We both rise early to begin our work. We have a record of what Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai did daily, but we don’t have the same record of the Galilean farmer. We know he is a po’el, like me, obligated to work till nightfall. Perhaps he feeds the poor and his kavanos are more appropriate than mine. Just as he is not haughty regarding his work, I am not haughty regarding my work. It is the effort, not the accomplishment, which matters. Reb Yisrael Salanter said a man must do; it is up to Hashem to turn my work into accomplishment. As they say in Yiddish: Tuin darft a mentch, uftun tut uf der Ribono Shel Olam – man needs to put in effort; Hashem turns it into an accomplishment This exemplifies Chazal’s predilection to humility and to minimize their accomplishments and expectations of others.
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