Kabbalah Mazmur 34:20: Zohar & Sha'arei Kedusha

AND JACOB DWELT IN THE LAND OF HIS FATHER’S SOJOURNINGS, IN THE LAND OF CANAAN. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: Many are the ills of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all (Ps. 34, 20). ‘Many, indeed’, he said, ‘are the adversaries with whom a human being has to contend from the day that God breathes into him a soul in this world. For as soon as he emerges into the light of day, the evil prompter is at hand in readiness to join him, according to our interpretation of the verse: “Sin coucheth at the door” (Gen. 4, 7).

The righteous man, on the other hand, endures in this world many trials for not believing in and not associating himself with the evil prompter, but the Holy One, blessed be He, delivers him from all ills, as it says: “Many are the ills of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Ps. 34, 20). For God finds delight in such a man and delivers him from all ills in this world and in the world to come. Happy is his portion!

In contrast, there is no greater quality than humility and a sense of lowliness. We learn this³⁵³Also see Reishit Chochmah, Gate of Humility, Ch. 7 from our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, the father of all the prophets in Torah, mitzvot and fear of sin. Even so, Torah only praised him for his humility, as it states,³⁵⁴Numbers 12:3 “The man Moshe was exceedingly humble.” Go and learn the quality of humility from the Holy One, blessed is He, who set aside the loftiest heavens to dwell with the despondent and the lowly of spirit, as written,³⁵⁵Isaiah 57:15 “I abide with exaltedness and in holiness, but I am with the despondent and the lowly of spirit.” Similarly, it is written,³⁵⁶Psalms 34:19 “HaShem-יהו״ה is close to the broken hearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit.” It likewise states,³⁵⁷Psalms 15:1 “Who may sojourn in Your tent? One who is lowly and contemptible in his own eyes.”