Transcript
Good morning, בוקר טוב Boker Tov, welcome back to פרשה Parsha Perspectives for today. We have the privilege this week of learning פרשת בלק Parshas Balak together as we continue to make our way through ספר במדבר Sefer Bamidbar, the journey of the Jewish people through the desert. Last week we fast-forwarded 38 years. We now are in the 40th year, the final year, as the Jewish people should be and feel like they are on the cusp of entering the land. And yet, we still have so much more ground to cover. I want to thank our generous פרשה Parsha series sponsors for the year, Becky and Avi Katz, our dear friends, in memory of Becky's father David Grossman. Our learning should be לעילוי נשמת דוד בן מנחם מניש l'ilui nishmas David ben Menachem Manish. This morning's שיעור shiur is also sponsored by Benji Lavine in memory of his mother, Dr. Gertrude Lavine, תמה גסיה בת צבי Tamma Gasia bas Tzvi, whose יארצייט yahrzeit is today, the 12th of תמוז Tammuz, and her נשמה neshama should have an עליה aliyah. Just one housekeeping note. We are taking vacation the next two weeks, so we will be off the next two weeks. You can find old פרשה שיעורים Parsha shiurim online. Feel free to listen or listen to other people. There are countless brilliant, incredible פרשה Parsha classes of others you could find everywhere. And then we'll resume in three weeks from now. We'll post on the WhatsApp group the complete schedule as we go to keep everybody updated.פרשת בלק Parshas Balak, page 856 in the ArtScroll Stone חומש Chumash. וירא בלק בן צפור את כל אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי Vayar Balak ben Tzipor es kol asher asa Yisrael la'Emori. בלק Balak, the son of צפור Tzipor, saw all that the Jewish people had done to the אמרי Emori. Last week, the Jewish people asked for permission to pass through the land of several, and they were denied in each and every case, evidence of the bias and discrimination against our people from the very onset. You almost can't read last week's פרשה Parsha and say to yourself, what was the big deal? Why couldn't we pass through the land? Here we were, a brand new slave nation, limping out of מצרים Mitzrayim. True, miracles were done for us, but we asked very respectfully, very gently. Can we cut through? Jews are always looking for a cut-through. We never want to walk the long way. We're always looking for the cut-through. So the whole nation was looking for the cut-through, the shortcut. And we said, דרך המלך נלך Derech Hamelech nelech. We won't touch anything, we'll pay the tax, we'll buy the food and water off of you. We're not going to hurt you or harm you in any way. Can we just, just a shortcut. Have some רחמנות rachmanus, have some sympathy. We were just slaves for 210 years. Have some sympathy. And did they have sympathy? No. With no reason to hate us, from our very outset, from our very beginning, from our very inception, they already had this bias against us. And in all the cases of last week's פרשה Parsha, they said, no, nope, you can't cut through, you're not allowed to get through. So and then we ended up going to war, and of course we won because השם Hashem is on our side, much like we just saw with the 12-day war, and like we're living through the miracles of our time. So בלק Balak, the son of צפור Tzipor, saw this and he was a little worried, he was a little nervous, he was a little afraid. What was he afraid of? He saw all that the Jewish people had done לאמרי la'Emori. So the simple understanding of the text, אמרי Emori are a name of a people, the אמרי Emori. He saw what we had done to the אמרי Emori people. But I want to tell you a חסידישע Chasidisha bent, a חסידישע Chasidisha insight to this. The מגיד Maggid of טריסק Trisk, this is brought down by the רחמסטריווקא Rachmastrivka in אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros. And a lot of the חסידישע Chasidisha דברי תורה divrei Torah, I showed this to you before, whether the ספרים Sfarim mean it to they mean to suggest this is פשט pshat in פסוק pasuk or they're using the פסוק pasuk as a platform to communicate a message. It doesn't matter which, either way, the message is true, the message is compelling, and the message is one we should listen to. So the מגיד Maggid of טריסק Trisk said the following on this פסוק pasuk: וירא בלק Vayar Balak, בלק Balak saw. He saw all we had done to אמרי Emori. Keep reading the next פסוק pasuk. ויגר מואב מפני העם כי רב הוא Vayagar Moav mipnei ha'am ki rav hu. So מואב Moav was very frightened. They're very afraid. They saw the Jewish people were numerous, we were growing. ויקץ מואב מפני בני ישראל Vayakotz Moav mipnei Bnei Yisrael. And מואב Moav was disgusted in the face of the Jewish people. They were worried, they were afraid, and they became repulsed and disgusted. יש להבין, מה ראה בלק שיירא ויחרד כל כך מבני ישראל, עד שהוצרך לשלוח אחרי בלעם? Yesh l'havin, mah ra'ah Balak sheyira v'chared kol kach miBnei Yisrael, ad shehutzrach lishloach acharei Bilam? What was בלק Balak so threatened by? What was he so nervous about? What bothered him so much? After all, we're a slave nation, I just said. We're limping out of מצרים Mitzrayim. Two centuries of slavery, subjugation. In fact, all those who left Egypt had died in the desert. The whole nation that's left right now are young. They were born later. They hadn't sinned with the חטא המרגלים cheit ha'meraglim, so they weren't destined to die in the desert. What were they so threatened by? This youthful nation, young, inexperienced, immature in some ways, unsophisticated, undeveloped. Not me, but משה Mosha describes as an incorrigible nation of complainers. And here בלק Balak is so threatened and nervous? What is he so threatened and nervous about? Omnam, the פסוק pasuk hints, says the Trisker Maggid, the פסוק pasuk is alluding to it. וירא בלק את כל אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי Vayar Balak es kol asher asa Yisrael la'Emori. לאמרי La'Emori. אמרי, הוא מלשון אמירה ודיבור Emori, hu milashon amira v'dibur. Don't read the verse, the פסוק pasuk as they were so worried about what we had done to the אמרי Emori people, but read it they were threatened by what we do with our אמירה ודיבור amira v'dibur. What's אמירה amira? The power of speech. שזה ראה בלק מה שבני ישראל יכולים לפעול בדיבוריהם בעת תורתם ותפילתם She'zeh ra'ah Balak mah she'Bnei Yisrael yecholim lifol b'dibureihem b'eis Torasam u'tefilosam. Wow, what a people, what a nation. What are they busy and occupied with throughout the desert? They're sitting and learning תורה Torah and they're sitting and talking to השם Hashem. It's incredible. Look at this group, this room of adults who graduated every formal education, who voluntarily on a Tuesday morning are coming to learn, to listen, to grow, to study, to use our words to improve, to make progress, to advance. Wow. Wow. Nothing wrong with, and some of us also, golf and tennis and mahjong and all the other fun things you can do. And while many other of your peers are doing that all day and every day, here you are, sitting and שטייגען steiging, learning, you can hear through the door the sounds of our summer כולל Kollel, an incredible group of young men learning day and night and learning in the evenings with our local בעלי בתים ba'alei batim, our local community. Our כולל בוקר Kollel Boker that started at 6:15 this morning, the מניינים minyanim, by the way, there's still another one that's not even gonna start for another 45 minutes, the מניינים minyanim that go on all morning, all afternoon, all night. What threatened בלק Balak? What was he so threatened by? When he saw, wow, look at this nation who aren't acting like victims, they're not walking around like martyrs, they're not negative complainers. Here they are doing what? אמרי Emori, אמירה ודיבור amira v'dibur. They're using the power of speech for תורה Torah and תפילה tefillah. They're looking to grow and to advance, to study, to learn, to דאווען daven, to pray. Wow, what a people. And therefore, ויגר מואב מפני העם vayagar Moav mipnei ha'am, he became very afraid. אפילו מפשוטי בני ישראל, מפני העם afilu mipshutei Bnei Yisrael, mipnei ha'am. עם Am, the people. עם Am connotes the simple people, the average people. מלשון ככל האומות שנשכרים מעבודת השם יתברך, אפילו מהם היה מפחד בלק עד מאוד Milashon k'chol ha'umos she'niskareru mei'avodas Hashem Yisborach, afilu mehem haya mefached Balak ad me'od. Even those who'd cooled off, even those who were lukewarm, even those who weren't on fire. Not the young summer כולל