There are eight ways to practice the attribute of humility and each corresponds to a place on the body. (Moshe Cordovoro, Tamar Devorah
The fifth practice is with one’s eyes, as Cordovoro writes:
“Do not close your eyes to the suffering of the poor. Think as much as possible of their predicament. Look for the good.”
You know the man on the street, the one with the tattered clothes, and ratty bags asking for money? Do you see him? Even when you give him a dime or a dollar, do you look into his eyes and see him? The suffering of the poor is invisible to us. We learn from the Torah to plead the case of the orphan and the widow. The orphan and the widow in ancient society were a symbol of the weakest population in society. We need to see the weak, the lost, the hungry, the sick, those who are cast out, the vulnerable. The practice of humility correlates to the ability to see another’s pain. If this is so obvious, then why is it so hard?