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Preemptive Passion
In this week’s reading, we learn of Bilaam, the non-Jewish
prophet who was called to come curse the Jews.
Once given the opportunity, Bilaam saddled his own donkey at
the break of dawn. This was totally out of character for an honored and wealthy
man. He was so excited by the opportunity to cast a curse on the Jewish people
that he dismissed all protocol, and didn’t wait for his servants to prepare his
donkey for the journey.
The Midrash notes the similarity between Bilaam’s alacrity to
embark on his mission, and Abraham’s similarly hurried actions hundreds of
years before. When Abraham was called upon to sacrifice his son Isaac, an
incredibly challenging test of faith, he, too, awoke at dawn to saddle his own donkey and prepare
for the journey. The Midrash concludes with G-d dismissively saying to Bilaam, “Evil one! Their father Abraham
already preceded you!”
The reproach of this Midrash is puzzling. What connection is
there between Abraham’s excitement to fulfill G-d’s command, and Bilaam’s
excitement to curse the Jewish people? Why would Bilaam be taken aback when told
of Abraham’s actions many years prior?
There is a story told of Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin zt”l, also
known as R’ Yisrael Salanter, (1809- 1883) a famed Torah scholar and father of
the Mussar Movement in the Lithuanian Yeshivos. Mussar is a program of intense
study and exercise focused on ethical behavior
and character development. A shoemaker, was working late into the night,
by the light of a candle, when Rabbi Lipkin passed his shop and took notice.
After entering the shop, he asked the shoemaker why he was still working so
late at night. The shoemaker replied, “As long as the candle still burns,
there’s more work to do.”
Rabbi Lipkin left the shop and mulled over the words of the
shoemaker – “As long as the candle still burns, there’s more work to do.” “The
human soul is compared to a burning lamp (Proverbs 20:27),” he thought, “And as
long as my soul burns within my body, I still have work to do.” He took the
shoemaker’s words to heart for his own spiritual growth.
True devotion and growth in a spiritual path can be measured
against the diligence people have for similar, non-spiritual causes. If Abraham
had not preempted Bilaam with his own excitement to fulfill G-d’s will, Bilaam
could have, G-d forbid, succeeded in his mission to curse the Jewish nation.
Bilaam’s passion for the negative demanded a similar passion for the positive
to balance it out. The excited readiness of Abraham to follow G-d’s command
drained all the energy from Bilaam’s vendetta. (Based on Derash Moshe, HaRav Moshe Feinstein zt”l)
The challenge in spiritual improvement is to make it real. To
get a sense of what “real” looks like, we can see how we react to the everyday,
non-spiritual demands. With that we can gauge the energy and devotion we need
in our spiritual pursuits. May we be so inspired, and grow in our relationship and
devotion to Torah and G-d centered living!
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Remember Balak’s Role
Beginner
Although Bilaam is the major villain of the piece in
this week’s parsha, we should not overlook Balak’s nefarious role in the events
described therein. Balak is the instigator of the whole plot to curse and
destroy the Jewish people. He finances Bilaam and is most persistent in pursuing his evil goal. Even
when Bilaam apparently despairs of the success of his mission and so informs Balak,
Balak nevertheless insists that he continue, for perhaps he
will yet be able to curse the people of Israel. Often in Jewish history we find
this scenario repeated, with those behind the scenes persistently encouraging
the masses to destroy the Jews while they stay a pious distance behind,
causing, but somehow apparently not participating in, the murderous mayhem.
As hate filled as Bilaam is he cannot operate alone. He needs
financial and social backing for him to do his worst. Bilaam is eventually
killed by the very people he attempted to destroy. But Balak always lives on to
try again to accomplish the destruction of the Jewish nation. Balak never makes
peace with the idea that the Lord does not allow him his goal. His tenacity for
hatred and evil behavior is his true hallmark of his identity.
Centuries later the prophet reminds us of Balak’s scheme and
advice to Bilaam and warns us somehow
not to overlook Balak’s role in this story of aggression and unreasoned hatred.
Through remembering the original Balak, the prophet informs us that we will be
better able to identify and deal with his successors in deceit and hatred throughout
the ages.
It is not the suicide bomber – Bilaam – that is the only
guilty party in terrorist attacks. It is the Balaks who send them and support
them that are certainly equally as guilty. The pious human rights organizations
that promote only hatred and violence under the guise of doing good deeds are
also responsible for the loss of the precious lives of innocents caused by
those whom they so nurture and support.
The Talmud stated this reality by coining the famous Jewish
aphorism: “It is not the mouse alone that is the thief. It is rather the hole
in the wall that allows the mouse entry into the house that is the real thief.”
It is the persistence of those that are determined to undermine the Jewish
people and the State of Israel that places them as direct immoral descendants
of Balak.
In the Pesach Hagadah we read that in every generation we
face this challenge. No matter how many Bilaams we are able to dispose of,
Balak somehow survives to continue to try again. The words of the prophet in
this week’s haftorah – to remember Balak’s role in the story of the Jewish people in the desert of Sinai – are addressed to us and our times as well.
We should not be shocked, though our sadness over this fact
is understandable, that the malice against Jews of the 1930’s can repeat itself
in today. As long as Balak still remains a force in the world the Jewish
problem will not go away.
Shabat shalom,
Rabbi Berel Wein
Rabbi Berel Wein- Jewish historian,
author and international lecturer offers a complete selection of CDs,
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