Kollel guys who just got back from ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael. The average בעל הבית ba'al habayis, the so-called עמי הארץ amei ha'aretz, the עמך amcha. מפני העם Mipnei ha'am. You know we use the term today, the עמך amcha. Who's the עמך amcha? The every man, the every woman, the average person. Not talking about those on fire. You're not talking about the biggest תלמידי חכמים talmidei chachamim, the biggest צדיקים tzaddikim, צדקניות tzidkonios. מפני העם Mipnei ha'am. Who was he afraid of? The עם am. He saw the עם am. He saw the עמך amcha, the average, everyday, regular people who came to דאווען daven, to learn, to grow. And what was he afraid of? אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי Asher asa Yisrael la'Emori. What the Jewish people had done with their power of speech. It's incredible. Last night at מנחה מעריב Mincha Maariv, I don't know, we were 80, 100 men, and one person said קדיש Kaddish. And it strikes me. When מנחה מעריב Mincha Maariv's full because a lot of people are mourning and grieving, they have to say קדיש Kaddish, so okay, it's packed because people are here to say קדיש Kaddish. But we now have a early מנחה Mincha, the פלג מנחה Plag Mincha, the regular מנחה Mincha, we have many, and even that מנחה Mincha was packed, and there was one voice. It was so unusual because it's usually many. And I looked around and I saw older people and children and everyone in between and I said, wow, they're here why? Not because they're חיובים chiyuvim, not because they're saying קדיש Kaddish. They're here because it's מנחה Mincha, and a Jew comes to שול shul to say מנחה Mincha. And that's what בלק Balak saw, that's what בלק Balak was threatened by. He was threatened what the Jewish people אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי asher asa Yisrael la'Emori, what we did with אמירה ודיבור amira v'dibur. מי כעמך ישראל Mi ka'amcha Yisrael, look at the Jewish people, learning and דאווענען davening. Look at the images still coming out, נעבעך nebach, we lost five precious soldiers in Gaza. נעבעך Nebach, we dedicate our learning in their memory and to the strength and comfort of their families. They don't need us to dedicate to their memory because their soul can't go any higher, and any soldier who gave his life for the Jewish people is right next to the כסא הכבוד Kisei HaKavod. Their soul can't go any higher, so we don't need to learn in the merit of the נשמה neshama having an עליה aliyah, but that their family find strength and comfort. But you continue to get images of soldiers making סיומים siyumim, learning תורה Torah, דאווענען davening, making מניינים minyanim, learning in these unimaginable places. That's what בלק Balak was afraid of. That's what, and that's these five soldiers and 16 who were injured yesterday, they came from a unit of religious, these were all religious soldiers, not that one soldier's life is more precious than another, but these were soldiers who were learning and who were דאווענען davening throughout, fighting and battling to protect and save a Jewish people. And that's what בלק Balak looked at and he said, we're in trouble. We're in trouble. אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי Asher asa Yisrael la'Emori, לאמירה ודיבור la'amira v'dibur, what the Jewish people have done with the power of speech, we're in trouble. We're in trouble. That's what, מביא בשם אביו הקדוש המגיד מצ'רנוביל maybe b'shem aviv ha'kadosh ha'maggid mi'Chernobyl. The טריסקער מגיד Trisker Maggid quotes from his father the צ'רנובלער Chernobyler, שאמר בשם הבעל שם טוב, זכותו יגן עלינו sh'amar b'shem ha'Baal Shem Tov, zechuso yagen aleinu, that שאפילו איש כזה שהוא טרוד כל היום בעסק בשווקים וברחובות she'afilu ish kazeh she'hu tarud kol ha'yom b'aska b'shvakim u'b'rechovos. Even the average Jew, who's going to work all day, negotiating business deals, who's working all day, who's shopping, cooking, planning, pilates, וכמעט ששוכח שיש בורא עולם v'kimat she'shocheach she'yesh Borei Olam. The day is so busy, so occupied, so preoccupied, כמעט kimat, they could almost forget there's a God. So busy, work and shopping and work out and exercise and carpool. ורק כשמגיע הזמן להתפלל מנחה, עולה על זכרונו שכבר הוא סוף היום V'rak k'she'magia ha'zman l'hispallel Mincha, oleh al zichrono she'kvar hu sof ha'yom. And all of a sudden, פונקט punkt, מנחה Mincha time comes, the alarm on the phone goes off, and they remember, I'm running out of מנחה Mincha options at BRS, it's מנחה Mincha. וגונח בנחת לבו כשמתבונן איך שבילה כל היום בהבלי העולם V'goneiach b'nachas libo k'she'misbonen eich sh'bilu kol ha'yom b'havlei ha'olam. And now he cracks, he says the whole day is over, it's מנחה Mincha, and I haven't taken advantage, I haven't utilized it fully, I haven't steigd and learned, I haven't used it to do חסד chesed. ורק, ורץ לצד סמטה אחת ומתפלל מנחה V'rak, v'ratz l'tzad simta achas u'mispallel Mincha. And this Jew who's so busy all day, almost forgets there's a God, runs to the side of the alleyway to דאווען daven a מנחה Mincha. הגם שאינו יודע כלל מה הוא מדבר Ha'gam she'eino yodea klal mah hu medaber, this Jew doesn't know which way to hold the סידור siddur, this Jew breaks his or her teeth on the דאווענען davening on the מנחה Mincha, this Jew doesn't even know what the words mean. עם כל זה, גם זה חשוב מאוד לפני השם יתברך, ומקבלים תפילתו למעלה Im kol zeh, gam zeh chashuv me'od lifnei Hashem Yisborach, u'mekablim tefiloso l'maila. Said the holy בעל שם טוב Baal Shem Tov, this Jew who almost forgot God, who's so busy running, occupied, preoccupied all day, doesn't even know what the words mean, but when he pulls over, you ever driving in Israel, the side of a road, you see somebody who pulled over because the sun is setting and they're כאפן א מנחה chapping a Mincha, they're running out of time, they just דאווען מנחה daven Mincha. See Jews organize at a baseball game, a Yankee stadium, a מנחה Mincha, and you say, wow. Wow, says the בעל שם טוב Baal Shem Tov. You know how holy and how high those prayers are? That's what בלק Balak was worried about. Everyone else is saying, 'beer here,' 'get another beer and peanuts,' and there's a group of Jews underneath the staircase who are דאווענען א מנחה davening a Mincha. By the way, there's not one מנחה Mincha. There's a מנחה Mincha at every כשר kosher stand all over the stadium. There's multiple. There's the מנחה Mincha you'd go to and the מנחה Mincha you'd never go to. People you דאווען daven with and people you'd never be caught dead with. We even have breakaway מנחות minchas at Yankee Stadium. It's unbelievable. And then the מעריב Maariv, and then the, and the בעל שם טוב Baal Shem Tov said, wow. Wow, it's unbelievable. So the cynic, by the way, says, what are they wasting their time, ביטול זמן bittul zman, they're at a baseball game, what are they wasting their time hanging out, the דף יומי Daf Yomi we just learned about going to stadiums, what are they wasting their time? But the בעל שם טוב Baal Shem Tov said, wow. Look at these Jews. They remember there's an אויבערשטער Aibishter, there's a השם Hashem. And look what they're doing. אשר עשה לאמרי Asher asa la'Emori. Look what the Jewish people are doing with אמירה ודיבור amira and dibur. They're דאווענען א מנחה davening a Mincha. Wow. And בלק Balak looks at that, בלק Balak's also at the Yankee game. He's probably there to root for the Red Sox. But בלק Balak's also at the game. And he looks and he sees, מה שעשה ישראל לאמרי mah she'asa Yisrael la'Emori, what they're doing with אמירה ודיבור amira and dibur. They're דאווענען davening, they're שטייגען steiging, they're learning, they're opening a ספר sefer between innings or throughout the whole game. They're taking advantage of their time. Wow. Therefore, יראי מואב ובלק אפילו מיהודים פשוטים כאלה yarei Moav v'Balak afilu miYehudim pshutim k'eileh. Says the רחמסטריווקא Rachmastrivka quoting the מגיד Maggid, the טריסקער מגיד Trisker Maggid, the צ'רנובלער מגיד Chernobyler Maggid, the בעל שם Baal Shem. This is what בלק Balak was afraid of, the regular, everyday עמך amcha Jews. The צדיקים, צדקניות tzaddikim, tzidkonios, the מועצת Moetzes, the גדולים Gedolim, that didn't make him afraid. That's a handful, he could take them. But the עמך amcha, the מנחה Mincha where only one person is saying קדיש Kaddish, but מנחה Mincha's packed, the מניינים minyanim all day long. בלק Balak takes one look and he says, forget about it. How are we going to defeat this people? Look what they're doing with אמירה ודיבור amira and