Sources from essay by Rabbi Michelle Pearlman & Rabbi Sharon Mars in The Mussar Torah Commentary
(2) On the seventh day God finished the work that had been undertaken: [God] ceased on the seventh day from doing any of the work. (3) And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy—having ceased on it from all the work of creation that God had done.
In Parashat B'reishit, we learn that each of us is created in the image of God (Genesis I:27). Just as God breathed life, nishmat chayim ("breath of life"), into Adam (Genesis 2:7), each one of us has a n'shamah, a "soul" that is an essential gift of the Divine. In Mussar, we are taught that this soul is the shining light and essence of our entire being. And, as we read in our morning liturgy, Elohai n'shamah she-natata bi t'horah hi, "My God, the soul You have given me shines pure." However, when we strive and fight every day, the light of our soul can feel obscured."
-Rabbis Pearlman & Mars
Just as the Torah begins with Parashat B'reishit, Mussar practice begins with the middah of anavah. All other middot are accessed through this core character trait. The middah of anavah is essential for living with integrity. When we think of humility we may imagine someone who is the picture of modesty and meekness. However, in Mussar, humility is not defined as being so humble that you disap pear; rather, it is about having all of your character traits in balance so that the inner light of the soul shines pure and clear as originally intended. As Mussar teacher Alan Morinis puts it, "Being humble doesn't mean being nobody: it just means being no more of a somebody than you ought to be."
Imagine a continuum between self-deprecation on the one hand and arrogance on the other. We know that it is unhealthy to live at either pole. According to Mussar teaching, a person who has mastered the middah of humility would be centered on that continuum, being neither a meek shadow nor an overblown narcissist, but rather perfectly balanced.
-Rabbis Pearlman & Mars
Lurianic Kabbalah teaches that the world was actually created through anavah. In a creation myth called the "Shattering of the Vessels," or sh'virat hakeilim, attributed to the six-teenth-century mystic Isaac Luria, before the world was created God's presence filled up every bit of space in the universe. Then, through the process of tzimtzum, or "contraction," God pulled inward, contracting in order to make space for Creation. Through that tzimtzum, God's light was honed to contain God's very essence. Only then was the divine light sent forth to create the universe.
That tzimzum continued. With great humility, God withdrew from the work of Creation on the seventh day and embraced the middah of anavah by resting—that is, God set a limit to Godself. On Shabbat, we are commanded to do the same. Six days of the week, we are consumed with the outside work of the world: we try to expand ourselves and our lives; but on the seventh day, we draw ourselves inward. We, too, make space for the essence of Creation, returning with loving attention to the selves we are supposed to be.
Just as God cultivates anavah as an essential element of Creation, we, too, must nurture the middah of humility in order for our own creative spiritual, emotional, and physical selves to flourish.
(1) Now the Human knew*knew Heb. yada‘, often in a sexual sense. his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gained a personwith the help of יהוה (2)" She then bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil. (3) In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to יהוה from the fruit of the soil; (4) and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. יהוה paid heed to Abel and his offering, (5) but to Cain and his offering [God] paid no heed. Cain was much distressed and his face fell. (6) And יהוה said to Cain,
“Why are you distressed,
And why is your face fallen?
(7) Surely, if you do right,
There is uplift.
But if you do not do right
Sin couches at the door;
Its urge is toward you,
Yet you can be its master.” (8) Cain talked with his brother Abel and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him. (9) יהוה said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (10) “What have you done? Hark, your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground!
Questions to Ask
- Where am I in my most important relationships? How much space do I take up?
- How might I tend to my most sacred relationships on Shabbat?
- Which relationships have I been paying too much attention to? And for whom have I not been present?
- How might I make time to feel and deal with my emotions before Shabbat arrives or on Shabbat itself?
- How can anavah help me understand the place of emotion in my life?
- How much space do I give myself to feel strong emotions?