Even the wisest among us aren't immune to that feeling. Take King Solomon, for example.
We all know Solomon. Wise, just, powerful. The guy who could supposedly talk to animals, the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem. But even he needed a reality check now and then. Because even with all that wisdom, there were still moments that reminded him that the smartest, strongest person can't get too big for their britches.
Solomon had this incredible magic tapestry. Imagine a carpet, a really big carpet—sixty miles square! He used it to fly. Can you picture it? Breakfast in Damascus, supper in Media – all in a single day! Talk about frequent flyer miles!
And he wasn't traveling alone. He had this whole entourage at his command. Asaph ben Berechiah, a powerful human. Ramirat, a demon! A lion! And an eagle! Talk about a diverse team. Ginzberg, in Legends of the Jews, gives us this incredible picture of Solomon's power and reach.
But here's where the story takes a turn. One day, soaring through the air on his magnificent carpet, Solomon let pride get the better of him. He thought to himself, "There is no one like me! God has blessed me with unparalleled wisdom and made me ruler of the entire world!"
Big mistake. Huge.
The moment those words left his lips, the air went wild. Suddenly, forty thousand men—forty thousand!—plummeted from the carpet. Can you imagine the chaos?
Solomon, shocked, commanded the wind to stop. "Return!" he ordered. But the wind, personified, responded with a condition: "If thou wilt return to God, and subdue thy pride, I, too, will return."
Ouch.
Talk about a humbling experience. In that instant, Solomon realized his transgression. He recognized that even with all his power and wisdom, he was still accountable to something greater. As we find in Midrash Rabbah, even kings are subject to divine judgment, and pride is a dangerous path.
What does this tell us? Maybe that we all need those moments of humbling, those reminders that, no matter how successful or accomplished we are, we are all still human. We all still need to check ourselves, to remember where our blessings come from, and to keep our feet, metaphorically (or literally, if you have a sixty-mile-square tapestry), on the ground. So, the next time you find yourself feeling a little too good, remember Solomon and his flying carpet. It might just save you from a rather dramatic fall.