dibur. The עמך amcha, מפני העם mipnei ha'am. He's worried about the עמך amcha, the עם am. כי רואה שגם להם יש להם כח אדיר מאוד מחמת חשיבות תפילתם Ki roeh shegam heim yesh lahem koach adir me'od mechamat chashivus tefilosam, because he sees, wow, because of the חשיבות chashivus of their תפילה tefillah, he's in trouble from them. That's what he is, that's what he's worried about. That's what he's worried about. Rav Druck, in his להב אש La'av esh, quotes רש\"י Rashi. וירא בלק בן ציפור את כל אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי. אמר, אלו שני מלכים שהיו בטוחים עליהם לא עמדו לפניהם, אנו על אחת כמה וכמה. דיוק נורא יש בפסוק הזה. Vayar Balak ben Tzipor es kol asher asa Yisrael la'Emori. Amar, eilu shnei melachim she'hayu betuchim aleihem lo amdu lifneihem, anu al achas kama v'kama. Diyuk norah yesh b'pasuk hazeh. At the beginning it says, וירא בלק בן ציפור את כל אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי. vayar Balak ben Tzipor es kol asher asa Yisrael la'Emori. He saw all the Jewish people did to the אמרי Emori. מזה מה שהוא ראה, מה שעשה ישראל לאמרי. Mi zeh mah she'hu ra'ah, mah she'asa Yisrael la'Emori. What did בלק Balak see? What did he focus on? What the Jewish people did to their enemy. אבל מה שעשה האמרי לישראל, על זה הוא לא ראה. Aval mah she'asa ha'Emori l'Yisrael, al zeh hu lo ra'ah. Now, did the Jewish people do it unprecipitated? Did the Jewish people do it unprovoked? Did the Jewish people wake up one morning and decide, we're gonna wipe out אמרי Emori? Let's ethnically cleanse the land of the אמרי Emori. No, of course not. Because they were attacked, because they were confronted, because אמרי Emori came after them. But guess what? בלק Balak didn't see that. What side of the story did בלק Balak say? Where does בלק Balak start the whole story? When he saw everything that what? אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי Asher asa Yisrael la'Emori. Ah, what about what אמרי Emori did to ישראל Yisrael? זוהי תכונתם של שונאי ישראל Zu'i t'chunasam shel sonei Yisrael. Writes רב דרוק Rav Druk and he wrote this before October 7th. The ספר sefer is a couple years old, the להב אש La'av Esh. זאגט דער רב דרוק Zogt der Rav Druck, this is the method of שונאי ישראל sonei Yisrael. הם רואים רק את מה שהם רוצים לראות Hem ro'im rak es mah she'hem rotzim lir'os. They only see what they want to see. אינם רואים מה שלא רוצים לראות Einam ro'im mah she'lo rotzim lir'os. And they don't see and they don't focus and they don't report on what they don't want to say. תכונה זו שהיא כל כך אמיתית ונכונה, רואים בימינו כיצד מתקיימת עד עצם היום הזה. כל אומות העולם... T'chuna zu she'hi kol kach amitis u'nechona, ro'im b'yameinu keitzad miskayemes ad etzem ha'yom ha'zeh. Kol umos ha'olam... even our so-called friends and allies. כולם תלמידיהם של בלק Kulam talmideihem shel Balak. They're students of בלק Balak. רואים את הצד האחד מה שישראל עושים לשונאיהם Ro'im es ha'tzad ha'echad mah she'Yisrael osim l'soneihem. They see when we respond, they see when we defend ourselves, they see when we step up, but they forget. לישמעאלים הקמים עלינו חדשים לבקרים רחמנא ליצלן L'Yishmaelim ha'kamim aleinu chadashim l'vkarim rachmana litzlan. What about the ישמעאלים Ishmaelim? They don't focus on the Arabs who attack us. אבל על מה שהישמעאלים מעוללים לנו בזוועות משונות, אינם רואים, מגלגלים עיניהם ומחרישים Aval al mah she'ha'Yishmaelim me'olelim lanu b'zva'os meshunos, einam ro'im, megaglim eineihem u'machrishim. They roll their eyes, they refuse to see, they refuse to focus. זה לא דבר חדש. כך היה מאז ומתמיד. zeh lo davar chadash. Kach haya me'az u'mitamid. Says רב דרוק Rav Druck, Rabbi ישראל מאיר דרוק Yisrael Meir Druck, שליט\"א shlita. This is a path, the students of בלק Balak. And is it not exactly what we're living through right now? All these conversations, a genocide in Gaza, the death of innocent civilians, children being wiped out, ethnically cleansing. What? The IDF wake up one morning and decide we're going to go attack, we're going to go kill innocent people? October 7th, but that they don't see. That they don't talk about. That they don't focus on. Hiding behind human shields, the evidence. Israel killed 100 civilians in Iran in 12-day war, wiped out Iran, barely took out anybody. Barely took out anybody. They wiped out the Syrian nuclear reactor, there wasn't one civilian casualty. They wiped out the Iraqi nuclear reactor, there was one civilian casualty. How come in Gaza there are tens of thousands? It's one simple answer, one reason. Because Hamas are hiding behind them as human shields and because Egypt and no other country will let them flee as refugees from a war zone. But nobody wants to tell that side of the story. All they talk about is כל אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי kol asher asa Yisrael la'Emori. All they're talking about is what the Jewish people do to the enemy. They don't start from the beginning with what the enemy did to the Jewish people. Says רב דרוק Rav Druck, this is not a new phenomenon. Hamas, Hezbollah, Piers Morgan, they're תלמידים talmidim of בלק הרשע Balak HaRasha. Piers is a spiritual descendant of בלק Balak. He's violating the same, he's following the same methodology. They don't tell the story from the beginning, they only pick it up from where they want, that paints the Jewish people in a terrible light. And that story is one that continues until now. Rabbi Sacks, Rabbi Lord Sacks begins his חומש Chumash. And listen how he describes this. I was blown away when I saw this. We're introduced to בלעם Bilam, a religious virtuoso in his own society, a sought-after shaman, a spellbinder, a miracle worker. On the פסוק pasuk, there's never arisen a prophet in Israel like משה Moshe, לא קם בישראל כמשה lo kam b'Yisrael k'Moshe. פסוק Pasuk in ספר דברים Sefer Devarim פרק ל\"ד perek lamed daled. The תורה Torah tells us, לא קם בישראל כמשה lo kam b'Yisrael k'Moshe, that there's never been a prophet like משה Moshe. Say חז\"ל Chazal, the ספרי Sifrei in דברים Devarim, בישראל לא קם כמשה b'Yisrael lo kam k'Moshe. We've never had a prophet in the Jewish people like משה Moshe. However, באומות העולם b'umos ha'olam, among the nations of the world, there is a prophet on par with משה Moshe. And what was his name? בלעם Bilam. Why? Lest the nations of the world say, look, the Jewish people, goody two-shoes, honor society, your favorites, they had משה Moshe. They had a משה Moshe to keep them in line, keep them in check. We didn't have a משה Moshe. If we had a charismatic, brilliant leader, we also would have been better behaved. So השם Hashem says, okay, I'm giving you one. His name is בלעם Bilam. He's a נביא navi, he's a prophet on par with משה Moshe. Yet the ultimate verdict on בלעם Bilam is negative, says Rabbi Sacks. The picture that emerges from the Jewish sources, a man who had great gifts, a genuine prophet, a man whom the sages compared to משה Moshe himself, yet at the same time, a figure of flawed character that eventually led to his own downfall and to his reputation as an evil doer, one of those mentioned by the משנה Mishna as having been denied a share in the world to come. When the משנה Mishna tells us who are those who have no חלק בעולם הבא chelek in Olam Haba, on that list, the notorious villain בלעם Bilam. בלעם Bilam had all the potential in the world to be a great prophet of God, of השם Hashem. Instead, he is a notorious villain. He goes down in history as a villain. Wonders Rabbi Lord Sacks, what was his flaw? Where did בלעם Bilam go wrong? And listen to what he says. There are many speculations, but one suggestion given in the גמרא Gemara infers the answer from his very name, the etymology of his name. What is the meaning of בלעם Bilam? Says the גמרא סנהדרין Gemara Sanhedrin דף ק\"ה עמוד א' daf kuf hey amud aleph. בלעם Bilam means a man, בלי עם belo am, a man without a people. A man without a nation. I saw this insight and immediately made me realize, this is what we're witnessing and experiencing, this is what we're victims of again today. Who's בלעם Bilam? בלעם Bilam is the first grifter. What's a grifter? A grifter is a new word. I don't blame you for not knowing it. A grifter is a public personality, often a media personality or a politician whose opinions change based on where they'll get the biggest following and make the most money. They grift. A grifter is somebody who is drawn, they don't have any principles. Or as a rabbi I'm close with in Florida who I love. He says to me, I'm a very principled man. And if you don't