He talks to the Ribbono shel Olam, and pleads with Him to teach him Torah. “Teach me the truth,” he demands. Says HaKadosh Baruch Hu: “Okay, I am about to reveal to you a certain chisaron of yours. Are you sitting?!...” But this person keeps on interrupting. He doesn’t want to hear. And thus, there is no way that he will ever get to the truth if he doesn’t listen with humility.
Recognizing the Truth
When a person lives with the recognition that he is filled with errors, he needs Hashem to have rachmanus on him—even though he doesn’t deserve it—and reveal to him at least part of his errors. Such a person is humble and willing to listen. He davens to Hashem, “I don’t think I deserve anything, but You are compassionate, and I am filled with mistakes that impede my success in ruchniyus and in gashmiyus. Thus, I implore You to illuminate for me and guide me where I have erred.” And when HaKadosh Baruch Hu does reveal his mistakes to him, he is overjoyed.
But when a person doesn’t open his heart and his mind to accept mussar—for he feels that he knows everything and he deserves everything—he will be unable to succeed in Torah and tefillah.
Hubris Destroys Relationships
The same applies to the area of ahavas Yisrael. A great part of a person’s chiyus and kirvas Elokim is dependent upon his love for other Yidden, which is the foundation of Yiddishkeit. A person must always be tethered to וישראל ואורייתא הוא בריך קודשא, the Ribbono shel Olam, Torah, and his fellow Yid. And if he isn’t properly connected to other Yidden, he can’t draw chiyus from the Ribbono shel Olam.
And why is he disconnected from fellow Yidden? Again, it is because of ga’avah! He understands better than everyone, everyone else are fools.... His hubris doesn’t allow him to connect with others, and he ends up arguing with many people.
