Three Middos Of Avraham

ואיתא במשנה מי שיש בו ג' דברים הללו מתלמידיו של אברהם אע"ה עין טובה רוח נמוכה נפש שפילה כו' ואוכלין בעוה"ז ונוחלין לעוה"ב להנחיל אוהבי יש כו'

It is brought in the Mishnah (Avos 5:19): Whoever possesses these three traits is among the disciples of Avraham Avinu — a good eye, a humble spirit, and a lowly soul; and they eat the fruits of their good deeds in this world while inheriting the World to Come, as it says (Mishlei 8:21), "To bequeath substance to those who love Me."

The Mishnah teaches that a good eye, a humble spirit, and a lowly soul mark a person as a talmid of Avraham Avinu, and such a person enjoys reward both in this world and in Olam Haba.

פי' ע"י ג' דברים הללו יכולין להמשך אחר בחי' אברהם אע"ה להמשיך חסד עליון להנחיל אוהב

The explanation is that through these three traits one is able to be drawn after the level of Avraham Avinu, to draw down the supernal kindness, in order to bestow an inheritance upon the one who loves Hashem.

These three middos let a person attach himself to the spiritual pathway of Avraham, channeling Hashem's chesed down into the world.

וא"א להיות אוהב ה' רק על ידי ג' בחי' הללו

And it is impossible to be one who loves Hashem except by means of these three levels.

One can only truly love Hashem by first acquiring these three qualities of self-effacement.

וזה הג' תפלות בכל יום שעיקר התפלה להיות בטל אליו ית"ש

And this is the meaning of the three tefillos that we daven each day, for the essence of tefillah is to become nullified before Hashem, may His Name be blessed.

The three daily tefillos exist so that a person can nullify himself before Hashem, which is the very heart of davening.

וכמ"ש נשתחוה ונכרעה נברכה שרומז לג' תפלות כמ"ש במד' תנחומא תבוא

And this is as it says (Tehillim 95:6), "Let us bow down and bend the knee, let us kneel" — which alludes to the three tefillos, as is explained in the Midrash Tanchuma on Parashas Tavo.

The pasuk's three expressions of bowing hint at the three daily tefillos, as the Midrash Tanchuma explains.

והם ג' מיני הכנעות הנ"ל נפש שפילה רוח נמוכה עין טובה

And these correspond to the three kinds of submission mentioned above: a lowly soul, a humble spirit, and a good eye.

Each of the three tefillos parallels one of the three forms of humble submission listed in the Mishnah.

ע"י שיודע ומאמין שהכל מהשי"ת ממילא יש לו עין טובה

For through one's knowing and believing that everything comes from Hashem Yisbarach, it automatically follows that he has a good eye.

Recognizing and believing that everything flows from Hashem naturally produces a good eye, since one no longer feels lack or jealousy.

ולהיפוך ג' דברים של בלעם הם התדבקות בעוה"ז והוא היפוך הברכה לכן עיקר כחו של בלעם הרשע הקללה

And, conversely, the three traits of Bilaam are an attachment to this world, which is the opposite of berachah; therefore the essential power of Bilaam the wicked was the curse.

Bilaam's traits are the mirror opposite — clinging to this world — and that opposition to berachah is why his core strength lay specifically in cursing.

ובאמת ב' אלו הבחי' מתעוררין בכל יום יצרו של אדם מתגבר עליו בכל יום הוא כמ"ש וישכם בלעם בבוקר וע"ז אמרו הבא להורגך השכם להורגו זה וישכם אברהם בבוקר שצריך האדם בכל יום לייגע עצמו בהכנעה בג' בחי' הנ"ל כדי לצאת מכלל ארור לברוך כי כל קיום עוה"ז ע"י הביטול כמ"ש ומעליו איש טוב ואז זוכה לחוט של חסד בכל יום:

And in truth, both of these forces are aroused within a person every single day — the yetzer hara of a person grows stronger against him each day, as it says (Bamidbar 22:21), "And Bilaam arose in the morning," and concerning this Chazal said (Sanhedrin 72a), "If one comes to slay you, rise early to slay him first," which corresponds to (Bereishis 22:3), "And Avraham arose early in the morning" — for a person must toil every day in submission through the three levels mentioned above, in order to pass out of the category of the cursed and into the blessed, since the entire existence of this world is through bittul, as it says (Iyov 22:29 with its derashah) that Hashem lifts up the lowly man, and then he merits the thread of kindness each day.

Both the way of Avraham and the way of Bilaam stir within a person daily, so just as the yetzer hara rises early like Bilaam, a person must rise early like Avraham and toil in humility to move from arur to baruch, since the world endures through bittul and that earns him Hashem's chesed each day.

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on the Mishnah in Avos that a good eye, a humble spirit, and a lowly soul are the marks of a talmid of Avraham Avinu, explaining that these three middos are the very means by which a person draws down the supernal chesed and becomes one who truly loves Hashem. He links them to the three daily tefillos, whose essence is bittul before Hashem, paralleling the three expressions of bowing in Tehillim as the Midrash Tanchuma teaches. The root of all three is the emunah that everything comes from Hashem Yisbarach, which automatically yields a good eye, whereas Bilaam embodies the opposite — attachment to this world, making his essential power the curse. Since both forces stir within a person every day, just as Bilaam arose early so too Avraham arose early; a person must toil daily in these three forms of submission to pass from arur to baruch, for the world endures only through bittul, and through it one merits the thread of chesed each day.