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Why do we deny our strengths and focus obsessively on our flaws? The shiur develops a yesod that tznius means total ownership of who you are—being secure enough in your ma'alos that you don't need others' approval. Adar's avodah is to make a list of your accomplishments and strengths, because owning your ma'alos is what enables real growth in Torah (תורה) and tefillah.
Rabbi Zweig addresses the community during a time when several individuals are ill, emphasizing that while this doesn't meet the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s criteria for a communal decree, it nonetheless calls for introspection and spiritual strengthening. He notes that according to the Gemara (גמרא), our generation merits refuah kodem lamakah—the cure exists before the affliction, meaning the solution is already present and we need only find the key to access it. The shiur identifies Torah (תורה) and tefillah as the only forces capable of saving a person from Gehinnom or from subjugation under the nations. To strengthen these areas, Rabbi Zweig proposes working on a fundamental character trait: tznius, understood not merely as modesty in dress but as a deeper spiritual quality—the ability to not need center stage.
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Parshas Pekudei 1992
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