And the flood blotted out all beings that were upon the face of the earth, from man to animal to creeping thing and to the fowl of the heavens, and they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noach and those with him in the ark survived. (Bereshis 7:23)

Rashi explains, the Midrash Aggadah states "He was groaning and spitting blood because of the burden of caring for the cattle and the beasts, and some say that he delayed feeding the lion, and it struck him, and concerning him it is said (Prov. 11:31):“Behold a righteous man is requited for his sins in this world.” - (Tan. Noach 9)

The Ramban also explains: It is known that there are a great many beasts, and some of them - such as elephants, rams and others -are very large; likewise, the creeping things upon the earth are very many. Of the fowl of the heaven there are also innumerably many kinds, just as our Rabbis have said: "There are one hundred and twenty kinds of unclean birds in the east, and all of them belong to the species of ayah . Clean fowl are innumerable. Noach was thus obligated to bring all of them into the ark in order that they may beget their likeness etc. G-d thus commanded Noach that he concern himself with and help them in their entering the ark and that he strive on behalf of their existence even as he would for his own life. (Bereshis 6:19)

In the sefer Das Torah the question is asked: Wasn't there another way to save the world? Why was the rightous Noach commanded tp perform such a a degrading and burdensome job that could have been performed by person of a lesser stature? If you saw the Chafitz Chiam carrying a heavy burden wouldn't you feel it was below his covod and you would run to help him?

This Midrash Rabbah can help us to understand: "And the loftiness of the earth is in everything; even the King is subservient to the field" (Kohelet 5:8). Even things that seem useless in the world are also included among the things that are a benefit to the world. "A king that maketh himself servant to the field": Even though he is a king and holds sway from one end of the world to the other, he is a "Servant to the field", if the earth yields produce he can accomplish something, if the earth does not yield, he is of no use whatever. (Midrash Rabbah Vayikra 22:1)

We see from here that even the greatest of Kings has no purpose without the basic land functioning properly. At the end of the day life would stop and all the delicacies of the King would cease to exist if the mundane earth would stop to produce. Life flows out from the lowest of places, the earth.

Chazal is teaching us to be humble. Humility is the key ingredient needed to reach greatness. Noach, the greatest man of his generation, was commanded to preform the lowest of jobs in order to give life to the future of the world. The highest elements of our existence, Life and Torah, can only come forth from a lowly and humble source. R. Hanina b. Ida said: Why are the words of the Torah likened unto water, as it is written, ‘Everyone that thirsteth, come ye for water’? This is to teach you, just as water flows from a higher level to a lower, so too the words of the Torah endure only with him who is humble. (Tannis 7a)

Even though it appears to be a contradiction, the inspiring experience of feeling spiritually elevated comes from having true humility. Rab Judah said in Rab's name: Hospitality to wayfarers is greater than welcoming the presence of the Shechinah, for it is written, And he said, My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, etc (Shabbos 127a)

The less we think about ourselves the more space we give to experience G-d. The more we lower ourselves the more we understand how great G-d really is. The less we feel we deserve the more we appreciate G-ds kindness. The more we understand our darkness the more we can see G-ds light!

R. Johanan said:Wherever you find mentioned the power of the Holy One, blessed be He, you also find his humility mentioned. (Megillah 31a)


Application:
Dwell on something that humbles you to get yourself in perspective.

Give 10 quick answers to the following sentence stems:
When I see the depth of the Torah I feel...
When I realize that my strengths give me more responsibility I...