like them, I can change them. So בלעם Bilam was a principled man. If you don't like them, he can change them. He's בלעם Bilam, בלי עם belo am. He is not loyal to a people, to a community, to a nation. בלעם Bilam is a prophet for hire, a man with no loyalties. He has supernatural powers, he can bless someone, the person will succeed, he can curse the person will be blighted by misfortune, but there's no hint in any of the reports, biblical or otherwise, that בלעם Bilam is a prophet in the moral sense, that he's concerned with justice, the rights and wrongs of those whose lives he affects. בלעם Bilam has skills and he uses them with devastating effect, but he has no commitments, no loyalties, no rootedness in humanity. He's a man, בלעם Bilam, בלי עם belo am, without a people. משה Moshe is the opposite. What does משה Moshe say about him? בכל ביתי נאמן הוא Bechol beisi ne'eman hu. What's משה Moshe's greatest character trait? Loyalty. Reliability, dependability, fidelity. משה Moshe, till the end, is loyal to his people. He gives up and he sacrifices so much, to a degree his wife, to a certain degree his very children. He gives up so much because he's loyal endlessly. He's נאמן ne'eman, he's trustworthy, trusted, loyal. The Hebrew word אמונה emunah is usually translated as faith, and that's what it came to mean in the Middle Ages. But in the תורה Torah, it is better translated as faithfulness, reliability, loyalty. It means not walking away from the other party when times are tough. It's a key covenantal virtue. There are people with great gifts, intellectual and sometimes even spiritual, who nonetheless fail to achieve what they might have done. They lack the basic moral quality of integrity, honesty, humility, and loyalty. What they do, they do brilliantly, but often they do the wrong things. Conscious of their unusual endowments, they give way to pride, arrogance, and a belief they can somehow get away with great crimes. בלעם Bilam is a classic example. Prophecy is a form of leadership, but leadership without loyalty is not leadership. Skills alone cannot substitute for the moral qualities that make people follow those who demonstrate them. We follow those who we trust because they have acted so as to earn our trust. That was what made משה Moshe the great leader. בלעם Bilam might have been, but never was. When I saw this, I thought to myself, בלעם Bilam is the first grifter in history. ממש Mamash a grifter. בלעם Bilam, בלי עם beli am. He has no loyalty, no nation, no people. Who will get me the most followers? How will I get the most likes? How will I get the most views? What will bring me in the most money? Think about these media personalities. At one point, they were loyal to the Jewish people. At one point, they spoke the truth about Israel. Piers, Candace, the list can go on, Tucker, the list can go on and on. And they're grifters because they're בלעמים Bilams, they're בלי עם beli am. They have no loyalty to any people, to any nation, to any values, to any principles. Who will pay them? Qatar? Who's going to pay them? Put them on their payroll to say and to advance and to interview evil, wicked people and let them off the hook, because when you're בלי עם beli am, you'll grift, and you'll migrate to wherever you'll make the most money. Whoever will give you the biggest fame and fortune, and they are the spiritual descendants of בלעם Bilam. And so if they're also the spiritual descendants of בלק Balak, of בלק Balak, that they only tell part of the story, אשר עשה ישראל לאמרי asher asa Yisrael la'Emori. They only talk about what the Jewish people did to אמרי Emori. They don't talk about what אמרי Emori did to start the war with Israel. They're also the descendants of בלעם Bilam, בלי עם beli am, grifters with no nation, no people, no loyalty.So what happens? בלעם Bilam go, בלק Balak goes and he recruits בלעם Bilam to curse the Jewish people. וישלח מלאכים אל בלעם בן בעור פתורה אשר על הנהר ארץ בני עמו לקרא לו Vayishlach malachim el Bilam ben Be'or P'sorah asher al ha'nahar eretz bnei amo likro lo. He sends מלאכים malachim. Are these מלאכים malachim literal מלאכים malachim or figurative מלאכים malachim? The word מלאכים malachim means messengers. He sent agents to go recruit בלעם Bilam. But the word מלאכים malachim could also mean angels. And the commentaries here debate, and there's beautiful interpretations on both sides, but we're not going to get into it. And he recruits him. And the text here is fascinating. I'm going to point this out, we haven't had many פרשה שיעורים parsha shiurim on בלק Balak, I'm often away. But when we have, I always point out, when you read the תורה Torah itself, you get, it paints a picture, you get the impression that בלעם Bilam is a very decent guy. Because they come to recruit him and he says, whoa, whoa, whoa. I can't go anywhere without permission from השם Hashem. I'm a man of faith, a man of principle. Unless I get the green light, the okay from above, I can't go anywhere. And he continues to do that. And then he's supposed to curse but he blesses. He doesn't seem so upset that he gave the blessing in the end. If you just read the תורה Torah text, you could be fooled to think he's not a bad guy. But when you read in between the text, the תורה Torah tells us and reveals to us just, just how evil and wicked he really is. So much so he has no portion in the world to come. And he goes back and forth with God in terms of being recruited, the yes, the no, and so on. So much so that you get to the next page, פסוק כ' pasuk kaf. ויבא אלקים אל בלעם לילה ויאמר לו אם לקרא לך באו האנשים קום לך אתם. ואך את הדבר אשר אדבר אליך אתו תעשה. Vayavo Elokim el Bilam lailah vayomer lo im likro lecha ba'u ha'anashim kum lech itam. V'ach es ha'davar asher adaber eilecha oso sa'aseh. Listen. You keep muttering me, you keep asking me, you won't take no for an answer. So I'll tell you what, so go already. If they come and summon you, arise and go with them. If you want to go so badly, fine, go already. But here's the deal. If you go, you can only say, רק את הדבר אשר אדבר אליך rach as ha'davar asher adaber eilecha, only what I tell you to say, אותו תעשה oso sa'aseh. Only that can you speak, only that can you say. So Rabbi Sacks, one more, maybe two more Rabbi Sackses for today. קום לך אתם Kum lech itam, go with them. Go with them. Skip ahead now two פסוקים psukim, כ\"ב chof beis. Turn to the top of the next page. ויחר אף אלקים כי הולך הוא Vayichar af Elokim ki holech hu. Then God gets infuriated. God gets outraged. What are you doing? How could you go? ויתיצב מלאך השם בדרך לשטן לו והוא רכב על אתנו ושני נעריו עמו Vayisatzeiv malach Hashem ba'derech l'satan lo, v'hu rochev al asono u'shnei n'arav imo. בלעם Bilam is riding on his donkey. He's got his two young men with him. השם Hashem is blocking the path, but the פסוק pasuk describes, ויחר אף אלקים vayichar af Elokim. השם Hashem gets enraged. What are you doing? How dare you go? So all the מפרשים mefarshim jump on this and ask, one second. Poor בלעם Bilam. Two פסוקים psukim ago השם Hashem just said what? קום לך אתם Kum lech itam. If you want to go so badly, fine, get up and go. And now two פסוקים psukim later, God gets angry, his wrath, how dare you, he blocks the path. Which is it? Which is it? Did השם Hashem change his mind? Not once, but twice, in a single narrative, it seems like השם Hashem keeps changing his mind. Go, don't go. Go, don't go. I'm okay with your going, I'm furious if you go. Which is it? Which is it? So the מפרשים mefarshim offer various ways of resolving the contradiction. According to the רמב\"ן Ramban, the רמב\"ן Ramban weighs in, and when the רמב\"ן Ramban, the רמב\"ן Ramban says, that when השם Hashem first says, don't go with them, he meant don't curse כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael. And when he said, go with them, he meant, but make it clear you'll only say the words I put in your mouth. So השם Hashem was angry with בלעם Bilam not because he went, that he had given him permission to do. When he said, קום לך אתם kum lech itam, he meant you can go, but don't curse them. He was angry not because he went, but because he didn't tell them the condition. When they come to get בלעם Bilam, he should have said, look, I have permission to go, but here's the deal. I can't say what you want me to say. When I open my mouth, I'm only going to say what השם Hashem wants me to say. He left out the condition, and that's what השם Hashem was about. So he said I don't understand, השם Hashem