For those who have been listening, we've been discussing the topic of Anava/humility as it relates to Bitachon. In Parashat Vayetzeh, where it discusses Yaakov Avinu’s dream,
the pasuk says,
וְהִנֵּ֤ה סֻלָּם֙ מֻצָּ֣ב אַ֔רְצָה
there was a ladder that was in the ground
The Hebrew word for ladder, sulam when written without the Vav, has a numerical value of 60+30+ 40=130 which is the same numerical value as Sinai סיני 60+10+50+10= 130.
This has same numerical value, the Midrash Raba says, because this ladder is hinting to Har Sinai. And it goes on to say that the angels going up and down refer to Moshe Rabbenu, who went up and came down.
The Chatam Sofer asks an obvious question. He says that Har Sinai hints to humility, as it says in the Gemara in Masechet Sotah- that God came down on Har Sinai because it was the the lowest of mountains.
So how could it be that we're hinting to humility using a ladder whose head is going up all the way to the heavens?
He explains, based on a discussion in the Gemara, Masechet Sotah, which asks Does God lift up the humble person or does He come down to the humble person? It's an argument there. Some say God lifts up the humble and some said God comes down to the humble. The Chatam Sofer says that they’re both true. When a person is humble, God lifts the person up. But after He lifts him up, He tests him. Does he become arrogant now that Hashem lifted him up? He was humble and Hashem gave him a lot of money. And now He's testing him. Is he going to stay humble with the money that he has? In the words of the Chatam Sofer, “He tests the person, and after He lifts him up high, will he stick to his humility or not?”
If you stick to your humility, then God will continue to shower you with benevolence. But if you don't, then you will lose it.
The Baal HaTurim says the word סולם Sulam/ladder (spelled with a Vav ) has the same numerical value asממון mamon/money, and עני Oni/poverty, which means that one can go up and one could go down on the ladder of financial success. Wihat does it depend on? The Chatam Sofer says it depends on whether you are humble after you're lifted up high.
That's the secret of why, Lo Alenu, sometimes people are very successful and then they lose it.
The secret is humility. And I'd like to suggest the following;
I was recently talking to somebody who told me the Covid years were the best years in his industry; now times are getting a little tough. And I've said this in the past, but this further strengthens the point.
God brought Corona, Corona humbled us. Where would we get our money from? We were locked up. What would be with with our businesses?
If you humble yourself, God brings a bounty upon you. But then, when everything's going well, we sometimes begin to take some of the credit and think it's us that's making it, and then we get into trouble and then we start, lo alenu, going down the ladder. But there's hope. The angels are going up and the angels are going down. You can go back up the ladder. How do you do it?
Very simple. The secret is humility. And again, that has to do with Bitachon. Because when you're relying on Hashem, you know you can't do it on your own. That is the fundamental of prayer.
The Mishna in Pirkei Avot says that when a person prays, his prayer should be that of begging and supplication. Rabbenu Yona adds, Don't pray like it’s for something that you don't need.
It shouldn’t be like asking your friend to borrow his car, when you already have a car. That’s not begging. He says prayer is supposed to be like a poor man that's begging for his life. That's what prayer is, because we don't have anything without Hashem. It goes hand in hand; the more humble you are, the more you realize that you didn't do it, the more you'll rely on Hashem. Then, even if you're on the way down, Hashem will pick you back up.
Have a wonderful day.
