And if the means of a sojourner, who resides with you, shall become sufficient and your brother that dwells by him grows poor, and sell himself to an alien that resides with you, or to the offspring of a stranger’s family (Vayikra 25:47)

RASHI:  What was the cause that he (the gentile) has made rich? His close connection with you (the Jew).

I have a friend who was a very accomplished computer programmer and was let go from his job when the company closed the entire department. I was certain that this bright fellow with years of experience would easily find a new position. As time dragged on, I would ask him occasionally if anything was happening with his job search, and he told me that he had not found a job yet. When I questioned him, “Why don’t you take any job?”, he answered he was overqualified. I assumed that he meant that he was not willing to take a position that was not appropriate for his status. However, after further questioning, it became clear to me that he was willing to take a cut in salary and a less prestigious position, but none of the companies were willing to hire him for such a position because he was overqualified.

I remember during this time thinking that this is an important lesson: Sometimes one’s elevated status could be one’s undoing.

But there are times when an elevated status is beneficial. When I was a yeshiva student, I had a rebbe who was very health-conscious and was careful to only eat healthy foods. It happened during the year that I was under his tutelage that he was bedridden several times. I quipped to him, “Eating healthy doesn’t seem to help!” He replied, “A small particle of dust could render a fine-tuned machine inoperable.” To which I replied, “Bottom line, if it doesn’t work, what is the difference how fine-tuned it is?!” I now understand the inadequacy of my logic at the time and what my rebbe was trying to teach me. A fine-tuned machine cannot be easily replaced. Yes, there may be occasional downtime, but at the end of the day you have a piece of equipment which far surpasses others.

Rashi comments about a Jew who is sold to a ger toshav, explaining that the reason the ger toshav becomes wealthy is because of his attachment to a Jew. For this specific Jew, however, the opposite happens: Through his attachment to the ger toshav, he becomes poor! The Netziv explains this idea as follows: The gentile is created at a lower level of ruchnius, so when he attaches himself to a Jew, his entire existence is elevated. The Jew, however, starts at a higher level of ruchnius, so that when he associates with those at a lower level, his level declines.

I once heard this idea explained by the Rosh Yeshiva of Hevron as follows: When an animal dies and its body decomposes, the stench is unbearable. Whereas if a flower withers away, the odor is barely noticeable. In short, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. We were given an extra level of holiness that sets us apart from our gentile neighbors. On a certain level, it puts us in greater jeopardy. However, the ability to reach greater heights is well worth the dangers that we must face. When we ask, “Why are Jews punished for things that for gentiles might even be considered honorable acts?” the answer is, because Hashem expects more from us. We have that ability to rise up and do greater things.

When bad things happen to Jews who are trying to strengthen their connection to Hashem, and they do not happen to other nations, there may be a silver lining on that dark cloud. It may be Hashem telling us that He expects more from us – the sole nation that fears G-d.