The Secret of True Humility: The Spiritual Trap of Yarovam ben Nevat
Class No. 33 | Morning Classes in the Yeshiva, Monday Morning, Parashas Masei, 26 Tammuz 5755
Why is it that even when a person reaches tremendous spiritual peaks and perfection in holiness, he is still in danger of falling? An in-depth class on the deception that hides within spiritual achievements, the profound difference between Yarovam ben Nevat and King David, and the secret of humility as the only vessel for drawing down the Shechinah (Divine Presence).
The great principle in the Torah and in the spiritual levels of the tzaddikim is "I have set Hashem before me always." A person must take to heart that Hashem, whose glory fills the entire earth, watches all of his deeds. On the verse, "The stone that the builders despised became the chief cornerstone," the Rebbe of Ruzhin explains a tremendous foundation: In order for a person to merit becoming the "chief cornerstone" before Hashem, he must be despicable in his own eyes. The word "even" (stone) is related to "havanah" (understanding), and "bonim" (builders) is related to "binah" (insight). When a person reaches the ultimate level of lowliness, and he is utterly despicable in his own eyes, specifically then he becomes the chief cornerstone.
The Deception in Spiritual Perfection
The Rebbe of Ruzhin explains another deep concept: "Until [the level of] folly, there is deception." In all of the first six Sefiros (Divine emanations)—Chesed (Loving-kindness), Gevurah (Severity), Tiferes (Harmony), Netzach (Victory), Hod (Splendor), and Yesod (Foundation)—there exists a danger of self-deception and pride.
A person can be a tremendous man of Chesed, distributing thousands of dollars to charity and opening free-loan funds, yet fall into pride. He can be a mighty warrior who conquers his evil inclination, staying awake and learning Torah for forty-eight consecutive hours, and still deceive himself. Even in the trait of Tiferes, when a person beautifies mitzvos in the aspect of "This is my God and I will glorify Him," or in the trait of Netzach when he is victorious over the evil inclination—in all of these levels, a subtle deception and pride can hide.
Even when a person reaches the trait of Yesod, which is the ultimate holiness, purity of the eyes, and guarding the covenant, when he is already completely holy and pure—the danger of pride still lies in wait for him. He might think that he is the greatest tzaddik of all.
The Holiness and Downfall of Yarovam ben Nevat
The clearest example of this is Yarovam ben Nevat. The Talmud in Tractate Sanhedrin testifies about Yarovam that he was ultimately holy and pure, without any blemish. He is described as a "new garment"—clean from any flaw. Yarovam was a spark from the soul of Yosef HaTzaddik, and was completely perfect in the trait of Yesod.
However, despite his tremendous holiness, Yarovam fell into the sin of pride. When Hashem offered him the chance to do teshuvah (repentance) and said to him:
"Repent, and I, you, and the son of Yishai (King David) will stroll together in the Garden of Eden,"
Yarovam immediately asked: "Who will be at the head?" The moment he understood that King David would be before him, he refused. Yarovam was in the aspect of the Sefirah of Yesod, while King David represented the Sefirah of Malchus (Kingship)—which is the crown of Yesod. Yarovam's mistake was the thought that since he had reached such high spiritual perfection, he deserved to be first. He failed to understand that the true spiritual work is to know that you are the least of everyone.
The Secret of King David: Ultimate Lowliness
In contrast, King David was chosen for kingship specifically in the merit of his absolute humility. Hashem chose David because he diminished himself more than any other person. King David testifies about himself:
"But as for me, in the abundance of Your loving-kindness I will enter Your house; I will bow down toward Your holy sanctuary in awe of You."
David enters the holy place out of a feeling of unearned grace, out of a recognition of his own lowliness. He does not demand honor and does not take pride in his spiritual achievements.
The holy book Noam Elimelech explains the verse in Psalms, "I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end (ekev)." What does "forever, to the very end (ekev)" mean? King David is saying: I am always in the aspect of the heel (ekev). I feel that I am the dust of the sole of every Jew.
This is the highest possible level. If a person walks around with the feeling that everyone is holier and better than him, and that he is the lowest of all—only then can the holiness he achieves remain with him for all eternity, without any deception.
Part 1 of 4 — Class No. 33