Musar su Isaia 66:2

And the seventh principle is whole-hearted submission and lowliness. For the one who knows his Creator knows how one who transgresses His words is crooked and lowly - so he is lowered in his worth, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 15:4), "for whom a contemptible man is abhorrent." And it is [also] stated, (Job 15:16), "What then of one loathsome and foul man, who drinks wrongdoing like water"; [and] (Jeremiah 6:30), "They are called rejected silver." Therefore he will be submissive and lowly in his [own] eyes. And when King David, peace be upon him, confessed after Nathan the prophet came to him, he said at the end of his words (Psalms 51:19), "True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart" - "a contrite spirit" is a lowly spirit. From this we have learned that submission is from the principles of repentance, since this psalm is wholly founded upon the principles of repentance. And with submission, a man is acceptable to God, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:2), "To the poor and brokenhearted." And it is stated about the matter of repentance, (Isaiah 57:14-15), "[The Lord] says, 'Build up, build up a highway, etc.' For thus said He who high aloft forever dwells, whose name is holy, 'I dwell on high, in holiness; yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit - reviving the spirits of the lowly, reviving the hearts of the contrite." We learn [also from here] that submission is from the principles of repentance. And likewise does the entire remainder of this section speak about penitents: "For I will not always contend, etc. For their sinful greed I was angry, etc. I see their ways, and I will heal them and I will guide them, etc." (Isaiah 57:16-18). Its explanation is, I see that their ways are [grounded] in submission, as it stated, "yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit"; and with bitter-heartedness, as it stated (Isaiah 57:16), "when spirits in front of Me cover themselves"; "and I will heal them," as I will forgive his iniquity, like [in] (Hosea 14:5), "I will heal their affliction," [and in] (Isaiah 6:10), "and repent and save itself"; "and I will guide them" - I will help him to leave the sin, and give him strength against his impulse.

The fourth path is [that] when a man meditates upon the Torah of God and reads the words of the Prophets and the Writings and understands the pleasantness of the reprimands and sees the warnings and the punishments - he trembles and prepares his heart to improve his ways and his plans and become acceptable to God, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:2), "Yet to such a one I look - to the poor and brokenhearted, who trembles about My word." And likewise is it written about the matter of Yoshiyahu (II Kings 22:11), "And when the king heard the words of the scroll of the Torah, he rent his clothes." And about the matter of Ezra is it stated (Nehemiah 8:9), "for all the people were weeping as they listened to the words of the Torah." And the one that does not pay attention to the words of God will have his transgression become greater for him, like the matter that is stated (Jeremiah 36:24), "yet they showed no fear and did not tear their garments." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yerushalmi Berakhot 1:1), "Anyone who studies but does not uphold [what he learned] - it would have been better that his placenta would have flipped itself on his face, and he had not come out to the light of the world." And it is stated (Hosea 8:12), "The many teachings I wrote for him have been treated as something alien." And it is [also] stated (Jeremiah 8:8), "How can you say, 'We are wise, and we possess the Torah of the Lord'; assuredly, for naught has the pen labored, for naught the scribe."

On this fear Moshe Rabeinu, peace be unto him, said: "in order that His fear shall be upon your faces, so that you shall not sin" (Shmot 20:17). For this is the primary fear - that a man fear and tremble always until this fear never leaves Him. For through this, certainly, he will not come to sin, and if he does come to sin, it will be considered as accidental. Isaiah said in his prophecy: "this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word" (Isaiah 66:2). And king David extolled in this: "Princes have pursued me for nothing, but my heart feared [only] Your word" (Tehilim 119:161).

This is what our sages said: "Know what is above you: an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your deeds are inscribed in a book" (Avot 2:1). For since the Holy One, blessed be He, watches over every thing, and He sees everything and hears everything, certainly every action will leave an impression. And all of them are inscribed in a book, whether for merit or for debt (punishment).

The seventh principle is submission with all one's heart and with humility. For he who knows his Creator knows how much anyone who transgresses against His words lowers himself, and he will therefore be humble, as it is written, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Ps. 51:19). A "broken spirit" means "a lowly spirit," and humility is one of the principles of repentance; through humility will a man draw near to God, Blessed be He. As it is said, "But on this man will I look, even on him that is poor and of a contrite spirit" (Is. 66:2). The highest step in humility which is obligatory in the path of repentance is that he should magnify and glorify the service of the Creator and should not claim any merit for himself, but everything should be small in his eyes as compared to what he must do in the service of God, Blessed be He. Therefore, he should be humble and should serve with modesty, and he should not covet honor for his good deeds.