A human being is called a “riser and faller,” for it is impossible to stand always on one level. However, there are two types of people. There are those who “go down and come up,”¹ as it says of Abraham: “And Abraham went up from Egypt.” He descended and rose up with all the lowest levels. The second type, however, descends but does not arise, G‑d forbid. This is like the parable I heard from my Teacher, of the two men who passed through a dangerous area. One was drunk and besotted, and the other was alert. The latter felt the blows of the thieves, and was able to warn others of how to be cautious on the way. Toldos Yaakov Yosef, p. 41a

footnotes: ¹ Literally, “who enter and exit.” Based upon the Zohar, 292a: “Fortunate is the lot of him who enters and exits… For one who does not enter and exit who have been better not to have been born.”