The Ran says that if you’re Machshiv your own Torah that it will save you. Their lack of respect for their own Torah caused the Churban. We should do Teshuva in the 3 weeks and practice respecting our Torah and Mitzvos, and then our Torah and Mitzvos will save us from so much harm.
The Alter of Slabodka once called two brothers over to talk to them. The younger brother was a bigger Talmid Chacham, and when they left the meeting, he ran ahead of his older brother. The Alter called them both back [without explaining why]. He dismissed them a second time, but the same thing happened, so he called them back. The Alter did this several times, and each time the younger ran first. Finally, he understood the Alters’ unspoken message, and he gave his older brother his due respect.
R’ Avigdor Miller Zatzal once said that if a Talmid puts his hands around the shoulders of his Rebbe, the Rebbe is obligated to stop him: “I’m not your buddy!” When Shaul HaMelech was too much of an Anav and didn’t stick up for himself, he was told off by Shmuel HaNavi: הלוא אם קטן אתה בעיניך ראש שבטי ישראל אתה You think so little of yourself; you are the head of the nation!
A person has to respect himself and his position. Not everybody is fit to be a “Gantzer Anav” and belittle himself. When someone once asked R’ Shlomo Wolbe Zatzal how to work on Anava, he responded: “I think we have to work on Ga'ava!”
