Humility
Unleavened Bread (bread without leaven which, therefore, is not "puffed up" or "exalted") reminds us of the virtue of humility and serves as motivation to seek humility with all our heart. Through the centuries, Jewish rabbis who searched the Scriptures have noticed the importance of humility and described this essential characteristic in typical Jewish fashion.
He who runs after greatness, from him greatness will flee; he who flees from greatness, him will greatness follow.
If you minimize your merits, people will minimize your faults.
Do not forget that the fly was created before man.
Be not like the upper threshold, which can not be reached by everybody, but be like the undermost, which is accessible to everybody. Even though the building may fall, the lowest threshold remains unharmed.
When man sacrifices a burnt offering he receives a reward for his offering; but whosoever offers his humility has merit as if he had offered all the sacrifices of the earth.
Happy is the generation in which the great listen to the small, for then the more anxiously will the small listen to the great.
He who humbles himself on account of the Torah will ultimately be elevated through it.
The Almighty said to Mosheh, "Because of thy self-denial, the Torah shall be called by thy name.
While the Almighty despises what is broken among the animals, he loves in man a broken heart.
The Messiah will not come until haughtiness shall have ceased in Israel
Let us listen once again to the call towards humility coming to us through the pages of Scriptures. Let us look into our own hearts with honesty and sincerity. And if we find even just a few "bread crumbs" of pride, let us turn back to Yahweh in humility, giving Him alone all honour and esteem. Here are a few of many passages in Scriptures on the subject of humility.
Devarim 8:11-17 Be on guard, lest you forget Yahweh your Elohim by not guarding His commands, and His right-rulings, and His laws which I command you today, lest you eat and shall be satisfied, and build lovely houses and shall dwell in them, and your herds and your flocks increase, and your silver and your gold are increased, and all that you have is increased, that your heart then becomes lifted up, and you forget Yahweh your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage, who led you through that great and awesome wilderness – fiery serpents and scorpions and thirst – where there was no water, who brought water for you out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, in order to humble you and to try you, to do you good in the end, you then shall say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand have made for me this wealth!’
YeshaYahu 2:12,17 For Yahweh hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up, so that it is brought low … And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the pride of men shall be brought low. And Yahweh alone shall be exalted in that day.
YeshaYahu 10:15 Would the axe boast itself over him who chops with it, or the saw exalt itself over him who saws with it? As a rod waving those who lift it up! As a staff lifting up that which is not wood!
YeshaYahu 57:15 For thus declares the high and exalted One who dwells forever, whose Name is set-apart, "I dwell in the high and set-apart place, with him who has a bruised and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of bruised ones.
YeshaYahu 66:1-2 Thus said Yahweh, "The heavens are My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is this house that you build for Me? And where is this place of My rest? And all these My hand have made, and all these that exist," declares Yahweh. "Yet to such a one I look: on him who is poor and bruised of spirit, and who trembles at My Word.
YermeYahu 9:23-24 Thus said Yahweh "Let not the wise boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty boast in his might, nor let the rich boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am Yahweh, doing kindness, right-ruling, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," declares Yahweh.
MichaYah 6:8 He has declared to you, O man, what is good. And what does Yahweh require of you but to do right, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your Elohim?
Chaghai 2:8 The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ declares Yahweh of hosts
Tehillim 51:17 (19) The slaughterings of Elohim are a broken spirit, A heart broken and crushed, O Elohim, These You do not despise.
Tehillim 127:1 If Yahweh does not build the house, Its builders have laboured in vain. If Yahweh does not guard the city, The watchman has stayed awake in vain.
Tehillim 147:10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse, He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
Mishleh 21:30 There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against Yahweh.
1 Chronicles 29:14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give so voluntarily as this? For all comes from You, and we have given to You out of Your hand.
MattitYahu 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the reign of the heavens.
MattitYahu 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your beings.
MattitYahu 18:4 Whoever then humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the reign of the heavens.
MattitYahu 23:12 And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the favour which has been given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he should think, but to think soberly, as Elohim has given to each a measure of belief.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as chosen ones of Elohim, set-apart and beloved, put on compassion, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, patience
Yaáqov 4:6 But He gives greater favour. Because of this He says, "Elohim resists the proud, but gives favour to the humble.
The Jewish Rabbis who thought and taught on humility, realised that there is a form of humility that is not in line with Scriptures. For this reason they added that humility should never be exercised at the expense of courageousness. "The disciple of the wise should have sufficient pride to stand in defence of the (truth) he represents" – an aspect that each one of us should always remember.