We have learnt in the Tractate of Avos (Ethics of our Fathers) that Rabbi Levitas who came from Yavneh said that “One should be very very low of spirit before every person!”. Go out and learn the magnitude of the obligation to keep oneself low and humble as it does not just say “very” once but twice. Even though we have already discussed the concept of humility, it would appear that the concept of lowness of spirit is with actions as it is well-known that external arousal helps internal arousal and through the attributes of seriousness and keeping eyes downwards he will become accustomed not to seek greatness or to cherish and desire honor and glory and not to sit with the great important people and not to display the most splendid clothing, and all of these things together will arouse him to become a genuinely humble person.
However, he should not exaggerate, and if he is respected in the eyes of other people and has a high position amongst people, he should not sit in the lowest of places nor wear worn out torn clothes etc., as in the same way that all the best things should be done secretly so too the main part of humility is in the heart that one’s spirit should be broken and one’s heart should be broken and subdued, when he knows and recognizes the magnitude of his smallness and the smallness of his worth and the shortness of his reach (and understanding) and the extent of his sins and the level of his shortcomings in the service of Hashem according to his own level. One who shows extra lowliness and excessive humbleness above and beyond that which is necessary and does this in order to be called a humble person is actually considered to be unfit and we say that he is actually showing a high degree of arrogance as he is trying to show the entire world how good his own attributes are and that he is perfect in everything and does not lack even the attribute of humility. This attitude is not humility but pure arrogance.
There is a great rule amongst all good things and that is that “Hashem wants the heart!” and the heart is the main thing and everything else follows the intention of the heart. Every wise man should act with sense to hide his attributes and measure his words and deeds in a way that he will find favour and good feelings in the eyes of Hashem and mankind.
