Author Topic: Video Study for Parsha Balak : Bilaam the evil prophet, versus Moshe and Israel.  (Read 3141 times)

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Offline muman613

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Shalom,

I am going to a Torah/Talmud lesson given by my rabbi this evening (also picking up a book he has for me) and I won't be able to post till after 9 tonight. I am hoping to come home and post some interesting lessons on this weeks incredible portion.

Here is this weeks Parsha in a nutshell:

http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2982/jewish/Balak-in-a-Nutshell.htm

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Balak, the king of Moab, summons the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel. On the way, Balaam is berated by his donkey, who sees, before Balaam does, the angel that G‑d sends to block their way. Three times, from three different vantage points, Balaam attempts to pronounce his curses; each time, blessings issue forth instead. Balaam also prophesies on the end of the days and the coming of Moshiach.

The people fall prey to the charms of the daughters of Moab, and are enticed to worship the idol Peor. When a high-ranking Israelite official publicly takes a Midianite princess into a tent, Pinchas kills them both, stopping the plague raging among the people.

But in the mean time I am posting the latest Dvar Torah and radio show from the Temple Institute. This weeks Temple Talk deals with the incredible sadness of this weeks news, and what we should learn from the Torah concerning how we should respond to this.



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Published on Jul 1, 2014
Bilaam, World Leaders, & the Fine Art of Cursing Israel

Obama & Bilaam: "May My Soul Die the Death of the Upright"

This week's Temple Talk is sad. It was recorded with a heavy heart, on the day that the nation of Israel buries three young boys who were brutally murdered for one reason only: Because they were Jews. After 18 harrowing days of uncertainty, the bodies of Eyal, Naftali and Gilad, three holy children who succeeded in unifying our people, are brought to rest. The juxtaposition of the conclusion of this tragedy with the beginning of the month of Tammuz - and more specifically, with the weekly Torah reading of parashat Balak - does not go unnoticed by our hosts. What does the heathen prophet Bilaam have in common with the leaders of the world today? Why did Balak and Bilaam seek to curse the people of Israel? This week's edition of Temple Talk is dedicated to the precious and blessed memory of Eyal Yifrach, Naftali Frankel and Gilad Sha'ar. May G-d avenge their blood, amen.

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Shalom,

I had a great time learning with my rabbi and I also picked up a copy of 'Rebbe' by Joseph Telushkin (currently on the bestseller list)...

Rabbi Richman of the Temple Institute posted a new video on our portion:

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Rabbi Nagen from Otniel...




Rabbi Trugman of BeThereIsrael...



You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Let us learn a bit of Torah concerning parsha Balak from the always cool zionist somewhere in the heart of Israel, the great Rabbi Levi Chazen.

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Now let us learn some Chassidic and Kabbalistic insights into this weeks sidrah:

Rabbi Svirsky from Jerusalem:




Rabbi Yitzak Ginsburg on 'The Jewish Star'.



And from Rabbi Chaim Miller, TorahInTen on the portion:



You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Wow, it's late already. Time does fly when you are studying some Torah.

Here are a few short lessons from Rabbi Herschel Finman.








You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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The animated 'G-dcast' parsha explores the story of Bilaam's talking donkey.

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Rabbi Bentzion Shafier gives a short 'Shmuz' on Balak.

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Rabbi Pinchas Winston should be interesting.

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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From Naaleh:

Parshat Balak
Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Hanoch Teller
 
Why did Hashem give the non-Jews a prophet like Bilaam? The commentators explain it was so that they wouldn't have an excuse to say, "If we would have a great prophet like Moshe we would've served Hashem." Yet Bilaam caused the people to be even more immoral than they had been. Amazingly Bilaam defined the essence of the Jewish people even more than the Jewish prophets who were wont to give rebuke. One of the first prayers a Jew says in the morning is Mah tovu ohelecha, the blessing Bilam gave the Jewish people.
 
What did Balak do to deserve that a parsha be named after him? Some opinions say it was the sacrifices that he sincerely offered to Hashem. Others say it was the merit of his illustrious descendants David and Ruth who were descendents of Moav. The elders of Moav advised Balak that Moshe's spiritual powers rested with his mouth. Therefore he planned to fight fire with fire and bring Bilaam to do battle with the Jewish people. While Balak feared the Jews, Bilaam hated them, seeing them as a competition for Hashem's favor.
 
