Thursday, November 29, 2012  katonti m'kol hachassadim --
chessed as an antidote to ego  1. There are two interpretations
in the Midrash to Ya'akov Avinu's proclamation, "Katonti m'kol
hachasadim."  One view is that Ya'akov was saying, "aini k'dai,"
that he is unworthy of Hashem performing a miracle for him.  The
other view is that Ya'akov felt he was "k'dai," but that it
would lead to "katonti," a diminishment of his merits.  The
Sifsei Tzadik explains that this machlokes revolves around the
same point raised in Shabbos 53b.  One of the Amoraim was
miraculously given the ability to nurse his son after his wife
passed away.  Rav Yosef remarked at how wonderful it was that
this man should merit such a miracle, but  Abaye took exactly
the opposite position -- how sad it is that the laws of creation
should be changed on this man's account.  Rav Yosef looked at
the occurence of the miracle as a positive outcome; Abayei
looked at the high cost to a person's "spiritual pocketbook" as
a negative.   Yes, the individu