In Hevruta: Think of a time you felt humbled.
אבוב היה במקדש חלק היה דק היה של קנה היה ומימות משה היה צוה המלך וציפוהו זהב ולא היה קולו ערב נטלו את צפויו והיה קולו ערב כמות שהיה צלצול היה במקדש של נחושת היה והיה קולו ערב ונפגם ושלחו חכמים והביאו אומנין מאלכסנדריא של מצרים ותקנוהו ולא היה קולו ערב נטלו את תיקונו והיה קולו ערב כמות שהיה
Our Rabbis taught: There was a flute in the temple which was smooth, subtle, made of reed, and from the days of Moses. The king commanded that it be covered in gold leaf, but it made its sound no longer sweet. After they removed the overlay, it returned the sweetness of its sound, like it was before.
The was a cymbal in the Temple, made of bronze, whose sound was sweet. It was cracked, and sages went for skilled workers from Alexandria, Egypt, who repaired it, but its sound was no longer sweet. They removed the repair, and its sweet sound returned, as it was before.
Looking at these stories as metaphorical, what could they represent?
What does the reference to Moses add to the story? What about the reference to Alexandria, Egypt?
(11) And Moses said unto God: ‘Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?’
Moses was quite aware of his weaknesses (including having a speech impediment), but at the same time also understood that his strengths put him in the position to lead the Jewish people. A lesser person would have either failed to acknowledge their weaknesses, or worse yet, would have downplayed the strengths they did possess in order to avoid greater responsibility.
-Asher, Lev Echad, Are Humility and Self-Esteem Contradictory?
In what situations do you find yourself acting with arrogance?
What do we do to feel better about ourselves when our self-esteem is low?
Are these strategies healthy or unhealthy? What would healthy strategies be?
The kabbalah and the counting of the omer tell us that everything has to be in this delicate balance. And so as we go through the seven week period of counting, of counting the days, we recognize, make each day count. And make each aspect of the self count. Yeah, all of those parts of ourselves that we’re ashamed of, and the things that we’ve done that we don’t like, of course we acknowledge that, but we don’t get so obsessed by it that we can’t see the beauty that we bring into the world. Yes, we have our ego and our will, and we also have the capacity to surrender and stand back, and let others around us shine.
-Rabbi Marc Soloway, A Dash of Drash, Transparency - The Week of Hod