קָטֹ֜נְתִּי מִכֹּ֤ל הַחֲסָדִים֙ וּמִכָּל־הָ֣אֱמֶ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתָ אֶת־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֣י בְמַקְלִ֗י עָבַ֙רְתִּי֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן הַזֶּ֔ה וְעַתָּ֥ה הָיִ֖יתִי לִשְׁנֵ֥י מַחֲנֽוֹת׃
I have become small from all the kindnesses and from all the truth that You have done with Your servant; for with my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.
Torah Temimah points to Shabbat 32a.
א"ר ינאי: לעולם אל יעמוד אדם במקום סכנה ויאמר שעושין לו נס, שמא לא יעשו לו נס, ואם עושין לו נס מנכין לו מזכיותיו. א"ר חנין: מאי קרא? קטנתי מכל החסדים ומכל האמת.
Rabbi Yannai said: A person should never stand in a place of danger and say that a miracle will be performed for him, lest they do not perform a miracle for him. And if they do perform a miracle for him, they deduct it from his merits. Rabbi Chanin said: What is the verse? “I have become small from all the kindnesses and from all the truth.”
The Gemara derives from Yaakov’s words that one must not rely on miracles, and that even when a miracle occurs it diminishes one’s accumulated merit.
Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — practical warning against relying on miracles.
A person should not place himself in danger expecting a miracle; if a miracle is granted, it is deducted from his merits.