לקוטי שיחות חלק לח - בהעלותך ב

Three Levels of Humility:

1. A person does not take credit for his achievements. This level of humility is a prerequisite for prophecy, just like the other qualifications for prophecy.
2. A person feels himself lower than every other individual.
3. A humility so profound that it causes a person to lower himself and engage even with the most spiritually lowly. This level is not merely a preparation for prophecy—it is the very essence of prophecy itself.

In our parshah, the Torah relates Moshe's humility. On the simple level, this explains the greatness of Moshe's prophetic level, since prophecy depends on humility. However, the Gemara (Nedarim 38a) lists humility together with being strong, wise, and wealthy. This implies that humility is only one of several qualities required for prophecy and is no more essential than the others. Yet our parshah suggests that humility is the primary quality that leads to prophecy. We must therefore conclude that there are two dimensions of humility: one that is similar to the other prerequisites, and another that is superior to them.

This can be understood through the account at the end of Maseches Sotah. A Heavenly Voice proclaimed that among those present was someone worthy of having the Divine Presence rest upon him. They identified Hillel the Elder, and upon his passing they eulogized him as "pious" and "humble." On another occasion, the same declaration was made regarding Shmuel HaKatan, and they eulogized him as "humble" and "pious."

The change in order is significant. For Hillel, "pious" precedes "humble" because his humility was of a higher level, attained after piety. For Shmuel HaKatan, "humble" comes first because it refers to a lower level of humility. However, the Jerusalem Talmud describes both as "humble and pious," referring to a third and even higher level of humility, which both Hillel and Shmuel ultimately attained. Through this higher humility they reached a higher level of Divine inspiration. Accordingly, the Babylonian Talmud speaks of one "worthy for the Divine Presence to rest upon him," while the Jerusalem Talmud speaks of attaining "Ruach HaKodesh."

The explanation is that there are three levels of humility:

1. Not taking credit for oneself. One realizes that if another person had been given the same talents and circumstances, that person might have achieved as much or even more. This humility is an essential prerequisite for prophecy and corresponds to the other prophetic qualifications. This was the level of Shmuel HaKatan described in the Babylonian Talmud.
2. Feeling lower than everyone else. One is convinced that if others had received his abilities, they would certainly have surpassed him. This was the level of Hillel described in the Babylonian Talmud.
3. Humility that leads one to lower oneself for the sake of even the most spiritually distant person. This is not merely a preparation for prophecy; it is prophecy itself. Such self-lowering cannot come from the power of a created being alone, but from the Divine power expressed in the verse: "I dwell on high and in holiness, and also with the broken and humble in spirit."