Truth Overrides Humility-Sotah49b

Reb Chatzkel Abramsky

Sotah49b

משמת רבי בטלה ענוה ויראת חטא- אמר ליה ר' יוסף לתנא לא תיתנא ענוה דאיכא אנא

Since Rebbie died ,humility disappeared from the world.”

R. Yosef  said to  the Tana to remove this statement from the Breisa (Mishna*)

because "I am still here." (and I am an Onov)

The obvious question is how can an Onov say  on himself that he is an Onov ?

The מהרש"א answers, Reb Yosef held the statement (there is no more Anivus in the world) to be incorrect. It was very important to have the Breisa corrected and  remove this statement. He held that truth overrides humility. For the sake of truth he sacrificed his own humility and announced the statement is wrong because "I am still here" therefore Anivus is still here.

There is a famous story with Harav Yachezkal Abramsky zt"l while testifying  in court said on himself to be the  greatest Halachic expert in the British Commonwealth. The judge said to him  " You don't seem to be the most humble Rabbi in the Commonwealth".

Rav Abramsky responded, "Your honor what should I have said, I am under oath."

הדרן עלך מסכת סוטה והדרך עלן

*Somehow it got into our Mishna

Rebbie wrote the Mishna and wouldn't

have written " Mishemes Rebbie".