I am Unworthy of Kindness
“I am unworthy of all the kindness and of all the faithfulness that You have done with Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with only my staff, and now I have become two camps” (Genesis 32:11).
According to the Talmud (Sotah 5a), a Torah scholar should possess an eighth of an eighth of arrogance. This is a puzzling teaching. What might it mean?
The Gaon of Vilna explained that our Torah portion of VaYishlach is the eighth portion in the Torah, and this verse is the eighth verse in VaYishlach.
A Torah scholar has to learn from this verse that even after great accomplishments and reaching levels where there may be cause for pride, as Jacob said:
I now have become two camps – he must remember that all he has comes through the generosity of Hashem. He will then realize that he’s far from worthy of all the kindness that has been showered on him.
By Rabbi Michael Skobac
Rabbi Michael Skobac had been involved with Jews for Judaism (Canada) since 1989 and currently serves as its Director of Education and Counselling. He is a leading authority on missionaries, cults and issues relating to Jewish continuity and Jewish spirituality. Rabbi Skobac's publications include Missionary Impossible; Counter-Missionary Survival Guide; The DaVinci Code: A Jewish Perspetive; and Intermarriage: Is There Ligth at teh End of the Tunnel?
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Republished by Angelique Sijbolts with permission for the Noahide Academy.