We’ve been talking about humility and it’s connection to Bitachon. The week before Shavuot, we talked about Bitachon as a way to receive the Torah.
There’s a comment that relates to this from Rav Chaim Volozhin, in his sefer Ruach Chaim on Pirkei Avot (chapter 1, mishna 1) which is a mind boggling hiddush. He says, “Through humility, a person merits everything. Humility is a source for all the blessings in the world. And he says regarding Moshe Rabbenu, the greatest prophet and father of all wise men, that his ultimate praise was that Moshe Rabbenu was the most humble of men. Everything he merited to was because of his humility. That's an unbelievable statement, and it’s bitachon-related, because when somebody realizes that they don't do anything, and they rely on Hashem, that comes, ultimately, from humility. A person who's arrogant doesn't rely on Hashem, he relies on himself.
He continues, “If there was someone today that was as humble as Moshe, he would definitely merit the Torah B’Shlemut/ Torah in its completion.” That’s mind-boggling!!
That means the only reason we're not on the level of Moshe Rabbenu in Torah is because we're not as humble as Moshe. So, just like we discussed last week, that Bitachon is a source for Torah, so too, Anavah/humility is a source for Torah. And he quotes a Gemara in Masechet Taanit (7a) that asks why the Torah is compared to water, as Hashem says, “My words should be like rain, they should be like dew.” The Torah is compared to water by God Himself. Why? What's the correlation?
The Gemara answers that just like water naturally flows downwards from high to low, so too, the words of Torah will only go on to somebody who is humble.
He continues and gives a mashal of two cups that are the same circumference and the same height. The difference is that one of the cups is a stone pot with a very thick wall, and the other is an ultra-thin plastic pot. They are the same circumference from the outside and the same height from the outside, but the plastic one that's thinner will hold more. So too, he says, with Torah. The more humble a person is, the less he holds of himself, the bigger the receptacle he is for wisdom and blessing. There's simply more room. However, when we become arrogant, we forget God because, he says, you’ve filled yourself up. There's no room in your vessel anymore.
He ends with a pasuk from Yeshaya that says, “In the times of the Mashiach the world will be filled with the wisdom of God, like the water covers the ocean.” What does that mean?
On the surface, the ocean looks all the same. What makes one part of the ocean deeper than the other? It’s only that there's a deeper space in that part of the ocean. The ground is carved out more, and therefore there's more room for water. That's why, in the times of Mashiach, there will be more wisdom- because we're going to make ourselves into deeper vessels. What is the deciding factor in becoming a larger or smaller vessel? Humility versus arrogance. When a person is arrogant, he's full of himself. The more full of yourself you are, the less room there is for God, His Torah and His blessings.
Conversely, the less full of yourself you are, the more room you have in you to receive God's wisdom and God's blessings.
Unbelievable!
We just need to make ourselves into that vessel to receive the blessing. And Moshe Rabbenu was only Moshe Rabbenu because of his humility.
If you think about it, it's astounding.
Have a wonderful day.