Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Welcome back to day 24 of Orchos Tzaddikim. We are in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orchos Tzaddikim. We're in the middle of the Gate of Humility and we talked about different identifiers that identify a person who is humble. The fifth way that we're up to we're on page 125 on the bottom, hachamishi. In the fifth way, kishemohiach es atzmo b'ma she'osorah La'odam b'mas. In the fifth way, when a person is able to criticize himself for things that he may have done wrong in his own actions or, in his own words, that he's done against others, where he doesn't need the other person. He doesn't need him for anything, he's not expecting a contract or a deal for any favor from the other person, and he goes on his own merits, without anybody coercing him, and he goes and asks and asks forgiveness and he humbles himself in front of the person that he offended and he requests his forgiveness. This is another way, another way to identify a humble person. This is, and this is not to identify in others, but really in ourselves. This is a way for us to identify our own status in the trait of humility. Hashishi, what's the sixth identifier? When a person is responding with soft words, as the verse states in Proverbs, a soft answer turns away wrath, because this, when a person speaks softly, it's a form of humility, a form of lowliness, as it says and you will be low, you will speak from the earth and your speech will be low, from out of the dust. And a person should also, as one of the identifiers, not invest too much in his clothes and his jewelry and all of the accessories, as it says Remove your ornaments. And a person's eyes should constantly be lowered, not to be looking up and trying. That's a form of arrogance, of yuhura, but rather it should be. It should be not belittled but humble. It should be humble, as the verse states in Job, but humble To be humble. K'mo shenemar v'shach einayim yoshiach, as the verse states in Job, and him of lowered eyes will he help, meaning the Almighty will help. V'lo yis'asek b'tanugim. A person shouldn't be investing and delving into the world of pleasures. K'in y'shenemar tzadik ochol lesova nafsho, a righteous. The verse says eats to satiate, to satisfy his soul, not to fill up his body and pack it with more and more pleasures. All of these are signs of humility. So this is more of like a declaration of what is humility, what is anova? Anova, humility is the ladder that leads to the ways of Hashem Sh'nemar yadrech anovin b'mishpat. The verse states he guides the humble in justice and teaches the humble his way. This is a verse in Psalms Yadreich anovim b'mishpot, v'yilamed anovim darko V'mimeno yagia lahasig yerashamayim. And from this a person will get to attain the trait of yerashamayim a fear of heaven. Baruch Hu. Blessed is Hashem She-nemar, eikev anovi Yerushalayim. As a result, the verse says, of anova, of modesty, of sorry, of humility. As a result of humility will come fear of heaven. Hashkina shora al-anovi.

04:40
The Talmud tells us, the presence of Hashem resides on those who are humble. If you remember, on which mountain did God choose to show the Jewish people his presence and reveal the Torah to the Jewish people? On which mountain? Not on Mount Everest, not on the largest mountain, but rather on the most humble mountain, mount Sinai. God went all the way down, descended to Mount Sinai, which was of the smallest mountains. Way down, descended to Mount Sinai, which was of the smallest mountains. Awaken, sing you dwellers in the dust for a dew of light is your dew. One who makes himself a neighbor to the dust, meaning in humility in this world, will live in the world to come. Why? Because Hashem likes those who are humble, and like we mentioned last couple of episodes where we mentioned that what is true humility, true humility is that you know your place. You know exactly that you are not all high and mighty over yourself. You are actually given gifts by the Almighty and those gifts are alone from God. They're not yours, you don't own them, they don't belong to you and therefore, what right do I have to be arrogant about it? If you're smart, if you're gifted with great knowledge, great wisdom, great talent, great wealth, what is that? That's yours? It's not yours. It's a gift that the Almighty gave you. One. This we know that one who places his heart soft as flesh, his prayer is heard. That God says let all flesh come to bow down to me, says Hashem. And you who hear prayer, prayer to you, shall all flesh come.

07:04
V'ksiv shomei atfila odecho kol basar yavar Amr Rabbi Shurban Levi. Rabbi Shurban Levi said Bo re'ei kam agdolim nimuchei ruach lefnei haKadosh Baruch Hu. Come and see how the lowly of spirit, those who are humble, are before Hashem and when the temple was standing. If someone brought a burnt offering, he would gain the reward for a burnt offering, but If he brought the meal offering, he would gain the reward of the meal offering, but someone who is humble of spirit. The Torah considers it as if he had brought all the offerings before the Almighty.

07:58
As it is written, the choicest of the offerings before the Almighty, as it is written, zivchei Elokim Ruach Nishbara, the choicest of the offerings for Hashem are those of broken spirit, meaning those who are humble La'od ele, she'ein, tfilosoi nim'eses. But also someone who is humble. His prayer is not despised by the Almighty. A heart that is broken is not despised by the Almighty. She-nemer lev nishbar v'nitkeh l'kim lo sivzeh. A heart that is broken and oppressed, Hashem shall not despise. So we see here that it's very, very important for us to maintain a state of humility, because that's the ideal way in which Hashem loves the way we conduct our lives as humble people. This concludes day number 24. I look forward to continuing day 25 together.