On the way to curse the Jews, Hashem sent an angel to block Bilaam and his donkey. Rashi says it was an angel of mercy. Hashem wants only our good. When things go wrong we think Hashem is working against us but in reality it is an angel of mercy that is impeding us and working towards our favor. Hashem opened the mouth of Bilaam's donkey and Bilaam lost the debate to him. The donkey ultimately died. Rashi says we learn from here a great principle of honoring others. Bilaam was a murderer and a criminal. And yet so that he not be shamed, the donkey was killed. How much more so should we go out of our way to be careful never to hurt a fellow Jew.
 
We can learn many lessons from the incident of Bilaam and his donkey. Many times Hashem sends us messages from heaven and we have to be attuned to it. A donkey talking and misbehaving was a clear sign from Hashem. He was saying, "Bilaam you want to go on this mission, you have the free will to do so. As the Gemara says, 'B'derech sh'adam rotzo leilech molichen oso,' (In the way a person wants to go, he is led.) but don't forget that whatever I tell you, you will be compelled to say. So too in life there may be times when we only see the donkey and not the angel. We perceive the small things and fail to recognize the greater message. We have to open our eyes and try to ascertain what Hashem is really telling us.
 
Some commentators explain that the purpose of the incident was to impress on Bilaam that human speech and that of a donkey are in the hands of Hashem. Bilaam was about to become the spokesman of the Almighty and define the essence of the Jewish people. He was so conceited that he needed a major shot of humility to represent Hashem. To lose a debate to a donkey is a rather humbling experience and Bilaam was meant not to forget that.
 
Bilam reached a level of prophecy only Moshe attained. He wanted to evoke the sin of the golden calf but he was unsuccessful. He was so impressed by the Jews modesty, how every tent was facing in another direction, that he proceeded to bless them. Hashem wanted the nations of the world to hear from their own prophet the greatness of the Jewish people so that they could learn from it. Bilaam likened the avot to rocks and the imahotto the hills. Our foundation and roots are our forefathers and the heritage they bequeathed us. Bilaam said, "They will not be reckoned among the nations." Rashi explains that when the final reckoning will be among the nations, Israel will not be included. Our purpose is to remain separate and distinct from the nations and to be a role model for them.
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 105b

http://halakhah.com/sanhedrin/sanhedrin_105.html

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Samuel said: Ten men came and sat down before him [sc. the prophet]. Said he to them, 'Return and repent.' They answered, 'If a master sells his slave, or a husband divorces his wife, — has one a claim upon the other?'10  Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the prophet, 'Go and say to them, Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.'11  This agrees with Resh Lakish, who said: Why does Scripture write, David my servant, Nebuchadnezzar my servant?12  Because it was revealed and known to Him who spoke, and the world was created13  that Israel would argue thus: therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, forestalled [them] by calling him His servant, and when a servant acquires property — to whom does the servant belong, and to whom the property?14

And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone. As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you.15 said: Even with such fury let the Merciful rage against us, but that He redeem us.

For he doth chastise him to discretion, and his God doth teach him.16  Rabbah b. Bar Hana said: The prophet urged Israel, 'Return and repent.' They replied, 'We cannot: the Tempter17  rules over us. He said to them, 'Curb your [evil] desires.' They replied, 'Let His God teach us.'18

FOUR COMMONERS, VIZ., BALAAM, DOEG, AHITOPHEL, AND GEHAZI. Belo'-am [denotes without the people].19  Another explanation: Balaam denotes that he corrupted a people.20  The son of Beor [denotes] that he committed bestiality.21  A Tanna taught: Beor, Cushan-rishathaim and Laban the Syrian are identical; Beor denotes that he committed bestiality; Cushan-rishathaim, that he perpetrated two evils upon Israel: one in the days of Jacob,22  and the other in the days of the Judges.23  But what was his real name? Laban the Syrian.

