remembers his early days. Fortunes turn; the rich grow poor and the ruler becomes a servant. Pride grows from plenty, for a lion roars over a basket of meat, not of straw (Berakhot 32a). Above all it grows from ignorance: a single coin in a jar rattles loudly. Beware flatterers. After Jehoiada died, King Joash's servants praised him as a god, and he listened. Seek friends who will rebuke you.

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