[Avodah] humility

[Michael Makovi]

> Sorry I don't understand the question. The Hebrew "anav" does NOT mean
> modest in the sense of not asserting oneself. Moshe defends the Jewish
> people assertively and acts like a leader. He does not eat humble pie
> and he is not a nebish.
> Eli Turkel

But it says Moshe was exceedingly humble, and thus he wouldn't defend
himself against lashon hara, and so Hashem had to defend him against
Miriam and Aaron.

> "Anav" implies a realization that one's powers come from G-d and imply
> more of an obligation than a privelege. There are several Gemarot
> where people claim they are an "anav". Obviously they are not claiming
> that they are nothing

B'vadai. A large part of anavah is recognizing that in the face of
Hashem, you are nothing, and that everything you have is from Him and
it is all a responsibility to be discharged responsibly. Thus says
Mesilat Yesharim.

But we also learn in Orchot Tzidikim that if a person has anavah,
he'll judge everyone else more favorably than himself, saying that he
has some advantage they don't, etc. So quite conceivably, Moshe saw
himself as failing to meet his own potential, but everyone else, he
saw as having greater challenges and thus greater excuse than himself.

The Biblical View of Man by Rabbi Leo Adler (Urim) says that the
Tanach links anavah and yirat hashem so inextricably, almost as if
they're synonyms, because the natural result of fearing Hashem and
recognizing Who He is, is to recognize one's own pettiness and
worthlessness.

(An aside: There are of course many examples of anavah, but an
excellent one, and relatively little known I suspect, is Dr. Benjamin
Carson: his autobiography Gifted Hands is a fantastic example of true
anavah as expounded by Mesilat Yesharim - he recognizes his abilities
are from G-d and that they are nothing but a responsibility, and if
doesn't use them to save lives, he's simply abusing what was given
him, and if he does save lives, then yes he is great, but only because
G-d chose him to be so, and he can take no pride in them; and that he
depends on his secretary and garbage man, etc., to do what he does,
and they are as important as he is.)

Mikha'el Makovi