Scripture writes, the son of Beor;24  [but also] his son [was] Beor.25  R. Johanan said: His father [Beor] was as his son in the matter of prophecy.26

Now only Balaam will not enter [the future world], but other [heathens] will enter.27  On whose authority is the Mishnah [taught]? — On R. Joshua's. For it has been taught: R. Eliezer said, The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God:28  The wicked shall be turned into hell — this refers to transgressors among Israel; and all the nations that forget God — to transgressors among the heathen.29  This is R. Eliezer's view. But R. Joshua said to him: Is it stated, and [those] among all the nations?30  Surely all the nations that forget God is written! But [interpret thus:] The wicked shall be turned into hell, and who are they? — all the nations that forget God.31  Now, that wicked man [Balaam] too gave a sign for himself [that he would not enter the future world by saying, Let me die the death of the righteous32  — meaning, If I die the death of the righteous [i.e., a natural death], my last end will be like his;33  but if not [i.e., if I die a violent death], then behold I go unto my people.34

And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed.35  A Tanna taught: There was never peace between Midian and Moab. The matter may be compared to two dogs in one kernel which were always enraged at each other. Then a wolf attacked one, whereupon the other said, If I do not help him, he will kill him to-day, and attack me to-morrow; so they both went and killed the wolf. R. Papa observed: Thus people say, 'The weasel and cat [when at peace with each other] had a feast on the fat of the luckless.'
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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http://www.torah.org/learning/ravfrand/5774/balak.html
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Billam Never Opened Up His Eyes

Bilaam went with the officers of Moav to curse the Jewish people, even though he knew this was not the Will of the Almighty. G-d was angry that Bilaam went. [Bamidbar 22:22] In order to warn Bilaam, the Almighty placed an Angel of G-d in his path, which blocked his donkey. The donkey sees the Angel while Bilaam does not see it. Bilaam whips the donkey; and then in one of the most miraculous incidents of the whole Torah, the donkey begins speaking and chastises Bilaam for whipping him.

There is a rule of thumb: The Almighty does not make miracles for the fun of it. When He makes a miracle, it is because there is a 'necessity' to do so. Why was it necessary to have this miraculous event of a donkey speaking to a human being? This was an unprecedented supernatural event to the extent that the Rabbis tell us that the "donkey's mouth" was created on the eve of the first Sabbath at twilight [Avos 5:6]. What was the necessity for this miraculous departure from the l aws of nature?

The Kli Yakar explains that this was a pointed message to Bilaam: "Bilaam, don't be so proud of yourself! Don't let the fact that you have been granted prophecy go to your head. I can even make a donkey speak! In effect, you are just a talking donkey."

The Sforno takes a diametrically opposed view of this. According to the Sforno, this was not a put down of Bilaam. On the contrary, it demonstrated the Master of the Universe's unbelievable concern for even a person like Bilaam. Hashem made this dramatic miracle to get Bilaam's attention and arouse him to repent by recalling that all speech comes only from the Almighty. The purpose of the miracle was to make a profound impression on Bilaam so that he might be 'chozer b'Tshuva'

Consider... Bilaam was a low life of society (The Rabbis tell us he used his donkey for more than just a vehicle of transportation!), yet the Almighty preforms a miracle just to bring him back. Rather than being a put down, this is an unbelievable expression of Divine Love for EVEN such a person as Bilaam.

The Rabbeinu Bechaye points out that (if this was the purpose of the miracle) it was not successful! Bilaam should have been shocked by the wondrous event of the donkey speaking to him. He should have contemplated its import and significance and clearly understood "from Hashem is this matter" [Tehillim 118:23]. It should have led him to repent, but it did not.

It does not get any more dramatic than this. But, as a result of his wickedness, his cruelty, and his unbridled desire to continue on his evil path, he totally ignored the warning sign. His lust for the money he was going to receive for cursing the Jewish people made him take the incident of the talking donkey totally in stride as if it were an everyday occurrence.

There is an expression in English called "blind ambition". People can become blinded because of a certain ambition. Those ambitions can be powe r, money, or lust. Their common denominator is that they have a capacity to blind.

Rav Volbe comments on the "Al Chet" we mention on Yom Kippur regarding "our feet that run to do evil". Rav Volbe says that it is not really the feet that are the source of the problem. The problem is with the brain or perhaps symbolically, the heart. Rav Volbe answers that sometimes a person becomes so enamored and so passionate about doing something wrong that it is like his feet move on their own and he is no longer in control of them.

