The jelousy of scribes increases wisdom (Bava Basra 21a).
Should a person want to be as holy and learned as his friends, and because of his envy strives to emulate them, this is tolerable. While it is not desirable as a primary motive to study Torah, it is nevertheless acceptable.
Rabbeinu Yonah
Avakesh comments: We need to rethink the way that we foster competetiveness in education. Our schools and camps have taken over wholesale the Gentile methods of fostering competetive behavior - with raffles, contests, valedictorians, color war and sport teams. This is not the portion of the Sons of Yakov. Whereas to gain in Torah it is "acceptable", it is not ideal. It is post facto and not ad initio and not something that we should encourage. We should reward and promote sharing and working together rather than competition and rivalry.
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