51. Self-Deprivation
Deios 2:7
A person should not be frivolous and always laughing, nor should he be gloomy and depressed. Rather, one should just be happy. The Sages said that jesting and levity accustom a person to lewdness. They instructed that a person not laugh uncontrollably, nor be sad and mournful. Rather, one should greet everyone in a cheerful fashion. Similarly, one should not be greedy, pursuing money and possessions, nor should he be lazy and refrain from work. Rather, one should have “a good eye” and limit his business dealings so that he has time to occupy himself with Torah. One should be happy with the little bit that is his lot.
Also along these lines, a person should not be argumentative, envious, desirous, or obsessed with honor. The Sages have told us that envy, desire and the need for honor cause a person to be removed from the world. The main idea is that a person should seek the midpoint of each trait until he has achieved equilibrium. This is what is meant by Proverbs 4:26, “Make the path of your foot level so that all your ways will be established.”
Deios 3:1
A person might think that since envy, desire, honor, etc. are a wrong path and drive a person from the world, that he should diligently avoid them and move towards the opposite extreme. For example, a person might not eat meat, drink wine, live in a nice house, or wear nice clothes. Rather, he would wear rough garments like sackcloth, as some non-Jewish clergy do. This is also a bad course of action, and one that we are not permitted to undertake. A person who follows this path is considered a sinner. Regarding the nazir, Numbers 6:11 says “he shall make an atonement for him for sinning against his soul.” The Sages explained that if a nazir requires atonement simply for abstaining from wine, it is certainly wrong for a person to abstain from everything. Therefore, the Sages said that a person may only abstain from those things actually prohibited by the Torah; we may not deny ourselves permitted things by making vows and oaths to avoid them. The Sages asked, “Aren’t the things that the Torah has prohibited enough? Do you really have to prohibit more things to yourself?”
This also applies to those who constantly fast. This is not a good course of action and the Sages do not permit a person to afflict himself with unnecessary fasting. Regarding these and similar cases, King Solomon said, “Do not be too righteous or too clever. Why destroy yourself?” (Koheles 7:16).