בְּעִנְיַן הַהַכְנָעָה טוֹעִים הָעוֹלָם הַרְבֵּה
True Humility Needs Da'as
People are very mistaken about humility. We work hard in prayer and service to rise from small, constricted awareness to expanded awareness, so humility cannot mean simply making oneself small; it must involve da'as. That is why not everyone can be truly humble — only Moshe Rabbeinu was the humblest of all men — and the Sages called humility that is not as it should be 'flattery', as with Yirmiyahu before the false prophet Chananiah.
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1-minute recap
Explainer
Full shiur
הַמָּקוֹר · Original text
בְּעִנְיַן הַהַכְנָעָה טוֹעִים הָעוֹלָם הַרְבֵּה
כִּי הֲלֹא כַּמָּה אָנוּ מְיַגְּעִין עַצְמֵנוּ בַּעֲבוֹדוֹת וּבִתְפִלָּה כְּדֵי לָצֵאת מִמֹּחִין דְּקַטְנוּת לְמֹחִין דְּגַדְלוּת, וְאִם־כֵּן אִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַהַכְנָעָה בִּפְשִׁיטוּת, כִּי אִם־כֵּן הוּא נִכְנָס לְקַטְנוּת, וְעַל־כֵּן בְּהֶכְרֵחַ שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּזֶה דַּעַת,
וְעַל־כֵּן לָאו כָּל אָדָם יָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת עָנָו כָּרָאוּי, רַק מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ, עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, הוּא הָיָה עָנָו מִכֹּל הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה (במדבר י״ב:ג׳).
וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה קָרְאוּ לַעֲנָוָה שֶׁאֵינוֹ כָּרָאוּי – חֲנֻפָּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סוטה מא:) עַל יִרְמְיָה הַנָּבִיא, שֶׁהָיָה עָנָו נֶגֶד הַנְּבִיא־שֶׁקֶר חֲנַנְיָה, וְאָמַר לוֹ בְּהַכְנָעָה: אָמֵן, כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה ה'; וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, עַל זֶה: כָּל הַמַּחֲנִיף וְכוּ' לַסּוֹף נוֹפֵל בְּיַד בְּנוֹ וְכוּ':
Hebrew text: Likutei Moharan Tinyana - rabenubook.com via Sefaria (Public Domain) · Sefaria. Names of Hashem are written in the customary form.
Transcripts
1-minute recap
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah twenty-two. People are very mistaken about humility.
We work so hard to rise from small awareness to great awareness. So humility can't mean simply making yourself small. It needs da'as.
That is why only Moshe Rabbeinu was truly the humblest of all men.
And humility that is not as it should be, the Sages called flattery.
Our own reflection: true humility stands tall before Hashem, and never bows to falsehood.
Explainer
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah twenty-two: true humility needs da'as.
Rebbe Nachman says people are very mistaken about humility. We exhaust ourselves in prayer and service to rise from mochin d'katnus, small awareness, to mochin d'gadlus, expanded awareness. If humility meant simply making oneself small, it would drop a person back into smallness. So it must involve da'as.
That is why not every person can be properly humble. Only Moshe Rabbeinu was the humblest of all men on the face of the earth.
And the Sages called improper humility flattery. Yirmiyahu answered the false prophet Chananiah humbly: Amen, so may Hashem do. The Sages said of this: whoever flatters will in the end fall into the hand of his son.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. Humility is not shrinking or agreeing with everyone. It means knowing, with clear da'as, where you stand before Hashem, while standing firm for the truth.
Full shiur
— Part 1: True Humility Needs Da'as —
Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah twenty-two. A short shiur in one part: what true humility is, and what it is not.
Gold is Rebbe Nachman's own words, from Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah twenty-two. Grey is a verse or teaching he quotes. Green is our own explanation. The Hebrew is the public-domain text from Sefaria; the English is our own paraphrase.
Rebbe Nachman begins: People are very mistaken about the matter of humility.
For see how much we exhaust ourselves in service and in prayer, to go out from mochin d'katnus, small awareness, to mochin d'gadlus, expanded awareness. If so, humility cannot simply mean making oneself small, for then he would enter smallness. So it must be that humility involves da'as.
Our explanation. All our prayer and service aim to expand our awareness of Hashem. A humility that only shrinks a person would pull him back down. True humility must live together with da'as, with a clear and expanded mind.
Therefore not every person can be humble as he should; only Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, who was 'humbler than any man on the face of the earth'.
He brings a warning from the Sages: And our Sages called humility that is not as it should be 'flattery', as they said about Yirmiyahu the prophet. He was humble before the false prophet Chananiah, and said to him in submission: 'Amen, so may Hashem do.' And our Sages said of this: whoever flatters, in the end falls into the hand of his son.
Our explanation. Yirmiyahu was a true prophet, yet he answered Chananiah's false prophecy humbly, with Amen. The Sages called this flattery, and the Gemara tells that Yirmiyahu was later seized by Chananiah's grandson. Humility without da'as can bend the truth.
Some reflections of our own, not a quotation. Humility is not shrinking, or agreeing with everyone. Know, with clear da'as, where you stand before Hashem. Be humble, and stand firm for the truth.
