Bereishit and Anavah, Humility text inspired by The Mussar Torah Commentary

Just as the Torah begins with Parashat B’reishit, Mussar practice begins with the middah of anavah. All other middot are accessed through this core character trait. The middah of anavah is essential for living with integrity. When we think of humility, we may imagine someone who is the picture of modesty and meekness. However, in Mussar, humility is not defined as being so humble that you disappear; rather, it is about having all of your character traits in balance so that the inner light of the soul shines pure and clear as originally intended. As Mussar teacher Alan Morinis puts it, “Being humble doesn’t mean being nobody: it just means being no more of a somebody than you ought to be.”

"One who overestimates one's own intellectual abilities is liable to denigrate the dignity and sanctity of the Torah and its teachers and bearers, thus blocking his or her own path towards wisdom. Hence, awe and reverence born of humility will protect one from missteps and errors in practical observance and moral judgment."

Rabbi Bunim taught: Every person should have two pockets. In one pocket should be a piece of paper saying: "I am but dust and ashes." When one is feeling too proud, reach into this pocket and take out this paper and read it. In the other pocket should be a piece of paper saying: "For my sake was the world created." When one is feeling disheartened and lowly, reach into this pocket and take this paper out and read it. We are each the joining of two worlds. We are fashioned from clay, but our spirit is the breath of Adonai.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves,

Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking

so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.

It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine,

we consciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

What is the relationship between self-esteem and humility?

In our own lives, we hide our authentic selves from the truth of our lives. When we live out of balance, despite the fact that we may be falling apart on the inside or on the outside, we betray our lives. We take up either too much or too little space; either we take away space from others, or we abandon them when they need us. Our sacred connection to anything important—our families, our communities, our work—all suffer when we neglect to live life with anavah in balance. Celebrated with intention, Shabbat provides the time, space, and opportunity to reconnect to our core essence, reacquire a sense of proportion, and connect anew with the people and projects in our lives with both humility and presence. Anavah, approaching our lives with humility, means not taking up too much space in the Garden, not trying to fool others with some disguise of our true selves; but to honestly offer our truest selves to the people and work we encounter in our lives.

Cain could use a good dose of anavah. Blinded by his sense of deserving God’s reward, an abundance of arrogance, Cain resorts to violence. Rather than taking a step back, Cain chooses an irreversible course. Rather than humbly stepping into his proper space and making room for his brother, he does the radical opposite. Tragically, he forgets the words that God spoke to him just two verses prior to the murder: “If you do not do well—sin is a demon at the door; you are the one it craves, and yet you can govern it” (Genesis 4:7). In both Cain’s and Adam’s cases, an attempt to hide the core essence of a person causes a greater distance in the human-Divine relationship. Insecurity need not necessarily become negatively manifested if we take care of these emotions by becoming more skilled at thoughtfully evaluating and strategically expressing them. When we leave pain unexpressed, jealousy can turn to anger, and as a result, we might become dangerous to others. When we are faced with challenging circumstances, we ought to ask ourselves, “Where are you? Where are the others?” Cultivating the middah of anavah might support us in finding our soul’s rightful place.

One who sacrifices a whole offering shall be rewarded for a whole offering. One who offers a burnt-offering shall have the reward of a burnt-offering. But one who offers humility to God and man shall be rewarded with a reward as if he had offered all the sacrifices in the world. As it is written, “A contrite and humbled spirit is a sacrifice to God. God does not ignore a broken heart.”

Lurianic Kabbalah teaches that the world was actually created through anavah. In a creation myth called the “Shattering of the Vessels,” or sh’virat hakeilim (שְׁבִירַת הַכֵּלִים), attributed to the six-teenth-century mystic Isaac Luria, before the world was created God’s presence filled up every bit of space in the universe. Then, through the process of tzimtzum (צִמְצוּם, “contraction”), God pulled inward, contracting in order to make space for Creation. Through that tzimtzum, God’s light was honed to contain God’s very essence. Only then was the divine light sent forth to create the universe. That tzimzum continued. With great humility, God withdrew from the work of Creation on the seventh day and embraced the middah of anavah by resting—that is, God set a limit to Godself. On Shabbat, we are commanded to do the same. Six days of the week, we are consumed with the outside work of the world: we try to expand ourselves and our lives; but on the seventh day, we draw ourselves inward. We, too, make space for the essence of Creation, returning with loving attention to the selves we are supposed to be.

Questions from Block, Rabbi Barry H.. The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life (p. 8). CCAR Press.

Set aside some time to ask yourself this coming Shabbat:

Where am I in my most important relationships?

How much space do I take up?

How might I tend to my most sacred relationships on Shabbat?

Which relationships have I been paying too much attention to? And for whom have I not been present?

How might I make time to feel and deal with my emotions before Shabbat arrives or on Shabbat itself?

How can anavah help me understand the place of emotion in my life?

How much space do I give myself to feel strong emotions?

“Humility is associated with spiritual perfection. . . . When humility effects depression it is defective. When it is genuine it inspires joy, courage and inner dignity.”