The son of Rabbi Yeshua Halevi went up to heaven and then came down. It doesn’t mean he went up physically. He went “up” in consciousness. He had ruach ha’kodesh -- holy spirit - so he could see into the world of Yetzira.
When he came back, he was asked what he saw up there. He uttered the famous statement, “olam hafoch hu”--it’s an upside-down world. Whoever was great here is, basically, almost a nobody up there, and whoever was nobody here was an incredible godol--a person of great stature up there.
How could that be?
How could we not see who’s really worth something?
The answer is: the critical determinant of who you are is not your physical act; it’s the yegiah--hardship, the darkness of the klippa that you undergo and yet remain G-d-fearing, to believe and trust in G-d that we cannot see. You could have Mr. A who is unbelievably diligent in doing mitzvahs, and Mr. B who hardly does any, but Mr. B may have a terrible struggle to do the few mitzvahs he does. This makes him much greater than Mr. A.
The above text is an excerpt from Rabbi Mendel Kessin's "The Model for the Redemption"
So who is the Judge? Only Hashem. Our eyes cannot judge anyone. We think we know, but we don't.
Those who are mighty one day, may fall the next day. A lot of the time, their fall is due to narcissism, greed and corruption. Greed for money and power. The more money they have, the more they need to feel fulfilled. Many times, a poor person can be far happier than a rich one, simply because his needs are less. He doesn't expect so much.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe was legendary for treating every single person he encountered with profound dignity, noticing even those passing by or waiting just to catch a glimpse. Stories frequently shared within the Chassidic community illustrate that the Rebbe made it a point to always greet others with a warm, personal "hello" and a radiant smile, teaching that no individual is ever invisible.
Beware the trap of thinking you are at the top, because the next day you may find yourself at the bottom.
How does it happen? Through greed and thinking yourself better than the other person. But maybe the other person is far greater than you, and you have just insulted on a true Tzadik.
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