gave permission, then he gets angry he went, what happened? So the רמב\"ן Ramban says the permission was to go on a condition, בלעם Bilam omitted, he left out the condition and that's why השם Hashem got angry. The מלבי\"ם Malbim, רב צבי הירש מקלנבורג Rav Tzvi Hirsch Mecklenburg in his כתב והקבלה Ksav v'Kabbalah, both in the 19th century, give a different answer. The תורה Torah uses two different words for 'with them' in the first and the second reply. When השם Hashem says don't go with them, pay careful attention. What does he say? What's the Hebrew word he uses? עמהם Imahem. Don't go with them, עמהם imahem. When he later says, okay, so go already. What does he say? Go, אתם itam. What's the difference between עמהם imahem and אתם itam? Pay careful attention. The מלבי\"ם Malbim and the כתב והקבלה Ksav v'Kabbalah paid careful attention and they found the solution to the question in the change of words. When he said don't go, he says, don't go עמהם imahem. And when he says fine, permission granted, he uses the word you can go אתם itam. The two prepositions have subtly different meanings. עמהם Imahem means with them mentally as well as physically. Go along with their plans. Don't just go with them physically, but go along with their plans. אתם Itam means you can go with them physically but not mentally. In other words, בלעם Bilam could accompany them but not share their purpose or intention. השם Hashem is angry when בלעם Bilam goes because he identifies with their mission. What stirred השם Hashem to be angry was not that he went. After all, השם Hashem said you can go. But השם Hashem said you can go what? עמהם Imahem. Physically be with them, but spiritually be with me. But what did בלעם Bilam do? He went ahead and he went אתם itam. He didn't just physically join them, he spiritually joined them. And that's what infuriated and enraged השם Hashem when בלעם Bilam agreed with them and joined him. Then Rabbi Sacks gives his own answer. Listen to this answer. The hardest word to hear in any language is the word no. no. Nobody wants to hear no. When you want something and you want it badly, it's very hard to hear no. You desperately want a שידוך shidduch, you're dating and there's no end in sight. It feels like there's a no. Feels like there's a no. A child whose parents says you can't have that candy, you can't stay up past your bedtime, you can't buy that toy. Nobody wants to hear a no, from a child to an adult. Bilam asked Hashem once and Hashem said no. And that should have sufficed. It should suffice when a parent tells a kid no also, but then the negotiation is just beginning. We should send our kids to the Middle East to figure out how to get the hostages home. They're the master negotiators. When they hear no, they know that's just our opening salvo. The negotiation's just beginning.But when a person hears a no from Hashem, so that's it. He's the divine, omnipotent, infinite Hashem. His no should be a hard and fast no. It should be a no. But what does Bilam do? Pretty please God, come on. Can you make an exception? Bilam negotiates with the אייבישטער Aibishter. And Hashem does not change his mind. Bilam's delay says something not about Hashem but about himself. He's not accepted the divine refusal. He wants to hear the answer yes so much so, says Rabbi Sacks, that indeed that's what he hears. It's not that Hashem changes his mind. This is Rabbi Sacks's suggestion. You listening? It's not that Hashem changes his mind because what right then does Hashem have to get angry? It's that Bilam hears what he wants to hear. Hashem said no, but when Bilam goes back and mutchers him and chases him and drives him crazy and asks again, he hears Hashem say yes. Not because Hashem wants him to go, but because God speaks once and if we refuse to accept what he says, God does not force his will upon us. As חז״ל Chazal tell us, that גמרא אין מכות דף י׳ Gemara in Makkos Daf Yud, בדרך שאדם רוצה לילך מוליכין אותו bederech she'adam rotzeh leileich molichin oso. The path that a person wants to go, Hashem draws us. The true meaning of Hashem's second reply, go with them, is if you insist, I can't stop you. But I'm angry with you that you asked a second time. If Hashem speaks and we don't listen, he does not intervene to save us from our own choices. But Hashem is not prepared to let Bilam proceed as if he has divine consent. This is to be Bilam's lesson, and what we too must discover if we want to be open to the voice of Hashem. Sometimes when it's a no, it's a no, and we have to be willing to accept it. So Bilam gets up and he goes. ויקם בילעם Vayakom Bilam. He gets up and he goes. Back to Rav Druk. ויקם בילעם Vayakom Bilam.How does Bilam get up to go? So tells us רש״י Rashi, ויחבש ויקם בילעם בבוקר vayachavosh Vayakom Bilam baboker, Bilam wakes up early in the morning. ויחבש את אתונו Vayachavosh es asono, and he gets his donkey ready, וילך עם שרי מואב vayelech im sarei Moav, and he goes with the officers of Moav. זאגט רש\"י מכאן ששנאה מקלקלת את השורה Zogt Rashi mikan she'sinah mekalkeles es hashurah. Bilam liked to sleep in generally. But for this, he set his alarm and woke up early. He had no problem jumping out of bed. Bilam was an early riser acting with alacrity and zeal. Why? Because שנאה מקלקלת את השורה sinah mekalkeles es hashurah. Hate drives people. Hate makes us do things we ordinarily don't do. שחבש הוא בעצמו Shechavash hu b'atzmo. Normally Bilam said, do you know who I am? Do you know how many followers I have online? Do you know how popular my podcast is? What do you think, I'm going to saddle my own donkey? I have a whole staff. I have an entourage. I have people to do that. What are you crazy? You have any idea how many people listen and watch my show? But for this, at the chance to wake up early and go curse the Jewish people, he jumped out of bed early in the morning. He saddled his own donkey. So אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא amar Hakadosh Baruch Hu, says הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu to Bilam, רשע rasha, wicked one, כבר קדמך אברהם אבינו kvar kadamcha Avraham Avinu. You think you're the first to wake up early in the morning and saddle your own donkey? Avram, their forefather, father got up early, saddled his own donkey. שנאמר וישכם אברהם בבוקר ויחבש את חמורו shenemar vayashkem Avraham baboker vayachvosh es chamoro. Avram woke up early. What morning was that? The morning of עקידת יצחק Akeidas Yitzchak, the morning of the binding of יצחק Yitzchak. And Avram woke up early in the morning, and he too had young men who could have helped, saddled his own donkey, got started on his day. Wonders Rav Druk, as we all are, what in the world is going on? הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu tells Bilam, what do you think I'm impressed? You woke up early and saddled your own donkey? Avram beat you to it. He already did it. He woke up early, he saddled his own donkey, and he was going to עקידת יצחק Akeidas Yitzchak. What in the world is the comparison? Why are we drawing a comparison? What's going on? What's going on over here? What's going on over here?I'm just deciding which of the two Rav Druk interpretations to share with you.Yeah. So the first interpretation he gives of Druk, הטענה על בילעם אינה על מה שכבר קדמו אברהם אבינו Hata'anah al Bilam einah al mah shekvar kidmo Avraham Avinu. Meaning, בדרך הטבע כאשר ציוה הקדוש ברוך הוא על אברהם אבינו bederech hateva ka'asher tziva Hakadosh Baruch Hu al Avraham Avinu. Now, אברהם אבינו Avraham Avinu, when God told Avram, why did he want him to saddle his donkey? Where were they going? What was their destination? I want you to take your son, your only son, the son you love, your legacy, your future, and I want you to do what you've been preaching to the whole world that they shouldn't do. I want you to offer him as a sacrifice. So בדרך הטבע bederech hateva, what would have been the natural thing for Avram to do? Sleep in, delay, take time, slashes on tires to say I'm sorry, I got to get it fixed, I got to call AAA, they're taking forever to get here. If there's something you desperately don't want to do, you're going to find every way in the world to delay it. לעכב מעט ולא לזרז לצאת מיד l'akev me'at v'lo l'zarez latzeis miyad. To delay, to procrastinate, to shlep it out. הרי הולך הוא להעלות לעולה את בנו יחידו harei holech hu la'alos l'olah es bno yechido. After all, where was he meant to go? What was he supposed to do? He's going to offer his son. And yet, nevertheless, despite