[Avodah] humility

[Micha Berger]

I recently restrung a collection of blog entries
(<http://www.aishdas.org/asp/category/anavah> plus background info to
compensate for their lack of yeshiva background) into a teleconference
shiur for The Mussar Institute (a group RYGB recently referred to,
Alan Morinis's students).

Here's the rashei peraqim, with links to the blog entries:

1- Anavah is a "mah Hu ... af atah ..." of tzimtzum. This is why the
mal'akh speaks to Eliyahu hanavi while Eliyahu seeks nevu'ah in the
wind, crash and fire, but Hashem's "Voice" is a qol demamah daqah.
Similarly, RYBS speaks of Moshe first seeing a "seneh bo'er ba'eish"
and hearing a mal'akh, but then turning for a second look and seeing
an "eish besokh haseneh" -- the eish is metzumtzam -- and then hearing
HQBH beAtzmo.
<http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2005/01/fire-within-bush.shtml>

I suggest this is for two mutually inclusive reasons:
1- The anav mikol adam leaves more "room" for Hashem's call. Someone
who only wants to hear his own ideas can't be a good navi.
2- Anavah reflects an internalization of how the Borei relates to the
beri'ah. With that greater understanding of HQBH comes a greater
ability to hear what He is saying.


2- Anavah requires a balance between overestimating and
underestimating oneself. Underestimation leads to bragging, to
bolstering or covering up one's sense of insufficiency. As Shaul
confesses to Shemuel, he listened to the masses' desire for Amaleiq's
booty rather than leading because of a lack of backbone, of the
self-confidence necessary of a melekh. OTOH, Yehoash overestimated his
success at kiruv, and thereby lost everything.

Esther starts out following her ancestor Shaul's path, until Mordechai
challenges her "im la'eis kazos higat lemalkhus".

Which (as I wrote here in an exchange I turned into
<http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2007/03/esthers-modesty-adars-joy-anavah-and-anvanus.shtml>,
a/k/a <http://tinyurl.com/2w83ha>) serves as an interesting contrast
to the role of "anvanuso of R' Zecharia ben Avqulus" in the story of
Qamtza uvar Qamtza. And note that one leads to marbim besimchah, and
the other to mimaatim besimchah.

But the masqanah I try to draw from these examples is that anavah
appears to be defined in terms of "im la'eis kazos higat" -- knowing
that one plays a critical role in the Beri'ah, a unique role that
determines my kishronos and personality, the time and place HQBH
places me, everything. But, a role in a whole. A whole new layer to
"besoch ami anochi yosheves".


3- There is a vort attributed to the Alter of Slabodka or R' Zushia,
depending upon the circles you hear things from. The rebbe advises his
talmidim to keep a card in each pocket. On one side, bishvili niva
ha'olam. In the other, va'anochi afar va'eifer.

This can also be used to explain how Hil' Yesodei haTorah pereq 1 is
all about the shevil hazahav, but pereq 2 tells us to be extreme when
it comes to anavah (and lack of ka'as).

Perhaps we can say that anavah isn't a qatzeh, but itself the shevil
hazahav between the shefal ruach and the baal gaavah. It's not
va'anokhi afar va'eifer, it's having both cards in one's pockets. Not
a shevil hazahav in terms of the midpoint, but in terms of a blend of
both extremes.


4- The person who always seeks the same maqom kavuah is called
mitalmidei Avraham avinu and an anav. How is this anavah? Perhaps
because the anav knows his place, his role in the big picture.

RYGB once posted a thought from RSRH, that "anavah" comes from
"la'anos". The navi's ability to listen to HQBH and respond. Listening
to another when they talk instead of spending the whole time planning
what you're going to say next. Truly responding.

Which is the only way to be part of the bigger picture. Yehoash
failed, and fell to Mitzrayim, because he didn't "listen" to the
situation. Shaul failed because he listened when he should have been
contributing.

The anav is someone who is metzamtzeim to allow everyone else to play
their role (an imitation of the Borei doing so for all of us) so that
he can correctly respond and play the one the RBSO planned for him.


And so in our context, Moshe's anavah was accentuated, not defied, by
acknowledging that his role is tied to where Kelal Yisrael was going.
If they failed and the project canceled, MRAH had no place in HQBH's
book because he was a piece in a different picture.

SheTir'u baTov!
-micha

PS: No, I was not comfortable dwelling on the subject of tzimtzum to
an audience that doesn't understand the basics. It was a measured
decision that they would respond to the notion of anavah more readily
if I pointed out the "mystical" aspect.

-- 
Micha Berger             "Man wants to achieve greatness overnight,
micha at aishdas.org        and he wants to sleep well that night too."
http://www.aishdas.org     - Rav Yosef Yozel Horwitz, Alter of Novarodok
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