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Now the man Moses was very meek, above all men that were upon the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:3) | |
When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2) | |
Thus saith the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord who exercise mercy, justice and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:22-28) | |
It is better for a man to be told, ‘Arise, ascend from thy lowly station,’ than to be told, ‘Descend from thy place of pride.’ (Exodus Rabba 4.1) | |
Because of his meekness Moses was permitted to approach the cloud of glory. Thus Scripture teaches us that he who is humble brings God’s presence close unto earth to dwell among men. (Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Bachodesh 9:16) | |
Moses merited to receive God’s law, for he was humble and reverent. The crown of the Divine law is humility and its sandal is reverence. (Midrash Tanchuma, Bereshit 1.9-10) | |
Humility is the noblest virtue of a religious life. It is the key that unlocks the precious treasures of spiritual understanding. When we are self-willed and arrogant, when we assume the haughty mood, the most obvious facts of our existence become shrouded in obscurity. Truth, ever ready to yield itself to the inquiring mind, shrinks from the withering look of the proud. | |
Only when we feel profoundly humble, only when we are conscious of our own weakness, of the uncertainty of our own steps, do we feel impelled to struggle for knowledge, for light and guidance; and only then can we hope to obtain enlightenment. | |
It is the sense of dependence, which is the very essence of humility, that fills us also with a desire to search for the source of all truth and wisdom, the great Rock in whose shadow we may ever find comfort and strength as we wander through the weary land. When we seek Him we find life a delight. A vision of His greatness and His glory breaks upon us like the radiant morning dawn, and, with wholeness of heart and complete selfsurrender, we adore and glorify His name. | |
O Lord, my God, King of the universe, Father of all men, Thou art great, and Thy name is exalted above all. All that I am and all that I may yet be, come from Thine aid. Without Thy guiding hand and sustaining power, of what avail would my efforts be! | |
With my head bowed in humility, and my lips attuned to praise, I come before Thee to ask Thy help. Give me, I pray Thee, a wise and constant heart that I may never be moved to haughtiness of spirit and self-pride. Imbue me with the consciousness of my limitations, my weaknesses and imperfections. Help me to be kind in thought, gentle in word, generous in deed, so that these fruits of my humility may speak to all men of Thy boundless love and care. | |
Heavenly Father, I am sustained by Thy love. I do not grovel as a slave before Thee. I am Thy child and I may not depreciate that nature within me which shares Thine own eternity. Yet I humble myself before Thee, O God, as I strive to climb the summits of Thy thoughts and seek to fathom the depths of Thy nature. Reward, I pray Thee, my humility with enlightenment. Raise me up from the darkness into the radiance of Thy presence. |
“Humility” is the forty-sixth prayer found in ברכה ותהלה Blessing and Praise: A Book of Meditations and Prayers for Individual and Home Devotion (CCAR 1923), pp. 152-154. Unfortunately, we do not yet know of a resource providing clear attribution of authorship for any of the prayers in this volume.
Source(s)
“Humility (CCAR 1923)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication.
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