that, וישכם אברהם בבקר ויחבש את חמורו vayashkem Avraham baboker vayachvosh es chamoro. Even though he was going to do what was not something he wanted to do, and why? שאהבה מקלקלת את השורה she'ahavah mekalkeles es hashurah. Because love, love makes you do crazy things. Love makes you do, when you love someone, you take crazy risks, you stay up all night talking to them, you spend money you don't have. When you're in love, you do crazy things. ומיד מוקדם בבקר זריז אברהם אבינו umiyad mukdam baboker zariz Avraham Avinu. Avram didn't love what he was being asked to do, but Avram loved Hashem. So to give a נחת רוח nachas ruach, to give pride and joy to Hashem, Avram jumped up and woke up. And that's what Hashem is telling Bilam. You woke up and you jump jumped up early in the morning to do something you're excited to do. You think you're impressing me? Avram showed the same enthusiasm and zeal to jump up to do something that he desperately did not want to do. You think you're impressing me? Avram beat you to it, not to do something he loves and wants to do, but to do something he desperately really didn't want to do. And that is not the comparison, but that's the indictment of Bilam. You're not impressing me. You're not impressing me. You know, there are people who can't get up, they're late to minyan, they miss minyan altogether, they're late to school, but then you make them the first tee time in the morning. Ooh, they jump out of bed, they're ready and raring to go. For the thing that they're super excited for, that they could jump up, that they'd never be late, that they're so excited for. So they say, aren't you impressed I got up early? No. I'm not impressed when you wake up early for the thing you're excited about. I'm impressed when you wake up early because you made it to יום כיפור דאווענען Yom Kippur davening. I'm impressed that you woke up and ran to go fast. I'm impressed that you wake up תשעה באב Tisha B'av. I'm impressed when you wake up for the things you don't want to do. And that's what Hashem was answering to Bilam, you're not impressing me. Avram already beat you to it. פרק כ״ב פסוק כ״ח Perek Chaf Beis Pasuk Chaf Ches.Page 860. So, Hashem gets angry at him, he puts a מלאך malach to block the way, and this donkey now stops, and Bilam hits it. And it stops, and he hits it, and finally the donkey talks back, talks up, and challenges Bilam. What are you doing? פסוק כ\"ח Pasuk Chaf Ches. ויפתח ה' את פי האתון Vayiftach Hashem es pi ha'ason. And God opened the mouth of the donkey. ותאמר לבלעם מה עשיתי לך כי הכיתני זה שלש רגלים vatomer l'Bilam mah asisi lecha ki hikisani zeh shalosh regalim. What what did you do to me? What's going on over here that you've now hit me שלש רגלים shalosh regalim, three times? What's the significance of שלש רגלים shalosh regalim? You've now hit me three times. Some say what Bilam wanted to undo was the שלש רגלים Shalosh Regalim, the Jewish people's observance of our שלש רגלים Shalosh Regalim, the יום טובים Yom Tovim, the יום טובס Yom Tovs. But שלש רגלים shalosh regalim literally translates as you've now hit me three times. What are you doing? Why'd you hit me? Why'd you hit me? What's going on? On the פסוק pasuk, on this פסוק pasuk, the Sforno writes, נתן בה כח לדבר כענין ה' שפתי תפתח ופי יגיד תהלתך nasan bah koach l'daber k'inyan Hashem sefasai tiftach ufi yagid tehilasecha. The donkey was given the power of speech, just like we say at the beginning of every עמידה Amidah, ה' שפתי תפתח Hashem sefasai tiftach, Hashem open my lips, ופי יגיד תהלתך ufi yagid tehilasecha, so that I can speak your praise.Huh? The donkey miraculously spoke, just like we begin every עמידה Amidah by saying, Hashem move my lips. Hashem moved the donkey's lips, just like we begin our עמידה Amidah and say, Hashem move my lips. What are we, a bunch of donkeys? What kind of comparison? How obnoxious. So Rav Yirucham said in his מוסר musar, quoting the ספר יונתן אליעמס sefer Yonasan Eibeschutz, quoted by Rav Weinfeld. I will gladly endorse the new ספר sefer by my dear friend Rabbi Bogopolsky, recorded the teachings of his Rebbe, our Rebbe, Rabbi Weinfeld of BRS Weinfeld. You can now order timely and timeless his wonderful insights on פרשה Parsha. And Rabbi Weinfeld quotes the following. What kind of comparison does the Sforno making? Hashem opened the mouth of the donkey to the request we make at the beginning of the עמידה Amidah. So Rav Yirucham explains, you see from the Sforno, the fact that a person can open his mouth and דאווענען daven to Hashem is as much of a חידוש chiddush, as much of a miracle as a donkey speaking. In the end of the day, it's all only what Hashem wants or allows us to do. Who says you get an audience with the Almighty? Who says you get to tell him what you're happy about, what you protest, what you want him to do differently? Who entitles you? Who gave you license? Who enabled you? Who allows you to articulate your thoughts? So even when a person feels he's incapable and inadequate, he never really is adequately prepared to speak to Hashem. The gap requires a tremendous leap that's not really possible with human effort, just like it required a tremendous leap for the donkey to speak to Bilam. But if we commit to doing it even though we don't really feel capable, Hashem will grant us the ability to talk to him. Hashem gives us that ability. That's a comparison. So every time we take those three steps forward and we say, ה' שפתי תפתח Hashem sefasai tiftach, Hashem move my lips and give me the ability to say your praise, to talk to you, we're recognizing Hashem, even though I feel like and I've acted like a donkey. I know what I was watching late last night. I know I used these lips to say gossip. I know I did actions that I'm embarrassed about. I feel ashamed. What right do I have to now talk to you? ה' שפתי תפתח Hashem sefasai tiftach, the same way you moved the lips of the donkey, move my lips even when I act like a donkey, to nevertheless trust that I can turn to you, confide in you, talk to you, thank you, lean on you, and be able to tell you what I need from you. I apologize for the noise from the construction. I don't really apologize. Sorry, not sorry. It's what I'm living with now every day. It's the sound of building תורה Torah. It's not the sound of construction, it's the sound of spreading and building תורה Torah. So it's the most beautiful sound in the world, even if it's going to require a Costco sized bucket of Advil to get through the next few months. Okay. That is Rav Weinfeld. You know that we're going to get to the תפארת שמואל Tiferes Shmuel. Says the תפארת שמואל Tiferes Shmuel, oh, oh, ברוך השם Baruch Hashem. Says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum. ויפתח את פי האתון Vayiftach es pi ha'ason, Hashem opened the mouth of the donkey.Why would God intervene in nature to make a miracle here? God doesn't make miracles all the time. Not only hidden miracles, but this is a revealed miracle. A donkey talking? Donkeys don't normally talk. צורך גבוה שהקדוש ברוך הוא מנהיג את עולמו בסדר הטבע ששם מששת ימי בראשית Tzorech gavo'ah she Hakadosh Baruch Hu manhig es olamo b'seder hateva she'sam misheshes yemei bereishis. Hashem created the world and the natural order, and he pressed start and he pressed go, and now there's a world in motion, something called nature, and he intervenes, he suspends nature, he does miracles very selectively, very infrequently. And this is one of the times? For a donkey to talk to this lowlife Bilam? That's a צורך גדול tzorech gadol? That's a good enough justification or reason to intervene and intercede in nature? It makes no sense. Rav Shmuel Berenbaum refers us to the גמרא אין שבת נון גימל Gemara in Shabbos Nun Gimmel. A story of a of a woman who shouldn't have been able to nurse and Hashem made a miracle and gave her the power to nurse. And you see, ראה כמה גדול אדם זה שנעשה לו נס re'eh kamah gadol adam zeh shena'aseh lo nes. אמר לו אביי אדרבה כמה גרוע אדם זה שמשתנים לו סדרי בראשית amar lei Abaye adraba, kamah garua adam zeh she'mishtanim lo sidrei bereishis. When a miracle happens for you, it doesn't reflect you're worthy. It reflects your unworthy because if you're worthy, God enables things to happen through the natural order. אם כן צריך להבין למה עשה הקדוש ברוך הוא נס גדול כזה של ויפתח ה' את פי האתון im kein tzarich l'havin lamah asah Hakadosh Baruch Hu nes gadol kaze shel vayiftach Hashem es pi ha'ason. Why did Hashem make this great miracle that he opened the mouth of the