Spiritual Tools-Humility & Arrogance For God

The 5th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Moshe Rokeach, Kiev-Zlotchover Rebbe. “I stand between God and you (Deuteronomy 5:5).” A person who thinks of his own importance and of his own ego entertains an idea which stands between God and him. It places a barrier, a hedge between God and him. The word “I” only God may utter. (Ohr Yesharim, page 86)

Another explanation: What stands between God and you like a wall, is your ego. This “I,” this consciousness of a separate existence, is a wall between you and Divinity. For the Majesty of God rests only upon him who conceives of himself as a speck in the universe. “I” is a word that has proper meaning only in the mouth of God.

Shall man, then, always walk in meekness? Not so, say the Tzaddikim. There are moments when arrogance becomes a duty. When the Evil Inclination approaches, whispering into the ear, “You are unworthy to fulfill the Law,” say, “I am worthy.”