ויפן כה וכה וירא כי אין איש (שמות ב:יב)

Chazal teach us (אבות ג:א): “הסתכל בשלשה דברים ואין אתה בא לידי עבירה — דע מאין באת, ולאן אתה הולך, ולפני מי אתה עתיד ליתן דין וחשבון.” Reflect on three things and you will not come to sin: know from where you came, where you are going, and before Whom you will ultimately give an accounting.

A person who constantly keeps these truths in mind remains humble and is protected from sin. This idea is alluded to in our pasuk. “ויפן כה וכה” — a person looks in both directions, contemplating his past and his future. As a result, “וירא כי אין איש” — he immediately recognizes that man is, in essence, nothing, fostering humility and yiras Shamayim.

This concept is further hinted to by the words “כי אין איש”, whose numerical value corresponds to the phrase in the Mishnah: “מאין, לאן, לפני מי.”