donkey? Says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, יש לומר מאחר שבילם היה בעל גאוה גדול yesh lomar mei'acher she'Bilam hayah ba'al gaavah gadol. We know, the Mishna of Avos tells us, don't be a student of Bilam. Why? Who are the students of Bilam? The fifth chapter of Avos. עין רע, רוח גבוהה, נפש רחבה מתלמידיו של בלעם הרשע ayin ra, ruach gevoha, nefesh rechava mitalmidav shel Bilam harasha. A person who behaves with a negative critical eye, with an arrogant, arrogant spirit, with an inflated ego, is a student of a disciple of Bilam. אם תלמידיו שלו היו כל כך בעלי גאוה קל וחומר רבם בעצמו Im talmidav shelo hayu kol kach ba'alei gaavah, kal vachomer rabam b'atzmo. If the students are so arrogant, certainly the teacher, the master has an incredible ego. ומן המילא אם היה כל אדם אומר לו דברי מוסר היה אומר לו וכי אתה בר פלוגתא שלי Umin hameila im hayah kol adam omer lo divrei musar, hayah omer lo, v'chi atah bar plugta sheli? Could you imagine a person would come over to Bilam and say, look, I want to give you some feedback. It's unsolicited, but I have some advice. I think you're going about it all wrong. I got to tell you the way it is. What would Bilam say? He'd say, are you crazy? Are you out of your mind? I'm going to listen to you what you have to say? Who are you to give me criticism or feedback? Do you know who I am? Do you know how many followers? Do you know how many people watch and listen to my podcast and my show? Do you know who I am? שאני אומר לי מה לעשות she'ani omer li mah la'asos? What are you going to tell me I'm wrong? אפילו אם נביא ה' היה אומר לו מוסר היה מזלזל בו Afilu im navi Hashem hayah omer lo musar, hayah mezalzel bo. When a person is so arrogant, and is such a grifter that all they care about is followers and fame and money, they're never going to listen to anything. אבל על ידי האתון לא היה לו ראשות בר פלוגתא aval al yedei ha'ason lo hayah lo reshus bar plugta. But all of a sudden, something unnatural, something extraordinary. The donkey who's not your equal, the donkey who never was in the arena of giving you feedback, a donkey is now giving you מוסר musar. Even the most arrogant person can't deny there's something unusual happening. And that's why Hashem had to intervene. Why? Because the בעל גאוה baal gaavah, the arrogant one doesn't pick up the signal and doesn't listen to the message from anyone or anything around them. The בעל גאוה baal gaavah, Hashem needs something unnatural to happen to wake them up, to shake them, to speak to them, to get them to listen. And that's what's going on over here, so much so that Hashem is willing to intervene and intercede to get Bilam to open his eyes and to be willing to listen even even a little bit, even a little bit. פרק כ\"ב פסוק ל' Perek Chaf Beis Pasuk Lamed. ותאמר האתון אל בילעם vatomer ha'ason el Bilam. And what does the donkey tell Bilam? הלא אנכי אתנך אשר רכבת עלי halo anochi asonecha asher rachavta alai. You're my donkey. And you'll excuse me. You're my donkey that you've ridden on me. But רש\"י חז\"ל Rashi Chazal tell us you're my donkey that you've not only ridden that you've mounted, we've been intimate. Bilam practiced bestiality. Bilam was a low life, immoral, had no boundaries. And the donkey is now telling him, what are you giving me a zetz? I'm calling Shalom Task Force. This is domestic abuse. You and I are in a relationship and now you're smacking me around three times? אשר רכבת עלי מעודך עד היום הזה הסכן הסכנתי לעשות לך כה ויאמר לא asher rachavta alai mei'odcha ad hayom hazeh, ha'hasken hiskanti la'asos lecha koh, vayomer lo. The donkey says, am I not your donkey that you've been on me all your life until this day? Have I been accustomed to do such a thing to you? ויאמר לא Vayomer lo, and he said no. Says Rav Yirucham. The Medrash tells us, אוי לנו מיום הדין, אוי לנו מיום התוכחה, בילעם חכם שבחכמים לא יכול לעמוד בתוכחתו של אתונו טיפש שבבהמות oi lanu miyom hadin, oi lanu miyom hatochecha, Bilam chacham shebachachamim lo yachol la'amod b'tochechaso shel asono tipesh shebabeheimos. When Bilam, who is the wisest of wise, Bilam who the Torah tells us is on par with Moshe in his prophecy, and yet, he's getting מוסר musar, he's being smacked down by a donkey. A donkey is the lowly, the stupid of the animal kingdom. אוי לנו מיום הדין Oi lanu miyom hadin. Woe unto to those who are elevated and exalted, those who are bright and have broken through, and yet they get מוסר musar from as unlikely of places. Said Rav Yirucham, התביעה הגדולה על האדם היא שבעצם אפילו הטיפש שבבהמות אסון יכול להבין את חכם שבחכמים מידיעה פשוטה שהיא בבחינת שיתוף בדרכו Hatviah hagedolah al ha'adam hi sheb'etzem afilu hatipesh shebabeheimos ason yachol l'havin es chacham shebachachamim miyediah pshutah shehi bivchinas shituf b'darko. Sometimes the stupidest, the most foolish, the most unsophisticated, the lowly donkey can see the truth while the חכם chacham, the wisest one is blinded. And is there a bigger מוסר musar? Is there a greater sense of shame that the lowly low can see what even the wise one fails to see? שהרי כן אדם שלא מבין שהוא נמצא בעולם הזה במלחמה Sheharei kein adam shelo mevin shehu nimtza ba'olam hazeh b'milchamah, a person who doesn't perceive and sense and feel, I'm in this world and I'm engaged in a battle. אפילו אם יהיה חכם שבחכמים עלול להיכשל בדבר שיצא ממנו האסון הפשוט הבהיר Afilu im yihyeh chacham shebachachamim alul l'hikashel b'davar sheyotzei mimeno ha'ason hapashut habahir. If they could be the smartest, the wisest, you could have the highest SAT score, the highest IQ, could have gone to the best universities, you could have the biggest show and following online. But if you can't see the writing on the wall, you don't see what even the lowly donkey sees, what are you worth? Rav Yirucham maybe אדם הראשון היה יודע שאסור לו לאכול מעץ הדעת Adam Harishon hayah yode'a she'asur lo le'echol mei'eitz hada'as. ועדיין לא היה לו בזה ממשות, היה לו רק ידיעה שיש מרחוק מציאות כזאת שרע בעולם v'adayin lo hayah lo b'zeh mamashus. Hayah lo rak yediah sheyesh meirachok metzius kazos she'ra ba'olam. Adam Harishon knew there was one thing, an עץ הדעת טוב ורע eitz hada'as tov v'ra, a tree of knowledge that knew good and evil. אפילו נגד ידיעה זו בלבד כבר היה צריך לפחד פחדים גדולים afilu neged yediah zo bilvad, kvar hayah tzarich l'fached pachadim gedolim. That one piece of knowledge that I can't have it, that I have to battle and struggle with it, that I have to avoid it, that one thing was enough for him to realize that life, being alive is a battle, is a battle. So that's what's going on over here, that's what the Medrash is telling us. Bilam, you're so smart? And how much have we seen this? How many brilliant, accomplished, wealthy, famous politicians, athletes, leaders, media personalities have thrown it all away over the biggest stupidity that the most unsophisticated fool would have told them this is going to be your demise. Doesn't matter how smart, how brilliant your breakthrough. If you can't listen to the messages around us, if a person doesn't live with the mindfulness that all of us are vulnerable and susceptible, none of us are immune to having to overcome those drives, those instincts, those יצר הרעs yeitzer haras that we are all in a war with our alter ego. Even the טיפש שבטיפשים tipesh shebatipshim, the lowly donkey could see and give מוסר musar to this great חכם chacham, Bilam. אוי לנו מיום הדין Oi lanu miyom hadin, woe unto us for when that is going to happen. For when that is going to happen.