פרשת בהעלותך
In this week’s parsha, the Torah testifies to Moshe Rabbeinu’s impeccable humility, stating that he was the most humble man upon the face of the earth. Rashi cites the Midrash Tanchuma that explains that humility is a trait that is exemplified by persevering through adversity and being very lowly. Therefore, we must say that these characteristics were indeed embodied by Moshe. However, this is hard to understand. How could Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest leader the Jewish people ever had, the ultimate prophet above all prophets, and the conduit through which the Torah itself was given, honestly personify such humility? Moshe Rabbeinu until this day is viewed by world Jewry as the most influential individual in Jewish history and the shining example of righteousness that we all strive to emulate. Moshe was the greatest that ever was! How could he view himself as so lowly that he felt as if he were nothing?
The Hovos HaLevavos in the Gate of Subjugation chapter 5 explains that what leads a person to humility isn’t how he chooses to view himself, but rather, a person comes to humility when he chooses to really understand the world around him. When a person reflects on how incredible it is to be alive, that there is a G-d who brought him into existence from non-existence, that he is a little being in a big world that is constantly moving and functioning because of a Being much more powerful than he is, he can’t help but feel small and meek. When a person understands that as a human being his abilities are limited, and yet the Torah is so vast and Divine Service demands so much, he can’t help but feel completely overwhelmed by the greatness of G-d and the lowliness of man. Such a person will constantly strive to increase his efforts in his service of G-d, realizing that he is constantly falling short. Every day that passes, he understands more and more clearly that he has not fulfilled his true potential, and whatever he may have achieved in his avodas Hashem is viewed by him as just little compensation for what he has received. Furthermore, such an individual realizes that every talent and every attribute of greatness that he has attained is really just a gift from Hashem. Such a realization humbles one greatly and he does not compare himself to others because he does not view his good qualities as truly his own. He does not attribute to himself any special importance whatsoever. He sees himself as something G-d made to serve Him and his very essence is defined by this goal. Rav Yechezkel Levinshtein explains that what made Moshe Rabbeinu the most humble man ever was precisely his complete integration of this perspective. As great as Moshe is in our eyes, Moshe Rabbeinu personally viewed himself as nothing before Hashem. It was Moshe’s tremendous grasp of this eternal truth that made him the most humble man on the face of the earth.
However, the Rambam writes in Shmona Prakim that what made Moshe the greatest that ever was in the realm of prophecy wasn’t his incredible clarity about Hashem’s greatness or his fear of heaven. Rather, it was because he was humble and didn’t attribute greatness to himself. We see from here that not only does awareness of Hashem causes humility; humility can also increase one’s awareness of Hashem. If one lacks a basic level of humility, has v’shalom, he is very unequipped for his own spiritual development. Sadly, there are many Jews who are unable to reach exalted levels of spirituality precisely because they feel that their talents and achievements are the results of their efforts, and cut Hashem out of the picture entirely. They believe themselves to be the true owners of their wisdom, strength, righteousness, etc. Sometimes people feel so secure or, alternatively, have such a fear of introspection, that they choose to deny their faults believing that they have nothing to work on. Such people choose to have no consciousness that they are falling short in Hashem’s service, fearing that such a realization would be painful. However, we should appreciate that in truth by discovering our problems and dealing with our flaws, we are doing the holy work that Hashem put us here to do and imbibing in ourselves a true sense of humility, which will inevitably lead us to a closer relationship with Hashem. It is the realization that we are mere mortals, feeble and in need of Hashem’s help, that brings Hashem into our lives and fills us with the yiras Hashem that we so desperately long for. If we would just have the courage to make ourselves vulnerable and place all our hope in Hashem, we could become the humble and G-d-fearing Jew that we want to be, following in the footsteps of Moshe Rabbeinu.
The Chofetz Chaim authored many works over the course of his lifetime. To merely read through these books takes so much time that it is very hard to fathom the incredible amount of dedication and ameilus that went into these publications. Furthermore, the Chofetz Chaim’s writings span many areas in Jewish thought, revealing the author’s incredible versatility and almost inconceivable proficiency in Torah knowledge. However, the Chofetz Chaim never took any credit for himself. One time, he was overheard crying in his study, thanking Hashem for all the good that had been showered upon him. “Thank you Hashem for giving me the ability to write the Mishna Brura… Thank you Hashem for giving me the zechus to help Jewish soldiers by allowing me to write Machane Yisrael… Thank you Hashem for giving me the zechus of encouraging my fellow Jews in exile by writing Tzapisa L’Yeshua… Thank you Hashem for giving me the zechus of writing the Chofetz Chaim!!! You’ve given me so much G-d! How can I ever repay you???!!!” With this, the Chofetz Chaim burst into uncontrollable tears, a beautiful example of humility for us all.
May we all be zoche to be exceedingly humble!!!