Rabbi Roodyn

The awesomeness of the universe leads us to exclaim

מָה אֱנוֹשׁ כִּי תִזְכְּרֶנּוּ וּבֶן אָדָם כִּי תִפְקְדֶנּוּ:

what is man that You should remember him, and the son of man that You should be mindful of him?

The Malbim gives us an insight into the different words use to refer to man. The term אנוש has diminutive connotations. This includes our physical frailties and general vulnerability to the forces of nature. We all know how dysfunctional we feel when we are under the weather, and that can even just be from a common cold. The term אדם  means that we are mortal beings who will not live forever. We come from the ground and will one day return to it. As individuals we will be born and will die, and others will take our place. It is sobering to think that it is highly unlikely that many people will remember any of us in 150 years’ time.

Who then are we, what are we, that we should think that we should occupy a place of significance in this vast and complex universe?

The Mussar movement is broadly speaking divided into two schools, those who emphasise the greatness of man גדלות האדם, and those who focus on man’s mortality and failings שפלות האדם. In fact some say that one should have a pasuk reflecting each idea in their pocket. The challenge is to know when to put our hand into the appropriate pocket.

Whilst it is true that in our generation the emphasis can and must be on focussing on and developing our potential for greatness, there is still a very real value for us to focus on our mortality and shortcomings from time to time. Failure to do so will lead an unhealthy sense of  arrogance that pushes both Hashem and other people out of the picture.

Put simply, it’s good to realise we aren’t perfect, but it’s unacceptable to say that we are not perfectible.