גַּאֲוָה וַעֲנָוָה – גְּנוּת הַגַּאֲוָה וּמַעֲלַת הָעֲנָוָה

Sometimes the yetzer hara [evil inclination] wishes to introduce pride [gaavah], Heaven forbid, into the heart of the Tzaddik — inasmuch as he is a Tzaddik who rules through the fear of G-d [yir'as Elokim], and, as it were, the will of Hashem Yisborach is in his hand — for "who rules over Me? — the Tzaddik" [Talmud Bavli, Mo'ed Katan 16b]. In such a case he must return this very argument upon itself and say: How can I be said to rule, when I have pride and Hashem Yisborach does not dwell with me — as our Rabbis of blessed memory said [Talmud Bavli, Sotah 5a: G-d says of the proud person: "he and I cannot dwell together"].

It is not the attribute of humility to be lowly and despised, and to possess no holy boldness whatsoever — for a person has no share in the Torah when he lacks the holy boldness to stand firm against all those who rise against him to prevent him from the service of Hashem Yisborach, Heaven forbid. And the primary perfection of the attribute of humility is when one is at a level where one can write of oneself as Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him: "And the man Moshe was very humble" [Numbers 12:3] — this is the ultimate level of humility; as we find among the Amoraim, where Rav Yosef said: "Do not cite humility, for I am here." [See also Chapter 7, §2 above, where this teaching also appears — it is recorded in both chapters in the original.]

Humility without wisdom is nothing — for certainly it is not the virtue of humility to display oneself with a bowing of the head in a foolish manner as though one is humble, for this is a flawed humility. The primary perfection of humility is when it is accompanied by wisdom. And through the blemish of evil speech [lashon hara] in the world, a separation is created between humility and wisdom — and then it is impossible to be truly humble, except for one who is at a very great level in the attribute of humility, to the point that even the blemish of the world's evil speech does not damage his humility.

When a person conceals and hides and diminishes himself in humility [anavah] and lowliness [shifles] — then Hashem Yisborach, as it were, also shows Himself to him in the dimension of humility and lowliness, and contracts His pride and majesty and diminishes Himself, as it were, and dwells with him in the dimension of "I dwell with the contrite" [Isaiah 57:15]. But when a person prides himself and aggrandizes himself, Heaven forbid — then Hashem Yisborach also, as it were, displays His pride and greatness: and who can bear and receive His honor and pride, blessed be He? — "Behold, the heavens and the heavens of heavens cannot contain You" [I Kings 8:27], etc. And from this comes the destruction of the Holy Temple [churban Beis HaMikdash], due to our many sins.

There is one who is humble, and yet the humility is not in his heart or in any of the other limbs [eivarim]. The primary perfection of humility is that one should be humble in the extreme through all the limbs — that his heart and all his limbs should be in the dimension of ultimate humility and self-nullification [bitul]. [Translator's note: No source citation appears in this edition for this teaching.]

Through lowliness [shifles] one merits to emunah [faith].

The way of the humble person is that the more he is praised and magnified, the more he comes to greater humility and smallness — in the dimension of "In the place of His greatness, there you find His humility" [Talmud Bavli, Megillah 31a]. [Source note: the text cites Sipuray Ma'asios — the Book of Stories — which alludes to the parable of the king and the wise man in Story 6, where this principle is illustrated in the parable itself. See also the summary in Chapter 1, §27 above.]