Moshe Rabbeinu had everything. He was physically strong—seven meters tall, able to jump seven meters in the air, and still strong as a young man at 120 years old. He was extraordinarily wealthy from the broken pieces of the Luchot. He possessed more wisdom than any other human being. And he spoke to Hashem face to face, panim el panim, while fully awake and alert—something no other prophet ever did.

Yet the Torah itself testifies: "And the man Moshe was very humble, more than any other human being on the face of the earth." Hashem Himself signed off on this. The greatest man in history was also the humblest. How is that possible?

Knowing the Source

The answer is simple but transformative: Moshe Rabbeinu knew where everything came from. He knew that his strength, his wealth, his wisdom, his prophecy—none of it belonged to him. When Am Yisrael complained to him about water and food, he said, "Va'anachnu ma—What are we? We are nothing." He meant it literally. Not because he lacked confidence or had self-esteem problems. Moshe knew exactly where he stood. He was a warrior who defeated Og Melech HaBashan. He was the leader of an entire nation. But he also knew the truth: everything is from Hashem.

The Foundation of Real Humility

This is the foundation of real humility. Humility does not mean thinking you are a loser or walking around with your head down, afraid to speak. That is not what the Torah is teaching. True humility means recognizing the Source. If you are healthy, Hashem gave it to you. If you are smart, Hashem gave it to you. If you have money, Hashem gave it to you. If you have a beautiful family, Hashem gave them to you. What exactly are you proud of? You did not create yourself. You did not earn any of it in the ultimate sense. The Ramban writes to his son that a person who is proud of what Hashem gave him is like someone who steals the robe of the king and then acts like he is the king. It is not your robe. You are not really the king.

Making Room for Hashem

Most of us live in the opposite direction. We think we made the money. We think we are smart because of our own efforts. We think our accomplishments are ours. Moshe Rabbeinu knew he did nothing. And because he knew this, Hashem gave him everything. The Torah goes to the humblest person. The more you minimize yourself before Hashem, the more He can fill you with His Torah, His wisdom, and His presence. Hashem chose Mount Sinai to give the Torah because it was the lowest and most humble of all the mountains. He chose Moshe Rabbeinu because he was the humblest of all people.

When you remove your arrogance, you make room for Hashem. The more ego you have, the less Hashem you have. The less ego you have, the more Hashem you have. That is why the Torah does not only say Moshe was the greatest prophet—it also says he was the humblest man who ever lived. The two go together. Humility to Hashem is not weakness. It is clarity. It is truth. It is standing in the Presence of the King of Kings and knowing exactly who you are standing next to.

This awareness changes everything. When you attribute your good to Hashem, you are not weighed down by arrogance or by the fear of losing what you have. You are free to serve Him fully, to grow, and to do teshuvah when you fall. You are not trapped in your ego. You become a vessel.

Humility is also humility toward others. The Ramban teaches that even when Moshe rebuked Am Yisrael with strength and confidence during the last 36 days of his life, he was not speaking from arrogance. He knew his role. He knew his responsibility. But he also knew that any merit he had was from Hashem, and he was able to see the good in every person, even those who had spiritual and physical diseases. That is real anavah.

Constant Daily Work

This is not easy work. It requires constant effort. The Rambam writes that a person must walk with humility always—not just once, but every single day. You have to remind yourself again and again: Where did this come from? Who gave me this? Am I treating this as if it is mine, or am I recognizing that it is all from the Ribbono Shel Olam?

If Moshe Rabbeinu—who had everything—said, "We are nothing," then where do we stand? If the greatest person in history viewed himself as nothing before Hashem, what does that mean for us? It means we have serious work to do. It means we must stop pretending we are something special on our own. And it means we must start training ourselves to see Hashem as the Source of everything.