We continue talking about arrogance vis-a-vis Bitachon, based on the Bet Halevi’s writing. The Bet Halevi says that the Gemara in Berachot tells us “Whoever walks upright, even four amot (which is six feet), it’s as if he’s pushing the feet of God's presence, He's pushing God out of this world. As it says Melo Kol HaAretz Kevodo/the world is full of God's honor, and you're pushing God out.
What exactly is it about standing upright? The Gemara in Masechet Bava Kama 16B says, A man's spine, after seven years (of being buried) turns into a snake. But not everybody. It’s only the one that does not bow by Modim. If one does not bow by Modim, his spinal cord turns to a snake. Tosafot brings down on that spot that there's a Midrash that says that there's a certain bone in the spinal cord, which we call the Luz bone, from which man will be recreated and reconstructed at Techiyat HaMetim, and this bone will turn into a snake and cause him not to get up in the future. And Tosafot is bothered by this. He says, how could there be such a severe punishment for a seemingly light sin? Doesn’t it say Kol Yisrael/all of Bnei Yisrael, Yesh helek B’Olam Haba /has a part in Olam Haba. The Chida brings down that actually the Zohar does say that. So what exactly is the understanding behind this man who doesn't bow by Modim; this man who stands upright?
The Torat Chaim says that the purpose of bowing is to show our humility to God. God gives us everything and therefore, we humble ourselves by bowing down. That's why we bow at Modim. Bowing at is an acknowledgment that we receive everything from God and we give thanks. He says, God gives us constantly and we don't even realize what's happening, every second of the day. We don't realize every foot, every movement, every breath is coming from God.
Like the pasuk says, “ Hamechin Misader Gaver/Every step of man is controlled by God.” We say that every morning. And Kol HaNeshama( or Neshima)for every breath, we have to thank God. Really, we should be standing every second of the day and blessing Hashem for every breath in and every breath out. But that would be impossible. That is why Hazal said that three times a day, we should say Modim and bow down to Hashem.
So what does it mean that this man who stands upright is called a Kofer? The snake came to seduce Chava, and it says the snake came to deny God and therefore, he was punished that his legs were cut off and he's now flat on his stomach.
And that's what it means, “One that does not bow Modim turns into a snake.” Because he’s like the snake. He's standing upright. He denies God's existence. He takes credit for everything he does, and he can't say thank you. And that's the source of all heresy of today. It comes from that inability to bow to God and thank Hashem for what He gives him. It's that Ga’avah that doesn't allow him to say thank you. And that's why we have Modim three times a day.
Modim has a numerical value of 100, and the commentaries say that this 100 refers to the 100 blessings that we're supposed to say every single day. 100 blessings are 100 thank yous ( from the Da’at Zekanim on Baalei Tosafot) Devarim 10,12 tells us that 100 blessings a day is what God asked from us, and that's the numerical value of Modim.
Every time we get any benefit, we're supposed to say Thank You to Hashem, because that is the antidote for the Ga’avah. How do we fix the arrogance? Arrogance, as we’ve said, comes from saying, “I did it. I made my money, I made my business. I made, I made, I made.” And how do you fix that? By bowing down and saying, “I didn't do anything. I humble myself to God.”
And the one who doesn't do that, that's the snake, that wanted to be in charge and sold Adam and Chava by saying, “God doesn't want you eat you from that tree because that tree made Him into a God and He doesn't want you to become a God as well.” And it’s man's arrogance that said, “I don't want someone bossing me around. I want to be the God.”
Like we said before from Rav Dessler, arrogance means that I want to take God off his throne and I want to sit there.
So I want be the God, I want to be in charge.
This is our litmus test for whether our bitachon is really there: How arrogant are we? How do we bow by Modim? These are the litmus tests for if our bitachon is real or or if we're just talking the talk but not walking the walk.
Have a wonderful day.