וְהִנֵּה זֶה וַדַּאי שֶׁהָעֲנָוָה מְסִירָה מִדֶּרֶךְ הָאָדָם מִכְשׁוֹלוֹת רַבִּים וּמְקָרֶבֶת אוֹתוֹ אֶל טוֹבוֹת רַבּוֹת, כִּי הֶעָנָיו יָחוּשׁ מְעַט עַל דִּבְרֵי הָעוֹלָם וְלֹא יְקַנֵּא בַּהֲבָלָיו, וְעוֹד שֶׁחֶבְרַת הֶעָנָיו נָאָה עַד מְאֹד וְרוּחַ הַבְּרִיּוֹת נוֹחָה הֵימֶנּוּ בְּהֶכְרֵחַ, לֹא יָבוֹא לִידֵי כַּעַס וְלֹא לִידֵי מְרִיבָה אֶלָּא הַכֹּל בְּהַשְׁקֵט, הַכֹּל בִּמְנוּחָה. אַשְׁרֵי מִי שֶׁזּוֹכֶה לְמִדָּה זוֹ, וּכְבָר אָמְרוּ (ירושלמי שבת א:ג): מָה שֶׁעָשְׂתָה חָכְמָה עֲטָרָה לְרֹאשָׁהּ עָשְׂתָה עֲנָוָה עָקֵב לְסֻלְיָתָהּ, כִּי כָל הַחָכְמָה כֻּלָּהּ לֹא יַעְרְכֶנָּה, וְזֶה בָּרוּר.
There is no doubt that humility removes many stumbling blocks from a man's path and draws him near to many good things. For the humble person will be little concerned with worldly matters and not envy its vanities. Furthermore, the company of a humble person is extremely pleasant and the public derives pleasure from him. Perforce he will not come to anger and disputes. Rather he does everything quietly and tranquilly. Fortunate is he who has merited this trait. Our sages, of blessed memory, already said: "that which wisdom made a crown on its head, humility made as the heel of its sandal" (Yerushalmi Shabbat 1:3), for all wisdom cannot compare to it. This is clear.
הָא לְמָה זֶה דּוֹמֶה לְרוֹעֶה חֲזִירִים שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לִמְלֹךְ, כָּל עֵת אֲשֶׁר יִזְכֹּר יָמָיו הָרִאשׁוֹנִים אִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹ שֶׁיִּתְגָּאֶה. וּכְשֶׁיַּחֲשֹׁב כְּמוֹ כֵן שֶׁבְּסוֹף כָּל גְּדֻלּוֹתָיו יָשׁוּב לֶעָפָר, מַאֲכָל לַתּוֹלַעַת, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁיִּכָּנַע גְּאוֹנוֹ וְיִשְׁכַּח שְׁאוֹן גַּאֲוָתוֹ, כִּי מַה טּוּבוֹ וּמַה גְּדֻלָּתוֹ וְאַחֲרִיתוֹ בֹּשֶׁת וּכְלִמָּה.
To what is this similar? To a pig-herder who rose to become the king. As long as he remembers his early days, it will be impossible for him to become arrogant. Likewise, when one considers that at the end of all his greatness, he will return to the earth to be food for maggots, all the more so will his pride be submitted and his roaring arrogance quieted. For what is his good and his greatness if his end is shame and dishonor?
הַשֵּׁנִי הוּא עִנְיַן חִלּוּף תּוֹלְדוֹת הַזְּמָן וְרֹב תְּמוּרוֹתֵיהֶם, כִּי הֶעָשִׁיר קַל לִהְיוֹת עָנִי, וְהַמּוֹשֵׁל לְעֶבֶד, וְהַמְּכֻבָּד לְנִקְלֶה, וְאִם הוּא יָכוֹל כָּל כָּךְ עַל נְקַלָּה לָשׁוּב אֶל הַמַּצָּב הַנִּבְזֶה בְּעֵינָיו הַיּוֹם, אֵיךְ יִגְבַּהּ לִבּוֹ עַל מַצָּבוֹ אֲשֶׁר אֵינוֹ בָּטוּחַ עָלָיו, כַּמָּה מִינֵי חֳלָאִים יְכוֹלִים חָס וְשָׁלוֹם לָבוֹא עַל הָאָדָם שֶׁיִּצְטָרֵךְ בְּמוֹ פִיו לְהִתְחַנֵּן לְמִי שֶׁיַּעֲזֹר אוֹתוֹ וִיסַיְּעֵהוּ וְיָקֵל לוֹ בְּמִקְצָת. כַּמָּה צָרוֹת חָס וְשָׁלוֹם יְכוֹלִים לָבוֹא עָלָיו שֶׁיִּצְטָרֵךְ לָלֶכֶת לְשַׁחֵר פְּנֵי רַבִּים אֲשֶׁר מָאַס לְפָנִים לָתֵת לָהֶם שָׁלוֹם לְמַעַן יִהְיוּ לוֹ לְמוֹשִׁיעִים.
The second contemplation is on the shifting of circumstances over time and their many changes. For the rich man may easily become poor, the ruler a slave, the honorable lowly. If one can so easily fall to a situation which is today disgraceful in his eyes, how can his heart pride on his current situation in which he is not assured of?! How many kinds of illnesses can, G-d forbid, strike a person which would necessitate him to plea others to help him and assist him to relieve his situation a bit. How many troubles can befall him such that he would need to beseech many people to save him when previously he sometimes despised to greet them?
וְאַבְרָהָם אַחֲרֵי שֶׁיָּצָא לַעֲזֹר לְבֶן אָחִיו לוֹט שֶׁשָּׁבוּ אוֹתוֹ הָיָה מִתְפַּחֵד וְאוֹמֵר שֶׁמָּא לֹא זַכּוּ מַעֲשָׂיו לְגַמְרֵי, הוּא מָה שֶׁפֵּרְשׁוּ זַ"ל (בראשית רבה מד:ד): עַל פָּסוּק אַל תִּירָא אַבְרָם (בראשית טו:א), רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר: לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה אַבְרָהָם מִתְפַּחֵד וְאוֹמֵר בֵּין כָּל אוֹכְלוֹסִין שֶׁהָרַגְתִּי שֶׁמָּא הָיָה בֵּינֵיהֶם צַדִּיק אֶחָד אוֹ יְרֵא שָׁמַיִם אֶחָד, לְפִיכָךְ נֶאֱמַר לוֹ אַל תִּירָא אַבְרָם, וְאָמְרוּ בְּתָנָא דְּבֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ: אַל תִּירָא אַבְרָם, אֵין אוֹמְרִים אַל תִּירָא אֶלָּא לְמִי שֶׁהוּא יְרֵא שָׁמַיִם לַאֲמִתּוֹ.
Avraham: after he went out to assist his nephew Lot who had been taken captive, was afraid and told himself perhaps his deeds were not completely pure, as our sages explained on the verse: "do not fear Avraham" (Gen.15:1) - "Rabbi Levi said: 'because Avraham was afraid and said to himself, among all those soldiers I killed in battle, perhaps there was among them a righteous or G-d fearing person?'. Therefore, he was told (Gen.15:1): 'do not fear Avraham'" (Genesis Raba 44:4). And our sages said in Tana D'Bei Eliyahu (Rabba 25): "a person is not told 'do not fear' unless he is G-d fearing in truth".