Developing Humility

BY Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah (www.bircas.org)

In Parashas Beha’aloscha, the Torah testifies that Moshe Rabbeinu was the most humble of all creations. Rashi cites Midrash Tanchuma, which explains that humility is persevering in the face of adversity and being lowly. We must assume that Moshe embodied these characteristics, but it is hard to understand. How could Moshe, the only man in history to have brought the Torah from heaven to earth, personify humility? Moshe Rabbeinu was our nation’s greatest leader and prophet. He knew his own value—when Korach demanded that he relinquish part of his power, he refused. How could it be that he viewed himself as if he was nothing?

The Chovos HaLevavos (Sha’ar Hachniah  5) explains that humility is a recognition of Hashem’s greatness and how much He has done for us. The Creator is awesome. He has infinite wisdom, and He created a complex and amazing world. What are we compared to Him? We are miniscule, as David HaMelech expressed (Tehillim 22:7), “I am a worm and not a man.” If we think about how much Hashem has given us and how much He is still giving at every moment, it is impossible to calculate how much we owe Him for this. We will never be able to repay him even slightly! Thoughts such as these lead to humility.

Rav Yechezkel Levenstein explains that this was the key to Moshe Rabbeinu’s humility. He had a stronger grasp of Hashem’s greatness and kindness than any other man. He spoke to Hashem, and he was His agent in bringing about many of the miracles of the Exodus. The more he internalized Who Hashem is, the more humble he became. This enabled him to be the humblest man on the face of the earth.

From the Rambam (Shemonah Perakim, 7), we can add an important insight. The Rambam teaches that Moshe’s character traits were the basis for attaining his unparalleled level of prophecy. Of all his traits, the Torah singles out his humility for praise, stating that it was unparalleled. Apparently, humility can be a powerful tool for achieving spiritual greatness. In Western thought, humility is viewed negatively. In truth, this type of humility is not spiritual humility anyway. This kind of humility stems from low self-esteem, and is indeed something that needs to be dealt with. True humility propels a Jew to greater and greater spiritual heights.

The converse is also true: if one lacks a basic level of humility, he can’t develop a relationship with Hashem. Sadly, many Jews feel that their talents and achievements are the result of their own efforts. This takes Hashem out of the picture, essentially leaving them with no relationship with Him. Another problem caused by lacking humility is one’s unwillingness to honestly confront his own flaws and correct them. Though the person who lacks humility may offer myriad explanations for why he avoids self-evaluation, the root cause is ga’avah, vanity. He prefers to see himself as perfect and avoid facing his imperfections, knowing that this will break his self-image. If he would gain some humility, he would be able to start repairing his broken relationship with Hashem.

Even when a Jew has a healthy level of humility, he should appreciate that the humbler he becomes, the deeper his relationship with Hashem will be. David HaMelech says (Tehillim 9:13) that Hashem does not forget the humble man’s cry in prayer. The Ramban (Iggeres HaRamban) promises that the Shechinah will dwell upon one who is humble.

Why is humility such a significant factor in our relationship with Hashem? Rav Chaim Volozhin (Ruach Chaim 1:1) answers with a simple analogy: There are two pots of the same size, yet one holds more water than the other. Why? The wall of one pot is thinner than the other. Our relationship with Hashem is similar. Vanity is like a wall between Hashem and us. The more humble we are, the more room there is for a relationship with Hashem.

The Chofetz Chaim authored many works over the course of his lifetime. Simply learning these sefarim take so much time that it is hard to fathom the dedication and effort that went into producing them. Though the Chofetz Chaim’s writings reveal his grasp of every section of Torah, he never took any credit for himself. Once, he was overheard crying in his study: “Thank you, Hashem, for giving me the ability to write the Mishnah Berurah. Thank you, Hashem, for giving me the zechus to help Jewish soldiers by enabling me to write Machane Yisrael. Thank you, Hashem, for giving me the zechus of encouraging my fellow Jews in exile by writing Tzipisa LiYeshua. Thank you, Hashem, for giving me the zechus of writing the sefer Chofetz Chaim. You’ve given me so much, Hashem! How can I ever repay you?” The Chofetz Chaim then burst into tears, a beautiful example of humility for us all.

May we be zocheh to acquire true humility!

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