The Talmud states that the simple fact that the people of Israel realize the need to feel humble on Rosh Hashanah makes the year very abundant and blessed. A feeling of humility and reverence during Rosh Hashanah prayers is vital.

The Talmud teaches us that "a single coin in the safe makes a noise." However, when the safe is full, the coins do not sound when shaken. What do our wise men want to teach us by observing this natural phenomenon?

When the safe is empty, with few coins, you can hear the noise. This means that when someone does not have much wisdom or special qualities within them, it is precisely this person who makes the most noise. However, he who is full of virtues, we hardly hear anything about him, because the humility that accompanies him makes him very discreet. The bigger and more important the person is, the more humble they have to be.

The Torah designates the greatest among the prophets, Moshe Rabenu, as being the humblest of all human beings.

We cannot praise someone who has no particular properties as being humble. If the individual is not wise, does not have material wealth, does not have special abilities or gifts, then what can he be proud of? However, someone who possesses all these virtues and who can normally be proud of being someone special, but who, despite everything, remains humble, should really be praised. Thus, Moshe Rabenu had all the qualities that a human being can aspire to. However, he knew how to remain humble.

There is a custom of bowing during certain parts of prayers. The Talmud states that every person must bow in four different parts of the Amidah (the prayer that is read standing up and in silence). However, says the Talmud, the Cohen Gadol - High Priest - had to bow at each blessing; and the King of Israel, when he began his prayer, bowed and only rose at the end of the prayer. This is because the bigger the person, the more humble they have to be. It is often necessary to demand this from human beings through bodily acts.

Humility is a virtue that we learn from the Almighty himself. When revealing Himself on Mount Sinai at the time of the giving of the Torah, G‑d chose Mount Sinai, the lowest among all mountains.

The benefits that can result from this great virtue are countless. In Temple times, when someone brought an offering or a sacrifice, they were rewarded. However, the humble person, due to his magnitude and just because he is humble, is considered as if he were making all the sacrifices at the same time.

The Talmud states that humility attracts vitality. Why? The Torah addresses the purity laws that existed at that time. Some stains could appear on the walls of the house and, in this case, the Cohen - Priest - was invited to check whether the stains were considered impure. If so, the entire house was considered unclean. The Talmud says that Cohen had to check the stains in daylight. If the house was dark and had no windows, it was forbidden to open new windows to check for stains. Thus, since it was impossible to determine the type of wounds, the house was declared pure. The dark house managed to achieve its purity by being humble and without much light.

The book Shaarei Teshuvah states that pride can lead a person to make several mistakes and increases the intensity of the inclination towards evil. The Torah says: "For your heart will be proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt." Proud to the point of forgetting the Almighty? Wouldn't the Torah be exaggerating a bit? No!

The nature of the human being is made in such a way that when he concentrates and thinks about something vital, he cannot disconnect from it and cannot give importance to less necessary matters. When someone thinks that they deserve everything that is good and the best, a more beautiful car, a more comfortable house, luxurious clothes and so on, despite not making any mistake in wanting all of this, they will be degrading themselves. Because he will not have time to think about the mitzvot that, in his opinion, are not considered something vital and thus he will forget the Eternal. And this is the meaning of the Talmud's statement: "G-d says to the proud, You and I cannot live together."

Our sages say that he who is indulgent and humble will be forgiven. Why? For he who sinned, without a doubt, was capricious in carrying out the sin. After the mistake, when he repented, he gave in to the desire to fulfill the Creator's will and will soon be forgiven. Just as human beings act with their fellow human beings, in the same way the Almighty acts with us. When someone has been oppressed, but does not take revenge but forgives, then, with this same attitude, the Almighty acts, also becoming merciful and accepting forgiveness. However, if the individual does not forgive, logic says that if human beings are not capable of forgiving, why should the Almighty forgive our mistakes?

The sages of the Talmud surprise us with a seemingly unfair statement regarding doctors. Tov shebarofim Leguehinom - The best among doctors will go to hell.

Many personalities, in addition to being great Jewish leaders and renowned rabbis, also practiced medicine as a profession. It is unnecessary to cite as an example Maimonides, who stood out in this area and served as the sultan's private doctor. Why, then, this attitude towards those whom G‑d designated as messengers to bring healing to the sick?

Once again the Talmudic statement is not self-evident. Why should only the best among doctors deserve such punishment and not any other doctor?

Our wise men wanted to teach us a moral lesson that, in reality, applies to everyone and not just doctors.

Generally, a simple doctor, not very famous, knows his limits and will quickly recognize his error when he fails to make the diagnosis correctly. The problem arises when the doctor is known as the best. How will such a professional react in a situation he is unaware of? Will he stoop to consulting another colleague or will he prescribe the wrong medicine or inappropriate treatment to the patient just to avoid compromising his reputation? In these critical moments, pride does not allow a person to lower their head and makes them think they are the best, therefore not needing advice or guidance.

This is why our wise men concluded that the best among doctors will go to hell... He who thinks he is the best and does not need the opinion of other colleagues will undoubtedly cause a lot of physical and moral damage to his patients. Therefore, he will be punished for his wrong attitude.

Human beings are proud by birth. This is the essence of your nature. It takes years of study and self-improvement to achieve the virtue of humility. It is very common for a child to be willful. The child cries and gets upset when his will is not fulfilled or when it is contradicted. This is, without a doubt, a sign of pride. "As?" - the child grumbles, "I asked for this thing, I wanted that and they're not answering me, how is this possible?" When a child is patient and indulgent, it is a sign that he is not proud and that he understands that perhaps he does not deserve to see his request fulfilled.

In fact, this can serve as a test and a lesson for everyone. Anyone who is patient and not easily angered proves to be an indulgent and humble person. He will not be out of control when he learns that his wishes were not fulfilled, as he understands very well that it may not be possible to fulfill his request.

May we assimilate these teachings and be worthy of a new year full of health, joy and many achievements!

Rabbi Avraham Cohen