The Depth of Humility: How Humiliations Purify Mitzvos from Pride
Lesson No. 66 | (Continued from No. 65) Thursday, Parashas Eikev, Eve of 17 Menachem Av 5756 - At the Yeshiva
True Torah study leads a person to infinite mercy and absolute humility. According to the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the humiliations a person absorbs are the 'slaughtering' that purifies his mitzvos from the waste of pride, turning them into 'delicacies' before Hashem.
Mercy Upon Every Creation
The Rambam rules that even though according to the strict letter of the law it is permissible to work a Canaanite slave with harsh labor, the trait of piety and the ways of wisdom dictate that a person should be merciful and pursue justice, and not make the yoke heavy upon his slave. A person must feed and give drink to the slave from every food and drink that he possesses. The early Sages would give the slave from every single dish they themselves ate, to show him that the master has no superiority over him. Furthermore, they would prioritize giving the slave the exact same type of food they were eating, and would even feed their animals and slaves before their own meal.
Halacha (Jewish law) warns against humiliating a slave, neither physically nor verbally. It is forbidden to make any degrading gesture toward him or to say a derogatory word to him. Even though he is a slave, there is no permission to shame him or yell at him. One must speak with him gently and listen to his claims, as is explicitly stated regarding the good ways of Iyov (Job), for which he was praised:
"If I despised the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant when they contended with me... Did not He who made me in the womb make him? And did not One fashion us in the womb?" (Iyov 31:13-15).
We were all created in the image of God, and it is forbidden for a person to dominate or feel pride over any creation, not even over a non-Jew. We do not know the calculations of Heaven; it is possible that this non-Jew saved Jews and demonstrated self-sacrifice for them, as happened often during the Second World War.
The Ultimate Purpose of Torah Lishmah
It is forbidden for a person to show any cruelty toward any creature, and certainly toward a fellow Jew. Cruelty and anger are traits of idolaters, and this has no connection to us. The true purpose of a Jew, and what is called "Torah lishmah" (Torah study for its own sake), is to reach such a level of deveikus (cleaving) to Hashem that he is ready to demonstrate self-sacrifice with love.
A person who studies Torah must occasionally remember what he is studying for—so that he can reach the level of Rabbi Akiva, whose flesh was combed with iron combs yet he continued to cry out "Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad," out of love and deveikus, without causing pain to anyone and without mocking anyone.
The Secret of Humiliations: Slaughtering Pride
Our holy Rebbe Nachman (Likutei Moharan, Torah 83, Part II) reveals an immense secret: Hashem cannot "taste" any mitzvah of a person until he is humiliated and laughed at. In every mitzvah a person performs, there lies a danger of honor and pride. A person studies Gemara for long hours or prays the Shemoneh Esrei prayer with kavanah (focused intention) for half an hour, and immediately pride sneaks into his heart: "I am truly a genuine tzaddik; everyone finished in five minutes, and I had intention in every word." This pride invalidates the mitzvah, just as an "eiver min hachai" (limb torn from a living animal) is forbidden to eat.
In order for the mitzvah to ascend on high, someone must come and humiliate him. When derogatory words are spoken to a person and he accepts it with love, telling himself: "I truly do not learn, everything they say about me is true"—then the mitzvah ascends. The humiliation spills the blood of the pride, and this constitutes the "shechitah" (ritual slaughter) that purifies the mitzvah, exactly as ritual slaughter permits meat for consumption. Only then can Hashem taste from his mitzvos, which are called "delicacies."
The Delicacies of Yitzchak Avinu
This is the secret of Yitzchak's request to Eisav: "Make me delicacies such as I love." Yaakov Avinu would constantly absorb humiliations, whereas people were afraid to humiliate Eisav. Yitzchak said to Eisav: "I have no satisfaction from your mitzvos, because people are afraid of you and you do not absorb humiliations. I want delicacies—I want to see that you accept humiliation with love, and only then will I be able to bless you."
Even when a person absorbs humiliations, he must be careful not to fall into a new pride and think, "They are humiliating me because I am a tzaddik." He must always remain in true humility and lowliness, as the Rambam explains that Hashem influences the tzaddikim to always be in a state of lowliness toward every person.
The Fruits of the Torah of Truth
Torah study must bring a person to infinite mercy and love for others. Only through studying Torah lishmah can one achieve mastery in humility, and truly and innocently believe that every Jew is better than me—in study, in prayer, in good character traits, and in fear of Heaven.
A person who truly studies Torah is recognizable by the fact that he walks with a bowed head, accepts humiliations with love, and has mercy on others. He must listen to his friend's pain, comfort and encourage him, and learn from the traits of Hashem: "Just as He is merciful, so too you must be merciful; just as He is compassionate, so too you must be compassionate." Whoever is brought by the Torah to mercy and humility is guaranteed that whoever has mercy on others, Heaven has mercy upon him.
Part 2 of 4 — Lesson No. 66
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