Chapter 30: Humbling oneself before all creatures

(LY) 16^th Adar 1

1.      The obligation to feel lower than, and humble oneself before others:

• Another matter that one is to take to heart in order to accomplish the crushing of his animal soul is what the sages teach us regarding the state of humility that man should have.
• The sages teach us that every individual is to be humble and lower himself in front of all others. This statement is to be taken literally, and applies even towards the most lowly of individuals, and that one is instructed to feel lonely even in front of them.

3.      How to accomplish feeling even lower than a lowlife:

• Not to judge the challenges of others: It is possible to accomplish the above statement of the sages, by following through with another statement of the sages which instructs a person not to judge his friend until he reaches his place, as it is his place which causes him to sin.
• Environment and surroundings effects one’s level of righteousness: A person’s environment and surroundings can affect their level of temptation and be the cause of their lowly status. For example, a person who walks in the marketplace all day and sits amongst the storeowners who converse of matters of vanity, and his eyes see all the lustful activities before him, and what his eyes see his heart lusts after, and his inclination is filled with a passion like the fire of a burning furnace. [Hence, it is no surprise that this person sins.] This is in contrast with a person who hardly ever goes into the marketplace and witnesses the lusts that the other person sees daily, and rather sits at home most of the day [in which it is no big deal for him not to sin].
• Different temperaments affect one’s level of righteousness: Furthermore, it is possible that even a person who does walk in the marketplace all day will not have the same level of challenge as that of another person, as this is dependent on temperament. Different people are born with different temperaments and inclinations, and while one person may have a very hot and lustful temperament, another person may have a very cold and emotionless temperament. Hence, it is possible that a person with this latter type of temperament will not be affected at all when he walks in the marketplace throughout the day.