It is good for a man to descend and not ascend. This rule applies to his place of sitting. The meaning thereof is not that he should sit at the very bottom, but that after realizing the place which he thinks fitting for himself, he should seat himself slightly below that.

One should always choose to sit with people who are greater and better than himself, for he will learn from those people. This is true even if by doing this he will have to sit at the bottom. He should not choose to sit in a place where the people are not good, even if by so doing he will be able to sit at the top. This can be seen in the utterance of Chazal, “Be a tail for lions, but do not be a head for foxes!”. They said further, “Roll yourself in the dust of the feet of wise men and drink up their words with thirst!”.

It is fitting for a person that he should humble himself for the honor of his Creator, by learning from all men notwithstanding their status, by honoring paupers, making sad people happy, and giving life to the impoverished, seeking peace, loving the creations, bringing them close to the Torah, and greeting every person before they greet him.