In Pirkei Avot (5, 20) it says: "Yehudah ben Tema says:" Be as bold as a leopard, as fast as an eagle, quick as deer, and strong as a lion to fulfill the will of your Father in Heaven.''

My father, who lived in Jerusalem as a child, relates that a Jew from the city, named Reb Shalom Guibor, would walk in the courtyards of Jerusalem at dawn during the period of the Selichot and utter this Mishnah in a melodious tone. He had a powerful voice that could be heard several streets away.

What is bold like a leopard? The Rama explains this in the Shulchan Aruch (Orah Chaim): "We will not be ashamed of those who mock us in our divine service."

I once spoke in a girl's Seminary on the topic of Tzniut (modesty), and I said the following:

In reality, this Halacha of not being ashamed before those who mock our divine service is an astonishing Halacha. How can anyone be commanded: do not be ashamed? We could have told him: in spite of the shame you feel, you must follow what the Torah prescribes. But how can you order a person not to be ashamed? He's ashamed! It's a reality. He is being laughed at, scorned, told he belongs to the past and called nicknames.

How can he be told do not be ashamed? He is ashamed!

I heard a powerful story on this subject recounted by Rav Dovid Soloveitchik, son of the Rav of Brisk:

A Jew had trouble sleeping at night. He went out on the terrace to get a little fresh air. He saw two men running and, on the way, they opened a garbage can, emptied out a bag and then continued running. A few minutes later he saw policemen chasing them. What could they have thrown out?

At night, it is hard to see, so he waited until the next day, and then he went down the stairs, opened the garbage can and saw some dollars. He realized that they had thrown out money. He began searching amongst the garbage, and he found a hundred dollars. He continued searching and found another hundred dollars. He continued, and he found more hundred-dollar bills.

People started to pass the garbage can on their way to work, and they saw a man digging in the trash.

He heard one man say to another, "He's probably a madman, he's rummaging through the trash..." He heard other passersby say: "pity on this man. He has lost his head... "

He heard these words but continued his search. Was he ashamed in front of them? He made fun of them. Let them say what they want, as every minute he was finding more hundred-dollar bills. He was accumulating a fortune. What did it matter to him if others were saying he was foolish, stupid, or other insulting names? He knew that every minute, he was getting richer.

We will not be ashamed of those who mock us in our divine service. In fact, we are accumulating a fortune here, and moreover, since we are mocked and shamed, for that alone we will accumulate a fortune. Therefore, do not be ashamed, you have nothing to be ashamed of, you are earning millions. When one is dressed decently, according to the rules of the Halacha, it is worth millions!