Our Sages famously say that a Torah Scholar should have an eighth of an eighth of arrogance. This is to indicate that it should be a very minute amount, and while some say one should have none at all, the explanation is that one must recognize his own worth in terms of his Torah scholarship and wisdom. This will enable him to stand up for what is right.
The Vilna Gaon comments that the eighth verse of the eighth Parsha (Vayishlach) is the one of, “Katonti, I have become small, mikol hachasadim, from all the kindness and truth that Hashem did for me.” Here, Yaakov expresses his worry that in all his successes, he has depleted his reserve of merit.
However, if one recognizes that all he has comes from Hashem, and it is only through Hashem’s mercy that he achieves any success in either physical or spiritual matters, then this is not arrogance, but humility. This is the 1/8 of an 1/8 our Sages want us to have: the realization that we have nothing to be prideful of because Hashem is the continual source of all the good we have in our lives.
Of course, if we recognize that and appreciate it, THAT is something to be proud of!
