This is a concept that appears in numerous other occasions as well. Most notably, the infamous prophet Bilaam merited an incredible level of prophecy and tremendous levels of Divine revelation. Yet, instead of becoming a person of noble character, he became the total opposite. “Those who have an evil eye, an arrogant spirit, and a greedy soul, are disciples of the wicked Bilaam.” [5] His knowledge and prophetic sagacity did not make him into a greater person, but rather caused him to become nefarious, arrogant, and self-centered.
Bilaam’s foil was Moshe Rabbeinu who, despite his lofty level of direct prophecy, remained the most humble person on the face of the earth. [6] The difference lay in the fact that Moshe saw his knowledge and prophecy as a responsibility he had to live up to. Bila’am, on the other hand, saw his virtues as proof of his own greatness, leading him to become hedonistic and relentlessly demand honor and aggrandizement.
In the chapel at the United States Military Academy at West Point, the soldiers recite the “Cadet Prayer”:
“Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole truth can be won. Endow us with the courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy.”
Greatness does not come from material possessions, vapid praise, or even great breadth of knowledge. Rather it comes from inner pondering and soul-searching, and a passionate drive for truth. Avraham “discovered G-d” because he earnestly pined to know the truth and he was unsatisfied with the mendacity that the world had accepted. He infused that search into his progeny.
Avraham became a great man during the 175 years of his life, while his predecessors became increasingly wicked, despite staggering knowledge, during their lifetimes of hundreds of years. The legacy he taught us is that the hallmark of a Jew is not how many pages he has studied, but how much of his learning he has internalized. That is the way one produces a nation of great people.
[1] Bereishis 9:29
[2] Shiurei Chumash (Bereishis)
[3] Avos 5:21
[4]Adir Bamarom
[5] Avos 5:22
[6] Bamidbar 12:3