The Depth of Humility and the Delight of the World to Come

Class No. 235 | Cassette No. 235 Wednesday, 20 Adar II 5760, Gathering of the Nanmach Group of Breslov Chassidim. Side A

A profound article explaining how the true humility of Moshe Rabbeinu is the key to asceticism and holiness. Through recognizing our own nothingness and subduing our pride, we merit reaching the ultimate purpose of life—thanksgiving, song, and prayer to Hashem, may He be blessed, which are a taste of the delight of the World to Come already in this world.

The Secret of Moshe Rabbeinu's Asceticism and Humility

A person filled with pride thinks he is the most important of all. He hands himself compliments twenty-four hours a day: "I am holy, I am pure, I am a Torah scholar." But anyone who acts with arrogance will ultimately stumble into evil thoughts and a blemish of the covenant (p'gam habris), for pride is the root of all spiritual falls. In contrast, the Torah testifies about Moshe Rabbeinu:

"Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth."

The question arises: How is it possible to be at the absolute pinnacle of asceticism and holiness, and yet remain humble? After all, an ascetic person can easily feel pride over his abstinence and spiritual stature! The answer is that Moshe Rabbeinu did not see himself at all; he only saw Hashem. He did not feel that he was the one taking the Jewish people out of Egypt. Rather, he said, "Hashem took you out of Egypt; I was just a cog in the machine."

Moshe felt like a cassette tape playing inside a tape recorder—can the tape think that it is the one playing the music? Someone else is playing it! In this way, Moshe felt that he was but dust and ashes, a mere vessel in the hands of the Creator. Hashem only used him as a conduit to take Israel out of Egypt, but Moshe did not feel that he was doing anything of his own accord.

True asceticism must be accompanied by ultimate humility. If a person boasts about his asceticism and feels that people know about it, as the 'Bnei Yissaschar' brings down, this is the height of arrogance. There is nothing more impure than asceticism that stems from pride, and it drags a person down to the lowest depths of the abyss. In contrast, the fortitude of Yosef, the humility of Boaz, and the humility of Palti ben Laish—everything depended on humility, and only in the merit of this humility were they saved from the lust of adultery.

The Delight of the World to Come: Praise and Thanksgiving

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov teaches (Likutey Moharan, Part II, Torah 2) that the essence of the days of Chanukah is days of thanksgiving, and this is actually the delight of the World to Come. The entire essence of the World to Come will be nothing but praise and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed. A person will praise, sing, and dance before Hashem. All of our Torah and Gemara study is meant so that we receive the "mochin"—the spiritual intellect and awareness—to praise, laud, and glorify the Creator.

When we recite the morning blessings (Birkos HaShachar) over the vitality of each and every limb—"Who opens the eyes of the blind," "Who frees the bound," "Who straightens the bent"—the goal is to infuse humility into every limb. A person must know that he is a zero, an absolute nothing. If twenty-four hours have passed and he is still alive and breathing, and he hasn't been harmed by terrorists or enemies, he must recognize that this is a tremendous miracle and kindness from Hashem, and not the strength and might of his own hand.

Singing the Prayer: A Taste of Eternity

The morning prayer (Shacharis) is not merely an obligation; it is the delight of the World to Come. The entire prayer is composed of thanksgivings, songs, and praises to Hashem, may He be blessed. There are people who can finish the prayer in five minutes at home, saying "Baruch She'amar," "Ashrei," the Shema, and then running off to their business. They ask themselves, "Why should I go to the synagogue and prolong my prayer? It's better that I finish quickly so I can manage to study another page of Gemara." But they do not understand that the entire World to Come will consist of gratitude and thanksgiving.

The more a person prolongs his prayer, praising, lauding, and singing before Hashem—this is praiseworthy. The tzaddikim would sing and chant the prayer, and in this way, the prayer would ascend, sweeten the harsh judgments, and draw down abundant spiritual flow. The blessings we recite in the morning are an aspect of the days of the World to Come.

Sometimes a person gets used to the good and does not feel the need to give thanks. He thinks, "I have food, I have a wife, this is how it should be." But he must reflect on the tremendous miracles that have accompanied him, for example, in his shidduch (marriage match), which was completely above the laws of nature. For this alone, he should wake up early in the morning and thank Hashem. The song of prayer, Chatzos (the midnight lament over the Temple), the Shabbos zemiros (table songs)—all of these are the delight of the World to Come. The more a person sings to Hashem in this world, the more he will sing in the World to Come, for in the future:

"In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will make a circle dance for the tzaddikim... and each and every one will point with his finger, as it is stated: 'And it shall be said on that day, Behold, this is our God; we hoped for Him, and He will save us.'"

The Secret of Submission: Why is it Hard to Pray with Intention?

The key to all of this is humility. A person who is completely satisfied with himself does not know what humility is at all; he is liable to be a solid block of arrogance. What is true humility? When a person prays slowly, word by word, with serenity—this is humility.

I once shared a conversation I had with my Rosh Yeshiva in Kfar Chassidim, Rabbi Eliyahu Mishkovsky zt"l. When I first entered the yeshiva, he asked me, "Do you know why it is difficult for a person to pray with kavanah (intention)? It is very simple: because it is hard for him to submit himself to Hashem, may He be blessed." A person thinks he is managing wonderfully on his own, and therefore it is difficult for him to stand for an hour or two in prayer and submit himself.

The entire essence of prayer is submission and lowliness. The difficulty in prayer stems from the fact that a person is filled with pride from head to toe, and it is hard for him to humble himself, to beg and plead for his life, for his wife, and for his children. Prayer is the humility of Moshe Rabbeinu clothed within each and every limb.

The True Vitality of the Soul

The true vitality of each and every limb in a person is humility. The main purpose of the life given to a person is to bless and thank His blessed Name, as it is stated:

"The living, the living, he shall thank You"

When a person merits lowliness and humility, he truly begins to live. In contrast, the wicked are called dead even while alive. Who are these "dead"? These are people who walk on two legs, but they have no humility, they have no submission, and they do not know the taste of prayer, singing, or dancing before Hashem. They do not know what it means to thank and to ask. But we, who merit to thank and praise, fulfill the ultimate purpose of our soul—to draw down the delight of the World to Come into our lives in this world.

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