Musar for Avodah Zarah 40:21

Also, the woman who adorns herself to display herself before men arouses their desire and puts unworthy thoughts in their minds and for this her punishment is very great for she places a stumbling block before many. Did not our Sages forbid men to gaze at the gaily colored garments of women when these garments are spread out upon the wall, even when she is not dressed in them, all the more so is there great punishment for a woman who adorns herself for men who ogle her.

To what may this be compared? To a groom who is being brought by his groomsmen to the marriage canopy, and, on the way, is accosted by some empty fellows who bespatter him with mud and mire from the soles of his feet until his head. When the groomsmen shout at them: "Empty ones, where did you get so much filth?" they show all [who are assembled there] that the groom is one of their companions and that he himself prepared all the mud and mire. So is it, exactly, in our instance. A man himself, through the filth of his sins, creates this revolting, unclean vestment, and, perforce, dons it and cannot rid himself of it, since he himself prepared it. As Scripture states (Isaiah 50:11): "Walk in the flame of your fire and in the brands that you have kindled. By My hand has this come to you." And Chazal have said, similarly (Avodah Zarah 20b): "Let a man not think [lewd thoughts] in the daytime and come to uncleanliness at night." They have hereby taught us that if he had not first put the thought into his mind, the spirits of uncleanliness could not have cleaved to him and defiled him.

The greatest virtue of all the virtues that exist is the virtue of humility. This is why the greatest of all prophets is credited in the Torah with only this virtue. Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair lists a number of virtues, possession of each one is a stepping-stone to still higher virtues, the highest one being ענוה, humility. If the first human being who was the direct creation of G–d Himself (and could have displayed pride therefore) is described as having been formed of earth, this is a subtle hint that we must practice humility. Man was also called אדם because this word is an acronym for the words אפר, דם, מרה, as mentioned in tractate Sotah. The title אדם was bestowed only on the Jewish people, to the exclusion of the Gentile nations. We became heir to this title because of the humility of our great leaders.