This has been Likutey Moharan Tinyana, Torah twenty-two.
Sources for this Torah
Texts used
Hebrew: Likutei Moharan Tinyana (Part II), Torah 22, edition 'Likutei Moharan Tinyana – rabenubook.com', public domain, via Sefaria — https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan%2C_Part_II.22
English: our own paraphrase of the Hebrew, written for these videos. It is not copied from any published translation.
Verses and teachings of the Sages appear only as Rebbe Nachman quotes them inside this Torah.
How the text is shown
The Divine Name is shown as ה' and voiced as Hashem. Other Names are written in the customary form (אֱלֹקִים, קֵ-ל, קָהּ, שַׁ-דַּ-י, אֲדֹ-נָ-י, אֶקְיֶ-ה, צְבָקוֹת). No full Name is written or voiced.
Parenthetical source references inside the printed Hebrew are left off the screen to save space; the citation line names the source instead.
Long paragraphs are shown in consecutive pieces. Every Hebrew word on screen is from the edition above; nothing is reworded.
Cards labelled EXPLANATION (green), and every line marked 'our own reflection — not a quote', are our own words, not quotations.
Every on-screen quotation in the full shiur, by part
Part 1 — True Humility Needs Da'as
Scene 3 · LM II:22 §1 · paragraph §1.1
בְּעִנְיַן הַהַכְנָעָה טוֹעִים הָעוֹלָם הַרְבֵּה
EN (our paraphrase): People are very mistaken about the matter of humility.
Scene 4 · LM II:22 §1 · paragraph §1.2
כִּי הֲלֹא כַּמָּה אָנוּ מְיַגְּעִין עַצְמֵנוּ בַּעֲבוֹדוֹת וּבִתְפִלָּה כְּדֵי לָצֵאת מִמֹּחִין דְּקַטְנוּת לְמֹחִין דְּגַדְלוּת, וְאִם־כֵּן אִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַהַכְנָעָה בִּפְשִׁיטוּת, כִּי אִם־כֵּן הוּא נִכְנָס לְקַטְנוּת, וְעַל־כֵּן בְּהֶכְרֵחַ שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּזֶה דַּעַת,
EN (our paraphrase): For see how much we exhaust ourselves in service and in prayer, to go out from mochin d'katnus, small awareness, to mochin d'gadlus, expanded awareness. If so, humility cannot simply mean making oneself small, for then he would enter smallness. So it must be that humility involves da'as.
Scene 6 · LM II:22 §1, on Bamidbar 12:3 · paragraph §1.3
וְעַל־כֵּן לָאו כָּל אָדָם יָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת עָנָו כָּרָאוּי, רַק מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ, עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, הוּא הָיָה עָנָו מִכֹּל הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה.
EN (our paraphrase): Therefore not every person can be humble as he should; only Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, who was 'humbler than any man on the face of the earth'.
Scene 7 · LM II:22 §1, on Sotah 41b · paragraph §1.4
וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה קָרְאוּ לַעֲנָוָה שֶׁאֵינוֹ כָּרָאוּי – חֲנֻפָּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה עַל יִרְמְיָה הַנָּבִיא, שֶׁהָיָה עָנָו נֶגֶד הַנְּבִיא־שֶׁקֶר חֲנַנְיָה, וְאָמַר לוֹ בְּהַכְנָעָה: אָמֵן, כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה ה'; וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, עַל זֶה: כָּל הַמַּחֲנִיף וְכוּ' לַסּוֹף נוֹפֵל בְּיַד בְּנוֹ וְכוּ':
EN (our paraphrase): And our Sages called humility that is not as it should be 'flattery', as they said about Yirmiyahu the prophet. He was humble before the false prophet Chananiah, and said to him in submission: 'Amen, so may Hashem do.' And our Sages said of this: whoever flatters, in the end falls into the hand of his son.
Hebrew phrases in the Explainer
Scene 2 · §1.2: כִּי הֲלֹא כַּמָּה אָנוּ מְיַגְּעִין עַצְמֵנוּ בַּעֲבוֹדוֹת וּבִתְפִלָּה כְּדֵי לָצֵאת מִמֹּחִין דְּקַטְנוּת לְמֹחִין דְּגַדְלוּת,
Scene 3 · §1.3: וְעַל־כֵּן לָאו כָּל אָדָם יָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת עָנָו כָּרָאוּי,
Scene 4 · §1.4: וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה קָרְאוּ לַעֲנָוָה שֶׁאֵינוֹ כָּרָאוּי – חֲנֻפָּה,
Hebrew phrases in the 1-minute recap
Scene 2 · §1.2: וְעַל־כֵּן בְּהֶכְרֵחַ שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּזֶה דַּעַת,
Scene 3 · §1.3: רַק מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ, עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, הוּא הָיָה עָנָו מִכֹּל הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה.
Scene 4 · §1.4: וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה קָרְאוּ לַעֲנָוָה שֶׁאֵינוֹ כָּרָאוּי – חֲנֻפָּה,