Sometimes we take ourselves a little too seriously, and feel a little – or a lot – too proud of ourselves. A person’s wealth, good looks, social standing, professional achievements, or even religious accomplishments have a way of making him feel too important, too confident, and too great. An extreme example of this phenomenon is told in Parashat Vaera. Hashem instructed Moshe to go speak to Pharaoh at the river early in the morning. The Midrash explains that Pharaoh claimed that he was a god, and so he made sure to never be seen using the restroom. He would arise early in the morning and go to the river to perform his bodily functions. The Rabbis also teach that Pharaoh claimed that he created the Nile River. He saw himself as a god. None of us go so far as to think we’re gods, but we do sometimes tend to “idolize” ourselves in some way. We feel a little too proud about our achievements, our job, our position, or how people look highly at us. We fall into delusion about how accomplished we are, and, like Pharaoh, try to forget that we’re flawed, limited human beings. Right after Hashem appeared to Moshe Rabbenu at the burning bush and charged him with the most important and distinguished mission ever – to lead Beneh Yisrael out of Egypt, and bring them to Mount Sinai where they would receive the Torah – something shocking happened. As Moshe lodged in an inn along his journey to Egypt, Hashem nearly killed him, because he had failed to give his son a berit milah . Right when Moshe accepted the most important job ever assigned to a human being, Hashem sent him a message, essentially saying, “I don’t need you. If necessary, I could get this done without you.” We should feel proud of our accomplishments, but we must make sure not to feel too proud. Even Moshe Rabbenu, the greatest and most accomplished leader in history, was not indispensable. We need to stop idolizing ourselves – and also stop idolizing other people. Moshe, as great as he was, suffered from a speech impediment. One commentator explains that Hashem specifically made Moshe flawed so that the people would not mistake him for some kind of G-dly creature. It was critically important for them to remember that he was just human, that he wasn’t perfect, that he was flawed. When we idolize people – either ourselves or other people – this is a deficiency in our emunah , in our faith in Hashem, in our belief that He exerts full control over everything in the world. We often tend to idolize certain figures – athletes, singers, actors, politicians, very wealthy people, and even Rabbis. Certainly, there are famous and accomplished people who rightfully deserve our admiration and respect. There are politicians who deserve our support and our gratitude for the good things they’ve done. But we must be very wary of idolizing them, of raising them on too high a pedestal, on depending on them too much, and on investing in them too much. Even great people – even Moshe Rabbenu!! – are only human. The only perfect being upon whom we should trust and rely in Hashem. Putting too much belief and trust in people undermines our belief and trust in Hashem. Let us stop idolizing ourselves and other people, and always remember that only Hashem is in full control of the world – and that He is the only one we should ever idolize.