In Hevruta: Think of a time you felt humbled.
אבוב היה במקדש חלק היה דק היה של קנה היה ומימות משה היה צוה המלך וציפוהו זהב ולא היה קולו ערב נטלו את צפויו והיה קולו ערב כמות שהיה צלצול היה במקדש של נחושת היה והיה קולו ערב ונפגם ושלחו חכמים והביאו אומנין מאלכסנדריא של מצרים ותקנוהו ולא היה קולו ערב נטלו את תיקונו והיה קולו ערב כמות שהיה
Our Rabbis taught: There was a flute in the temple which was smooth, subtle, made of reed, and from the days of Moses. The king commanded that it be covered in gold leaf, but it made its sound no longer sweet. After they removed the overlay, it returned the sweetness of its sound, like it was before.
The was a cymbal in the Temple, made of bronze, whose sound was sweet. It was cracked, and sages went for skilled workers from Alexandria, Egypt, who repaired it, but its sound was no longer sweet. They removed the repair, and its sweet sound returned, as it was before.
Looking at these stories as metaphorical, what could they represent?
What does the reference to Moses add to the story? What about the reference to Alexandria, Egypt?
(11) And Moses said unto God: ‘Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?’
(3) Now the man Moses was very humble, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth.—
Humility isn't just about acknowledging that which you are not, it's also about recognizing that which you are. Thus, Moses is described as the most humble man who ever lived (Numbers 12:3). Yet, he could have also been referred to as the most courageous or the most compassionate human being of all time. Why does the Torah go out of its way to only mention this characteristic? Given the above definition of humility, it becomes clear as to why this was the case. Moses was quite aware of his weaknesses (including having a speech impediment), but at the same time also understood that his strengths put him in the position to lead the Jewish people. A lesser person would have either failed to acknowledge their weaknesses, or worse yet, would have downplayed the strengths they did possess in order to avoid greater responsibility. - Asher, Lev Echad, "Are Humility and Self-Esteem Contradictory?"
In what situations do you find yourself acting with arrogance?
What do we do to feel better about ourselves when our self-esteem is low?
Are these strategies healthy or unhealthy? What would healthy strategies be?
The kabbalah and the counting of the omer tell us that everything has to be in this delicate balance. And so as we go through the seven week period of counting, of counting the days, we recognize, make each day count. And make each aspect of the self count. Yeah, all of those parts of ourselves that we’re ashamed of, and the things that we’ve done that we don’t like, of course we acknowledge that, but we don’t get so obsessed by it that we can’t see the beauty that we bring into the world. Yes, we have our ego and our will, and we also have the capacity to surrender and stand back, and let others around us shine, reflected in a certain way.
-Rabbi Marc Soloway, A Dash of Drash, Transparency - The Week of Hod
The Chofetz Chaim was once traveling by train to a Jewish community to give a lecture. A man sat down next to him during the trip and started a conversation. When the Chofetz Chaim asked where he was heading, the man replied, "I'm going into town to hear the Chofetz Chaim speak. He's the greatest tzaddik (righteous person) in the Jewish world today." Embarrassed by what he was hearing, the Chofetz Chaim told the man, "People exaggerate about his greatness. I know him very well and he's not that great." The man became infuriated by what he was hearing and slapped the Chofetz Chaim in the face. That night, the man was horrified when he came to the lecture and realized that the person he hit was actually the Chofetz Chaim. As soon as the lecture was over, the man pleaded for forgiveness. The Chofetz Chaim smiled and said, "There's no need for forgiveness - you were defending me. In fact, you taught me a great lesson: my whole life I've been teaching people not to defame others; now I've learned that it's also wrong to defame yourself."