Even in Olam Haba, the next world, daf TB Baba Batra 75 teaches that our human nature is hard to change. Petty emotions still rule over the individual. Even the righteous are not immune.
“And
Rabba says that Rabbi
Yoḥanan says: In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will fashion
seven canopies for each and every righteous individual, as it is stated:
“And the Lord will create over the whole habitation of Mount Zion, and over
those who are invited to it, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a
flaming fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a canopy” (Isaiah
4:5). This teaches that for each and every righteous individual, the
Holy One, Blessed be He, fashions for him a canopy seven times over, in
accordance with his honor, i.e., greater individuals receive grander and
larger canopies.
The Gemara
asks a question with regard to the above verse: Why should there be smoke
in a canopy? Rabbi Ḥanina said: It is because anyone whose eyes are
narrow, i.e., is stingy, toward Torah scholars in this world, his eyes
fill with smoke in the World-to-Come. And why should there be fire in a
canopy? Rabbi Ḥanina said: This teaches that each and every one is
burned from embarrassment at the size of the canopy of the other,
and says: Woe for this embarrassment, woe for this disgrace, that I did
not merit a canopy as large as his.” (Sefaria.org translation)
The antidote
to jealousy is the observance of the mitzvah “Love neighbor as yourself: I am
YHVH” Leviticus (19:18) the difficulty
of fulfilling this commandment lies in the fact that most people are inclined
to be jealous of others. “When they hear about someone’s good fortune (for
example, he became wealthy or received great honor), their jealousy is aroused
and prevents them from being sincerely happy. Therefore, it is extremely
important for person to work on rectifying his trait of jealousy…
A person who
fulfills this commandment will not be jealous of the good fortunes of others. (Ramban,
commentary) That idea has been expressed that the meaning of ‘as yourself’ in
this verse refers to the type of fellow man. It is not difficult to befriend
and love a person who far exceeds you and wealth and prestige. In the same way,
if a person is of a far lower status, you would show warmth to him out of pity.
However, the Torah requires you to befriend a fellow man who is ‘as yourself,’ have
the same social and financial status. You must overcome any feelings of
competition or jealousy and show sincere friendship even in this case (Likutai Dovid, p. 27; see Lekutai Basar Lukutai, on this verse) Love
Your Neighbor by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, page 301, 309.
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