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THE WEEKLY SIDRA- B’HA’ALOSCHA
Rabbi Moshe Greebel

The most beautiful of all characteristics, humility, is the key to the solutions of so many of our problems. Only when one can recognize that in the greater scheme of things he must accept modesty upon himself, will he begin to breathe that rarified air where the ego cannot cloud the thought process. It is as the Navi (prophet) states:

“…..What is good; and what does HaShem require of you, but to do justice, and to love loving mercy, and to walk humbly with your G-d.” (Micha 6:8)

In this week’s Sidra, is one of the most stunning examples of humility, concerning Moshe Rabbeinu:

“And the man Moshe was very humble, more than any other men which were upon the face of the earth.” (Bamidbar 12:3)

Now, it is not surprising that one who regrettably must live a life of abject poverty, is constantly beholden to the generosity of others, and has very little in the way of any kind of future, could very well turn out to be quite a humble individual. As commendable a characteristic as humility may be, the humility of the above person is as a result of his overwhelming misfortune, not his intellect.

On the other hand, let us take a more privileged fellow, who grew up in wealth and prominence, and has not one serious worry in all the world for the rest of his natural days. If such an individual carries himself humbly, his humility is not one of circumstance, but rather of intellect. Let us delve a little deeper into this intellectual humility.

As can be seen from the above Passuk (verse), the attribute of humility, is by what Moshe is known in the Torah. However, in reference to Shlomo HaMelech, we see that his main attribute was intellect:

“For he was wiser than all men…..” (M’lachim I 5:11)

Touching on this comparison between the two men, the celebrated Admur of Rizhin, Rav Yisroel Friedman (1796-1850) of blessed memory, had the following to impart.

Now, in reality, in addition to a great intellect, Shlomo HaMelech must also have been very humble. For, even the slightest amount of arrogance or haughtiness, to one who is truly wise, is nothing more than blatant nonsense. Concerning Shlomo then, it can be said that just as his intellect, so was his humility.

Continuing on this theme, Rav Yisroel taught that Moshe, who was memorialized in the Torah for his humility, must have also been ‘wiser than all men.’ For, humility without intellect, is a much less desirable level of this characteristic. Concerning Moshe as well, just as his humility, so was his intellect. And so, both men shared the two attributes of intellect and humility, of which they had an abundance.

Yet, posed Rav Yisroel, if both men had both these qualities, why does the Torah then, praise Moshe only for his humility, and Shlomo only for his intellect? On what grounds did the Torah make this distinction? Prior to discovering the answer of Rav Yisroel to this query, some background information is necessary, beginning with the following Passuk, which speaks of a Melech (Jewish king):

“You shall set him king over you…..” (D’varim 17:15)

The key words here are ‘over you,’ which signify that the Melech must have a higher status than anyone else. At no time can he condescend himself to anyone else. The Gemarah in K’subos 17a, Sotah 41b, Kiddushin 32b, and Sanhedrin 19b, 20b, and 22a instruct:

“…..If a Nasi (prince) foregoes his honor, his renunciation is accepted. Yet, if a Melech foregoes his honor, it is not accepted; for it is written, ‘You shall set him king over you,’ intimating, that his authority should remain over you.”

Based on this, taught Rav Yisroel, Moshe Rabbeinu, as his title denotes, was an instructor of the Torah to all Yisroel- a Rebbie, so to speak, who was certainly permitted to forego his honor, as a true humble man would do. That is why the Torah praises him with the characteristic of humility.

Shlomo on the other hand was a Melech, who by Torah law, could not forego any of his honor. Simply, he was prohibited from appearing as a humble person. And so, the Torah praised him for his intellect. While Shlomo was very formal and ceremonial in his public duties as Melech, his inner self never veered from its intrinsic humility.

And so, we see that the highest level of humility is a consolidation with intellect, which gives man the competence and ability to see his true station in this existence. The two are inseparable.

May we continuously strive for these two attributes of humility and intellect, so that we will be able to illuminate with clarity the true path of Torah, and never veer from it.

May we soon see the G’ulah Sh’laimah in its complete resplendency- and in our times. Good Shabbos.

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Rochester, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Circleville, Ohio

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