The Repulsiveness of Ga’avah
In his sefer Tzofnas Pa’anei’ach (end of Parashas Yisro), Rebbe Yaakov Yosef of Polno’oh teaches the following in the name of his rebbi, the Ba’al Shem Tov:
My master explained an incredible teaching that ga’avah is worse than sin. For regarding all other sins and tumah, we are assured that טומאותם בתוך אתם השוכן, HaKadosh Baruch Hu rests among them amidst their impurity. If a person sinned, he must repent. This is not a simple matter. But the Ribbono shel Olam does not abandon him as a result of his sin. To the contrary, He remains with the sinner and seeks to help him out of the rut. Not so when it comes to a haughty person, about whom Chazal tell us: לבב ורחב עינים גבה אוכל לא אותו, HaKadosh Baruch Hu cannot tolerate a haughty person.
This is contrary to what some may think, saying “True, ga’avah is a defect... but it’s not the worst flaw. Some people have more positive attributes, while some are lacking in certain middos.” But when we learn Torah lishmah, we see the picture differently.
A Yid can be weak in his Yiddishkeit...he tries, he pushes.... Sometimes he is successful and sometimes less so...and in material matters it’s the same story; he isn’t very successful here either. But due to his position and status, he is humble. He understands that he needs to reach out to the Ribbono shel Olam, that the Ribbono shel Olam doesn’t owe him anything, and that without His help, the person has nothing—such a person merits the company and the Presence of HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
Conversely, someone who sees success in material matters... he is considered wise, he is successful, he is highly-regarded. And when it comes to ruchniyus...here too, he is respected, he delivers shiurim...and is considered to have the best of both worlds—but his success causes him to become haughty—such a person cannot have the Ribbono shel Olam with him.
HaKadosh Baruch Hu says, “I can be with someone—even if he is immersed in aveiros—if he is humble. But I cannot be with a ba’al ga’avah.
“He and I Cannot Live Together”
A similar vort is said by Rav Avraham Chaim of Zlochev in his sefer, Pri Chaim (Avos 4:4):
I heard it said about the Ba’al Shem Tov that he would be mekarev great sinners—on the condition that they were not haughty, and he would push away even bnei Torah who were ba’alei ga’avah, saying : ‘Someone who is a ba’al aveirah and is aware of it, and due to this he is humble—HaKadosh Baruch Hu is with him, as it says, טומאותם בתוך אתם השוכן. Conversely, someone who is not a ba’al aveirah and therefore becomes haughty, HaKadosh Baruch Hu says, “He and I cannot live together.”
The great tzaddik and chassid Rav Eliyahu Roth of Yerushalayim was known to be a master educator. In his capacity as a mashgiach on bachurim in yeshivah, he dedicated himself primarily to the weaker bachurim—conversing with them and expressing concern for them. He explained that through this approach, the gain is twofold. “While I encourage and raise up the struggling bachur, I also arouse some envy among the good bachurim, and if they are stricken with ga’avah, their haughtiness subsides somewhat through my preferential treatment for those who are struggling....
This is the proper outlook: HaKadosh Baruch wants those who are humble; this is whom He prefers.
Lowering Oneself to Acquire Torah
Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmeini explains the pasuk, בהתנשא נבלת אם, If you have incurred humiliation as a result of your public leadership... (Mishlei 30:32) in the following way: One who incurs humiliation for the words of Torah will eventually rise to a position of leadership.
Rav Eliyahu Roth would explain that this refers to those who initially do not see success in their learning. They ask the simpler questions, and they learn but don’t grasp the depths of the sugyah—but they try...and they sustain embarrassment for their lack of understanding, and yet, they try again! How much השכינה השראת comes down to the world as a result! This is what the Ribbono shel Olam loves!
A person who learns and incurs bizyonos along the way, he tries but he is unable to properly understand the words—this is the pinnacle of true humility. If a person makes the effort and exerts toil in Torah learning, with humility, then HaKadosh Baruch Hu is with him. In contrast, a person who is successful in Torah but becomes haughty as a result has a big problem—a worse problem than aveiros: he cannot be zocheh to השכינה השראת.
The Torah’s Outlook
We must become accustomed to seeing things through the prism of the Torah—not our own outlook. This is the Torah’s hashkafah. The Torah speaks this way, and the tzaddikim have likewise taught us this way—and we must follow their derech and outlook. In truth, this is something that can be instantly felt: We can sense the Presence of Hashem around a humble person.
We must be sure not to confuse humility with sadness, for morosity is likewise a terrible thing. But when a person is humble and he is also b’simchah—then HaKadosh Baruch Hu speaks to him. He davens, and he soon sees siyata diShmaya. Such a person is drawn to holy and lofty things, and his spiritual nature is obvious. When a person is haughty, on the other hand, one with the proper sensitivity will immediately sense the lack of Hashem’s Presence around him.
In truth, there are several d’Oraisa transgressions involved in haughtiness—as Chazal teach us in Maseches Sotah (5a). This must be internalized: Not only is ga’avah an aveirah, it’s also more severe than many other aveiros. The problem is that we don’t want to see it as such a severe aveirah—for who would want to think that with one hubristic thought he can transgress many aveiros? Only true tzaddikim can be free from all thoughts of ga’avah. Surely, we hope, Chazal didn’t mean for us to take the severity of ga’avah literally.... But that is not so. And we must understand this and internalize this outlook.
