"V'ha-ish Moshe anav me'od."
Was Moshe unaware that he was the greatest
of prophets, the greatest leader in Klal Yisrael? Obviously not.
Humility does not mean living in blind ignorance of one's abilities
or accomplishments; rather, it means recognizing that one's abilities and
accomplishments are a gift from Heaven. Humility means divorcing
one's accomplishments from one's ego.
The gemara (Sota 49) lists
a number of middos that were lost when Rebbi died. Rav Yosef commented
that humility should not be on that list, as he lived after Rebbi and he
personified that trait.
Maharasha comments: "Ain derech
chachamim l'hispaer u'l'hishtabeyach b'ma'alasam," it is not proper
for chachamim to boast and sing their own praises, as the pasuk says, "Ye'halelucha
zar v'lo picha," let strangers sing your praises, but don't let them
come out of your own mouth. Nonetheless, explains Maharasha, Rav Yosef's comment was
justified to ensure that the text of the braysa was correct, etc.
The sefer Bad Kodesh writes that someone
came to the Brisker Rav and remarked that he had always been troubled by
this statement of Rav Yosef. How can one claim to be humble yet at
the same time boast of one's humility? Now that he discovered the Maharasha, he had an answer.
The Brisker Rav explained to this individual that he completely misunderstood the Maharasha. There is obviously no contradiction,
said the Brisker Rav, between being humble and professing humility, as
the truly humble person does not connect achievement with ego -- there
is no "I" involved, and hence nothing such a person says constitutes boasting. What bothered the Maharasha is that even if
Rav Yosef was not a stira minei u'bei, even if we grant that there is no
contradiction between professing humility and actually personifying that
same trait, Rav Yosef's still seem to fly in the face of the pasuk,
"Yehalelucha zar...?" To this the Maharasha answers the
the extenuating circumstance of rectifying the text of the braysa justified Rav Yosef's words.
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Reminds me of the old joke: The Rav was studying for hours and finally fell asleep at his shtender. One by one his students crept in to stare at him.
ReplyDelete"Such a holy man" whispered one.
"A true masmid" said another.
"And so generous with tzedekah"
"And kind to the unfortunate"
Then the Rav lifted up his head and asked "And of my humility you say nothing?"
> Humility does not mean living in blind ignorance of one's abilities or accomplishments; rather, it means recognizing that one's abilities and accomplishments are a gift from Heaven. Humility means divorcing one's accomplishments from one's ego.
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest a clarification. This seems true of things like wisdom, talent, wealth, charisma, power, etc., and perhaps even some character leanings, which are truly gifts. But achieving true humility -- is that (merely) a gift from above? Isn't humility more accurately described as an accomplishment of the humble person, a battle that they won through bechira chofshit? If only a gift from heaven, then is the humble person undeserving of reward, and the ba'al ga'ava blameless?
Perhaps the Brisker Rav meant that a truly humble person recognizes the huge extent to which most of their "accomplishments" are really gifts from Above and no thanks to themselves, and the only thing a Rav Yosef would ever feel he deserves credit for would be a wholly hard-earned personal accomplishment such as anivut, which is appropriate. As to why Rav Yosef voiced this out loud, despite the verse in mishlei (and polite manners!), that is answered by the Maharsha.
{says Rav Yosef (Sota 49), delete "humility"; says Rav Nachman, delete
ReplyDelete"fear of sin"...
so what's left? what DID cease with the death of Rebbi?
the definitive redaction of the Mishnah!
the 2 Rabbis weren't only protesting inaccuracy; they were minimizing*
post-Prince appendage, symbolically undoing a late-added line...
* ? would such minimization have been desirable? was sealing the
Mishnah a goal to be sought? was the honor of the Rebbi at stake
(& even if it were, would that justify an artificial, premature containment?)?}
>>>If only a gift from heaven, then is the humble person undeserving of reward,
ReplyDeletehakol b'ydei shamayim chutz m'yiras shamayim...
Even if talent is a gift, it still takes bechira to utilize the gift in the proper way.
yes, precisely. That is why I suggested this clarification of what the Brisker Rav said. I don't think he meant that a truly humble person takes no personal credit (internally) for any of their own spiritual accomplishments -- that would seem to overlook the essential role of bechira.
Deletehttp://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=15826&st=&pgnum=39&hilite=
ReplyDeleteThe Gemara in Brachos says that “kol hakoveia makom latefila nekra anav vlo od ela elokai avraham bezri.” Why anav? why avraham more than other avos?
ReplyDeleteAnivus is not about low self esteem rather its about making space for others to function. So when one makes space for others by constricting their space- they are allowing for others to flourish.
Avraham who was so far advanced from anyone else at that time still served people who in theory were "lower than him," and moreover he tried to help those who were diametrically opposed and different from him(sodomites and their hatred of chesed). -- Based on Alan Morinis.
The Gemara in Brachos says that “kol hakoveia makom latefila nekra anav vlo od ela elokai avraham bezri.” Why anav? why avraham more than other avos?
ReplyDeleteAnivus is not about low self esteem rather its about making space for others to function. So when one makes space for others by constricting their space- they are allowing for others to flourish.
Avraham who was so far advanced from anyone else at that time still served people who in theory were "lower than him," and moreover he tried to help those who were diametrically opposed and different from him(sodomites and their hatred of chesed). -- Based on Alan Morinis.