Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Welcome back, everybody, to day number 20. We're beginning a new chapter, a new topic, a new trait, and we're from the book. We're learning from the book Orchos Tzaddikim - Ways of the Righteous, and this is the Treasure for Life edition. We're on page 97, and we're beginning.

00:18
The trait of humility is a very, very noble trait. It's a very beautiful trait, a very good quality, and it's the opposite of haughtiness, of arrogance. Whoever possesses this trait, he already protected himself from many, he speared his soul from many, many negative traits, and such a person who acquired this trait, this trait of humility, will get a great reward pursuant to his level of humility. Because the root of all service is humility, all service of Hashem. You cannot serve Hashem properly without humility. What does that mean? Try to pray to God without humility. What are you praying Me? Pray to God, right, if someone who's arrogant thinks I don't need to pray to anyone. Someone who's humble realizes I'm lacking, I'm limited, I'm in need of assistance, and it prays to the Almighty. So humility is essential for our service of Hashem. Someone who is humble, his actions are beloved by Hashem a thousand times more than the action of an arrogant person. Our sages of blessed memory said one who is more or one who is less, meaning one who does more, one who does less. As long as your intention is, for the sake of heaven. Aval ma se shel hageyeh einu miskabel ifinei Hashem baruch hu. He says that's referring to someone who's humble, but someone who's arrogant, his actions, his deeds are not desired by the Almighty. Ki hu toyevas nafshoi, because it is an abomination of the soul, because Hashem is repulsed and it's an abomination. Those who are arrogant of heart, and, as a result of this, someone who's arrogant, can be asking the Almighty for assistance but is not answered. She-nemar gam ki sarbut filo eineni she-mea. Even if you have many, many prayers, I still do not answer. Why not? Because you're arrogant. Ve'oseh mitzvos v'torfen oson b'fanof, one who does mitzvos and they are flungs and they are flung, and they are flung in his face. Who asked this of your hands, you tramplers of my courts? Someone who's arrogant brings an offering to Hashem on the altar in the temple and it's yet still not going to be desired by the Almighty. The Almighty doesn't desire an arrogant person's offerings and their offerings are not desired.

04:10
These are verses that reiterate this idea, this concept that someone who's arrogant, his commitment, so to speak, to God is not desired, you first have to remove your arrogance. But one who is humble and is, you first have to remove your arrogance. Aval midas ha'anova, v'shifla shiflus magia l'kol tov. But one who is humble and is lowly meaning, doesn't feel high about himself, doesn't feel haughty about himself, ki ve'l'anov im yitayn chayn. Because the verse says in Proverbs to the humble, hashem gives favor. Ve'kevon sheyesh lo chayn, be'enei ha'kadosh bochon.

04:47
Once someone has favor in the eyes of Hashem, tsoek ve'nan ha'myad, when he cries out, hashem answers him immediately. When he cries out, hashem answers him immediately. You become a favored child of God, so to speak. When you have humility, even before they ask, before they call out, I'm already there to answer. Those who are humble do mitzvahs and they're received and accepted by the Almighty with tremendous pleasure and joy, because Hashem desires. Hashem accepted your deeds already in advance, because he just loves the way you act with humility and therefore, whatever you do, hashem is appreciative and loving of it.

05:39
V'lo'od el Hashem, yis'av Elohim, hashem desires. It's not only that. Hashem loves those. Hashem desires the actions and the commitment of those who are humble, sh'nem arvah arvah la'Hashem el chassidu v'yisholoyim. And the verse states and this is from my Haftorah and the offering of Yehudah and Jerusalem shall be pleasing to Hashem. Why? Because they're humble. Jerusalem's the most humbled city in the world. There's never been a city that's been more fought over than Jerusalem. You think Jerusalem is God's chosen city. It'll be on top of a hill and everyone will be desirous of the city. Instead, everyone runs from the city in a sense in the world because we don't want to be in that fight.

06:24
What is actually humility? It is the submission and lowliness of spirit and regarding oneself as nothing. V'yachshav atzmo ka'ayin V'chayav adam b'chol, eisu b'chol zman. Liyos nivzeh be'eno. V'shval ruach v'rach leh, v'ruach nishbara, and a person. What are we talking about?

