Classics and Beyond Behaaloscha – True Humility

Classics and Beyond Behaaloscha – True Humility
והאיש משה ענו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה
And the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth (Bamidar 12:3).
The pasuk describes the “ish Moshe – man Moshe” as being humbler than any other “adam – person.” What is the intent of the Torah in this switch, calling Moshe an ish while comparing his humility to others known as adam? Rav Nissan Alpert (Limudei Nissan) has an insightful observation on this pasuk, which illustrates what true anavah is.
The term adam can refer to any human being, even at birth. Every person, even one who has not yet achieved anything, is called an adam. An ish, however, denotes a person of accomplishment and success, one who has made something of himself.
Moshe was the ultimate ish and was even described as “ish ha’Elokim – a man of G-d” (Devarim 33:1). His achievement and stature were unparalleled. In this pasuk, the Torah contrasts the humility of Moshe, the ish par excellence, with every other adam on the face of the earth. Moshe, in all of his majesty, was humbler than the most common of people, even a mere adam.
For an adam, a man of no accomplishment, to be humble is no trick, since he does not have a lot going for him. True humility is demonstrated when a man of achievement remains humble; he does not allow what he has made of himself to go to his head.
This idea is evident from a thought of the Kotzker Rebbe, based on Sotah (5a). The Gemara quotes Rabbi Yosef, who said, “A person should always learn from his Creator, for Hashem set aside all of the mountains and hills and rested His Shechinah on Har Sinai.” Kabbalas HaTorah requires humility. Hence, Moshe, the humblest person, acquired Torah to a greater degree than any other person.
The Kotzker asks: If humility is so great, why give the Torah on Har Sinai? It’s still a mountain; to truly demonstrate humility, the Torah should have been given on a flatland or even a valley. The Kotzker explains that it is no big deal for a valley or flatland to be humble. Therefore, the Torah was given on Har Sinai. It was a mountain, albeit a small one. It did stand out and had what to show for itself, yet still remained humble.
This notion can be seen in another statement in the Gemara (Nedarim 38a), which says in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: “Hashem does not place His Shechinah on a person unless he is strong, wise, wealthy, and humble, and all these traits were found by Moshe.” It’s clear why Hashem will not place His Shechinah on a person lacking humility. The Gemara in Sotah quoted above also tells us that Hashem says, “I and he – the one who is arrogant – cannot dwell in the same world.”
But why are strength, wisdom, and wealth prerequisites for communion with Hashem? In fact, another Gemara (Shabbos 92a) mentions another condition of receiving prophecy: height. Why do these features affect one’s ability to connect with the Shechinah?
Rav Chaim Volozhin also explains that the critical factor here is humility – true humility. The apparent humility of a short, weak, poor, and unintelligent person isn’t saying much; he has nothing to be proud of anyway. A person who is tall, strong, wealthy, and wise, yet stays humble demonstrates real humility. Such a person is truly deserving of being a Sanctuary for the Shechinah.
The Ksav Sofer (Vayikra 161b) adds that this is the reason the Torah calls Moshe by the name his adoptive mother gave him, rather than the other names given by his parents and by Hashem. The name Moshe implies that he was drawn from the water by the daughter of Pharaoh (Shemos 2:10); he was raised in the palace and was brought up as a royal. He had every reason to become haughty, yet he did not consider himself superior to even the lowest slave.
The Torah is emphasizing that the man who was called Moshe, with all that the name encompasses, still remained humble.