We continue with the concept of how arrogance brings the Yetzer Hara upon a person, and causes him to be controlled by his Yetzer Hara, as opposed to the humble man that is controlled by God. The Mesilat Yesharim, in chapter 13, points out that there are no real laws concerning clothing and jewelry in Torah, regarding how beautiful they can be or how they're made; only that they can’t have any wool and linen mixed together, and for a man to have Tzizit on a four-cornered garment. Otherwise, it’s all kosher (the laws of modesty notwithstanding). But he says, ‘ Who does not know that wearing clothing that is beautiful and embroidered is going to drag with it arrogance?’ He quotes a Midrash Raba in Bereshit 22 that says, “ When the Yetzer Hara sees a man walking with arrogant steps, one who starts feeling his clothing (we’re not saying don't dress properly and respectfully), wanting it to only be from the finest of fabrics (He doesn't just buy any old suit, he has to pick out the fabric first.) And he starts playing with his hair , he sees this man as arrogant, and the Yetzer Hara says, “ Ze Sheli/ This guy is mine.” I have him under my control, I have him wrapped around my finger. That's a powerful line. The Yetzer Hara knows the rules. Once a man starts getting arrogant and thinking he's in control, he starts becoming distanced from God, and then the Yetzer Hara comes and preys on him. Another interesting Zohar, in volume one, page 190b says, “ What's the way of the Yetzer Hara? He says, ‘ He grabs him by his coat.’ That term is used when Potiphar’s wife grabbed onto Yosef’s clothing. When the Yetzer Hara sees someone getting overly involved in their clothing, the Yetzer Hara grabs him and says, “ You are my guy. Stay with me.” That is a powerful concept. It starts out so small. Rav Yerucham Levovitz talks about this. We don't realize that when we give the Yetzer Hara a finger, he takes a hand. We start playing into his game and we start getting arrogant and feeling we're important. Again, we're not talking about a person dressing properly and we’re not talking about a person fitting in, in the accepted style. We're talking about someone that's doing something that's over the top, because he feels, ‘ I'm an important person and the world has to know about it. ’ Dr. Frank Leifer was a doctor who lived on the bottom of Hilltop Place, in Monsey, where I was raised. He was Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky's doctor, and our family has heard a few stories from him about Rav Yaakov. Over 50 years ago, Dr. Leifer was about to be the first person in the Orthodox Monsey community to buy himself a Jaguar, which, at that time, was not a common car. A Cadillac was a fancy car that people drove back then. I don't remember any Mercedes-Benz or BMWs growing up, because these were Holocaust survivors. So, he was going to get an English car, the Jaguar. But he was concerned that maybe it would be considered a little too ostentatious, so he asked Rav Yaakov Kaminetzsky if it was okay to buy a Jaguar. Rav Yaakov said, “ You're a doctor and you have to, so to say, socialize in your in your group. What you have to measure is not what stands out in your local synagogue parking lot, but what stands out in the doctor's parking lot. If, in the doctor's parking lot, Jaguars are accepted, then go ahead.” In his humor, Rav Yaakov then added, “ But on one condition… you give me the first ride. ” That was Rav Yaakov’s wisdom, and humor, at the same time. And that's our point. We're talking about somebody that gets a little bit too into his looks and the way he's perceived. That Ga’avah is the beginning. It's not a problem yet, it’s the seed of the problem.. Nothing happened yet, but like Rabbenu Yona writes, it's the breeding ground of the eventual problem. And therefore, we have to be careful. The problem lies in how arrogance distances you from God. Because if God's on your mind, you are humble. Have a wonderful day.