06:45
A person being lowly, a person being humble. What does that mean? Man is obliged, at all times and on every occasion, to be unworthy in his own eyes and lowly of spirit and soft of heart and broken-spirited. What does that mean? We know that you're supposed to be upbeat and happy. Here the author is telling us to be broken-spirited and to be lowly and to feel, to be soft of heart. What's going on here? So we have to understand. Just we'll zoom out for a moment to explain what it means to be soft of heart. What's going on here. So we have to understand. Just we'll zoom out for a moment to explain what it means to be humble. To be humble means you realize that.

07:24
Imagine you realized that you had such a great talent but you never used it. God gave you the most incredible talent to be an artist and you just never developed it. You never did anything about it. God gave you a great talent to write music, to be a writer, to be a great philosopher, a great orator. Never utilize that talent.

07:54
When we realize, uh-oh, hashem gave me 10 pounds of ability and I only used a half a pound, I'm going to be held accountable. Why didn't they use the other nine and a half pounds? That's what it's referring to. It's not that a person should just beat themselves up oh, I'm a nobody, I'm a nobody, I'm a nobody. No, on the contrary, god loves us and he wants us close to him and we're very precious and dear to him. But but if we fall short which unfortunately all mankind has fallen short, we realize that that's humility. We realize, you know what? I haven't really fulfilled my capabilities in this world. Be'od shehu sholei v'shaket u'bari v'oshir. And the root of humility vis-a-vis the creator is one's thinking of himself when he is yet calm and tranquil and healthy and rich, that Hashem has given him good, although he is not worthy of it.

09:00
Asher ha-borei. Baruch hu heiti vi mo tova. Ve hu eno ro'u la. Hashem gave me so much. Hashem succeeded my way. He gave me beyond my portion. I wasn't even deserving of it. It's humbling. Ve'yachshav G'dula asael. Ve'romu mostefarto and a person will reflect on the greatness of Hashem and His exaltedness.

09:28
Ve'yachshov ma'ani. Who am I? Haloh ani bria shveila me'od. I'm a lowly creature. V'ani omed ba'olam ha'shofa ve'hakola. What am I? I think I'm so great. I'm a little nobody.

09:43
V'yachshov kol ma'asim tovim she'uch alasos and a person. A person should imagine that any of the great deeds that I could possibly do in my lifetime it's like we're dropping the ocean Of what I'm obligated to do. Oh, I give so much charity, but you know how much charity you could give. Imagine this Someone makes $10,000, right, and he gives $1,000. Bill Gates says I'll match your $1,000. Who Did they do the same act?

10:21
No, absolutely not. Why? Because the ability of Bill Gates is far greater. So you're going to be held accountable much more. You can say well, I gave what everyone gave. I looked at the median gift and I gave it the same thing. So what's the problem? I did what everyone gave. But your abilities are different, same with each and every one of us and our internal traits. It's not enough that we just be like everyone else. We were gifted with so much more.

10:49
V'yaseh kol masav lo l'shem kovod v'lo l'hachnef l'shum odom v'lo l'shum ano. And a person who does a good action should do it not for the sake of honor and not to flatter anyone, and not for any pleasure, not for any personal pleasure. Ach yase, a person should do everything, all his actions, for the sake of heaven. This is the root of this magnificent trait of humility that one who is humbling himself before the Almighty, humbling himself before the Almighty.

11:32
When a person gets sick or one of his limbs aren't working, or, if God forbid, their child passes or one of their loved one passes, or when the cycle of life happens and he becomes wealthy or becomes poor, he loses his fortune, or when someone truly gets old Forever, the humility that a person lives his life with is always desired by God. Lives his life with is always desired by God. But if a person waits to be beat by God and submitted by God to finally then be humble, then perhaps it isn't the proper way. When a person is negotiating a business deal, when a person is having a conversation, you have to have humility and whenever you're dealing with money, always be extra, giving Extra, go beyond the letter of the law. To be proper with money. Im kol adam. With every person, v'chol anoga ima olam, and any type of conduct that you have with the world. Ha'kol yehei b'shiflus banachas. Everything should be pleasant and with lowliness.