פרק, let's continue, פרק כ\"ג פסוק י' Perek Chaf Gimmel Pasuk Yud. It's going to do ויקר אלוקים vayikar Elokim, but we'll skip that. Let's go back to Rabbi Sacks. Another beautiful insight. פרק כ\"ג פסוק י' Perek Chaf Gimmel Pasuk Yud. Page 865.Now, Bilam's been recruited to curse the Jewish people. Instead, he opens his mouth, and what happens? He blesses them. Anyone see the video a couple weeks ago of one of the ministers of Iran in their parliament and he's testifying and he wants to talk about why Israel should never exist. And he got confused and he talked about Israel's right to exist. It was ממש mamash watching the פרשה Parsha come alive. ממש mamash, like בילעם הרשע Bilam harasha, Hashem put words in his mouth. He tried to curse the Jewish people and instead, he gave a blessing to the Jewish people. It's an amazing thing because when you read the Torah, you're like, how that could never happen. Okay, it just happened. And clearly it happened then too. So when Bilam opens his mouth to curse us, instead he blesses us. כי מראש צורים אראנו ומגבעות אשורנו ki merosh tzurim er'enu umigvaos ashurenu, from its origins I see it rock-like, from its hills do I see it. הן עם לבדד ישכון ובגוים לא יתחשב hein am levadad yishkon uvagoyim lo yischashav. This is a nation, a nation that will dwell alone in solitude and not be reckoned among the nations. It will never be respected by the United Nations, by the nations. It'll never be reckoned or respected by the nations. Instead, it dwells and it lives in solitude. It dwells and it lives alone, alone. Says the אמרי סופר Imrei Sofer, says the Rebbe, the holy Rebbe.What does that mean, הן עם לבדד ישכון hein am levadad yishkon? The אור החיים Ohr Hachaim, הן עם לבדד ישכון, הקדוש ברוך הוא נקרא בדד hein am levadad yishkon, Hakadosh Baruch Hu nikra badad. Hashem is called the lonely one, the singular one. שהוא שוכן לבדו shehu shochen l'vado. Hashem is unique and distinct. Hashem dwells all alone. We say this in the פיוט piyut of ימים נוראים Yamim Noraim when we sing, וכולם מאמינים v'cholam ma'aminim. What do we say? וכולם מאמינים שהוא לבדו הוא v'cholam ma'aminim shehu levado hu. We all believe that Hashem is לבדו levado. He's לבדו levado, he's בדד badad. Hashem is singular and alone. והנה הקדוש ברוך הוא משפיע שכינתו יתברך רק על ישראל v'hinei Hakadosh Baruch Hu mashpia shechinaso yisbarach rak al Yisrael. הן עם לבדד ישכון hein am levadad yishkon. Since Hashem who is singular and all alone dwells on us, so we too are singular and all alone. השם יתברך שוכן בדד, ישכון דווקא בתוכם Hashem yisbarach shochen badad, yishkon davka b'socham. So he's alone, we're alone. Lonely hearts are drawn to one another. Hashem is alone in this world, singular and apart. We're lonely, isolated. So Hashem dwells among us. ובגוים לא יתחשב שישראל אינם חושבים כמחשבות הגוים uvagoyim lo yischashav she'Yisrael einam choshvim k'machshevos hagoyim שהם תמיד בתענוגי עולם הזה, אלא חושבים מחשבות קדושות shehem tamid b'taanugei olam hazeh, ella choshvim machshevos kedoshos. We are not included among the nations. We'll never break through. We'll never get that validation, recognition, we'll never be equals. We always will live הן עם לבדד ישכון hein am levadad yishkon. Why? One can argue that's the biggest barrier to assimilation. If we'd be allowed to integrate, we'd assimilate and we'd disappear. And therefore, though we don't welcome it or want it, the hostility of the nations around us keeps us in existence. It keeps us in existence. But here the promise of the Torah is, הן עם לבדד ישכון hein am levadad yishkon. We are always going to dwell alone. איכה ישבה בדד eicha yashva vadad. We're going to soon this Sunday begin the three weeks with שבעה עשר בתמוז Shiva Asar B'Tamuz. Please God, by תשעה באב Tisha B'Av we'll be in ירושלים Yerushalayim all together, the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash offering קרבנות korbanos, בעזרת ה' b'ezras Hashem. But if not, and we'll read איכה Eicha on תשעה באב Tisha B'Av night, and we'll read those words that are haunting, איכה ישבה בדד eicha yashva vadad, how we sit and we dwell alone and we still do. We sit and we dwell alone. We sit and we dwell alone. The nations of the world, we have friends, and there are friends who love us more than we ever imagined, but relatively few. Among the nations of the world, we continue to sit and dwell alone. It's part of the promise for whatever reason, and it's sad. However, Rabbi Sacks encourages us to read it differently. Listen to what he writes. This is a very ambiguous blessing. Being alone from the Torah's perspective is not a good thing. The first time the word not good appear in the Torah, לא טוב lo tov. What's the first time we see the two words לא טוב lo tov in the Torah? לא טוב היות האדם לבדו Lo tov heyos ha'adam l'vado. It's not good for a person to be alone. When Adam is all alone, Hashem says, no, this isn't good. I need to find you a wife. The second time, לא טוב lo tov, is when יתרו Yisro comes and sees Moshe, and he says, uh, לא טוב lo tov. I don't like the way that you're leading, that you're taking care of of the people all by yourself. לא טוב Lo tov, you need to delegate, you need to include others. What are you doing? We cannot thrive and live alone. Isolation is not a blessing, quite the opposite. The word בדד badad appears in two other profoundly negative contexts. In the case of the מצורע metzora, when a person has לצרעת l'tzara'as, it says, בדד ישב, מחוץ למחנה מושבו badad yeshev michutz lamachaneh moshavo. Somebody who has who has צרעת tzara'as, בדד ישב badad yeshev, they sit outside the camp. And איכה ישבה בדד Eicha yashva vadad. The only context in which בדד badad has a positive sense is when it is applied to Hashem, for obviously logical reasons. In חז\"ל's Chazal's view, a people that dwells alone, eventually became not a blessing but a curse. What is more, a people that dwells alone risks turning from an ambiguous prophecy to a self-fulfilling one. Why bother to make friends and allies if you know in advance that you will fail? Those who take refuge in solitude compound their problems rather than solving them. So listen to what Rabbi Sacks observes. Nowhere in תנ\"ך Tanach are we told it will be the fate of Israel or the Jews to be hated. To the contrary, the prophets foresaw that there would come a time when the nations would turn to Israel for inspiration. Isolation may at times be the Jewish condition, but it is not the Jewish vocation. We must treat this pronouncement with caution. It is Bilam's curse, not God's blessing. Don't read עם לבדד ישכון am l'vadad yishkon as some fatalistic conclusion, warns Rabbi Sacks. Nowhere does תנ\"ך Tanach promise that we have to live this way. It is Bilam's curse, not God's blessing. It may at times be the Jewish condition, but it's never the Jewish vocation. We should never settle for it, and we should never be satisfied with it. הן עם לבדד ישכון Hein am levadad yishkon, we deserve. If you're not going to respect us, fear us. We don't have to live לבדד l'vadad. And I'll tell you, we're not לבדד l'vadad. We're not לבדד l'vadad. It was extraordinary. I guess I'm allowed to say this now that the law changed and 501c3s are allowed to endorse, I'm not endorsing any politicians. I'm still not going to endorse any politician despite that law changing, but I will tell you it was remarkable what happened in the Roosevelt room last night. To watch the camaraderie and the friendship, at least on display, let's hope and believe it's genuine, between the president of America and the prime minister of Israel who look like best buddies. They look like they went to the same fraternity. That when reporters are trying to drive a wedge between them, it doesn't and it can't happen. Mr. President, what do you think of the two-state solution? He refuses to take the bait. Ask the prime minister, he's the expert, nobody knows better. What do you say? How do you feel that the future mayor of New York may arrest you if you try to come? I'm not going to arrest him, I'm going to come to New York with him, we're going to arrest that future mayor. Unbelievable. So we're not לבדד ישכון l'vadad yishkon. With all the challenges and with all the issues and with all the media personalities and all the spiritual heirs of Balak and Bilam, we're not לבדד l'vadad. And we have to express gratitude that we're not לבדד l'vadad. And to see such displays, maybe cynics will say it's only a display, it's transactional, it can change, maybe, maybe. But you know what? While it happens, be grateful for it, say thank you for it, and lean in and say that being לבדד l'vadad doesn't have to be our vocation. It may be a condition, it doesn't have to be our vocation. We shouldn't and don't have to ever settle for it, and we should be grateful that we can change it. I had some more of these beautiful ברכות brachos that Bilam intended as a curse but turned out to be a ברכה bracha. about the dust of the earth. לא הביט און lo hibit avon, that Hashem doesn't look at our iniquity and sins, he sees only our good things. But בעזרת ה׳ b'ezras Hashem we'll get into it next year. We are on tomorrow for תניא Tanya and living with אמונה emunah. But a reminder, we're off for the next two weeks. A little vacation, and you can listen to old שירים shiurim online or find those of others. And then we'll resume, we're going to put the entire schedule in the WhatsApp so you can follow from there. It should be a day please God of בשורות טובות besoros tovos, ישועות ונחמות yeshuos v'nechamos.
