Humility is not the result of underestimating one’s true worth. Moses understood very well that he was an extraordinary individual, who had been chosen by G‑d to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt and to receive the Torah on their behalf. However, Moses also thought that had G‑d given his lofty traits to someone else, that person would have been able to reach an even higher level than he had attained.
Humility is often misunderstood as simply the lack of boastfulness: We are “humble” if we feel superior to others so long as we don’t boast about it! True humility, however, is learned from Moses. We should be fully aware of whatever greatness we possess, but attribute it to G‑d rather than to ourselves. This allows us to respect other people and see them in a positive light, inasmuch as G‑d has blessed them with their own unique qualities.1
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