This is what happened to Bilaam. He was so blinded by his lust for money and honor that he did not see what was happening before his eyes. Rather than falling over in amazement, the impact of the miracle rolled off of him like water off of a duck's back. This sometimes happens to us in life as well. We get blinded by so many things that we fail to see the things that are staring us in the face – the messages that are there, because we become bl inded.

At the end of the entire incident of Bilaam, how does the parsha end? "Then Bilaam rose and went and returned to his place and Balak also went on his way." [Bamidbar 24:25]. Why does the Torah need to tell us that Bilaam went home and that Balak went home? What is the significance of this pasuk?

This pasuk is teaching a profound message. After everything that happened -– the donkey, the Angel, the fact that every time he tried to open his mouth to curse the Jews, a blessing came out –- after all that, he went back to where he came from. Nothing registered. Nothing made an impression on him. The same thing can be said of Balak. He too went on his way as if nothing happened.

Incredible! Wake up and smell the coffee. Don't either of you understand what happened over here? How can you just go back to business as usual as if nothing happened? But that is exactly what both Bilaam and Balak did.

I once heard from Rav Pam that several times in the last few chapters of the Book of Shoftim [Judges], the Navi uses the expression "In those days there was no King in Israel. Every man did as was right in his own eyes." The last chapters of Shoftim reflect a horrible period in Jewish history. There were tragic events of Idolatry, Immorality, and Bloodshed that took place within the Jewish nation. How does the book of Shoftim end? It ends with those very same words: "In those days, there was no King in Israel. Every man did as was right in his own eyes." [Shoftim 21:25]

After all that occurred, after the civil war that almost wiped out an entire tribe in Israel, everyone was still the same. Everyone was still doing their own thing –- as if nothing had transpired during that entire horrendous period of history.

When events occur and they are staring us in the face, we are supposed to open up our eyes. Bilaam never opened up his eyes. He was so blinded by personal ambition that it did not make a difference what was happening. He returned to his place just as he left it.
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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A great article by rabbi Pinchas Winston, posted this week on Torah.org...

Parshas Balak

Lishmah or Lo Lishmah?

Balak said to Bilaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times.” (Bamidbar 25:10)

In the world of Torah there is something called “lishmah” and “lo lishmah,” literally meaning “for its name” and “not for its name.” They are two terms that can refer to one’s performance of a mitzvah, which can be either for the right reason or the wrong reason. The Talmud warns us about making sure that we perform mitzvos for the former reason and not the latter one.

What if a person has a difficult time serving God for the right reasons? Should he not do so at all? Answers the Talmud:

Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: A man should always occupy himself with Torah and the commandments even if it is not for their own sake, because from [occupying himself with them] not for their own sake he comes to do so for their own sake. As a reward for the 42 sacrifices which Balak, king of Moav, offered, he merited that Rus should issue from him and from her issued Shlomo . . . (Sotah 47a)

What? How could that be? Rus was one of the most righteous Jews to ever grace Jewish history, and even that was after a late start, since she was a convert to Judaism. Balak, on the other hand, as the Torah mentions in this week’s parshah, was a pretty evil guy. On top of that, his sacrifices were all to try and convince God to allow Bilaam, to curse the Jewish people even after He already told Bilaam quite explicitly that the Jewish people were not to be cursed.

Normally when we talk about performing a mitzvah, such as learning Torah, lo lishmah, that is, for selfish reasons, we mean that the person is doing the mitzvah for his own personal benefit. For example, he may learn Torah to become more knowledgeable about it so that he can become a Torah scholar in the eyes of the others. We are supposed to learn Torah because it is a mitzvah to do so, and any personal gain it might bring us is only supposed to be a wonderful by-product of serving God, not the goal itself.

There might be other “wrong” reasons for performing a mitzvah, but none of them include using the mitzvah against God. It is not called learning lo lishmah if a person learns Torah, no matter how much, in order to undermine Torah belief, as many priests and secular Jews have done over the ages. On the contrary, that is called profaning the holy Torah, and there is no reward for that, only punishment. What then was different about Balak’s 42 sacrifices to God that not only brought him reward, it brought him the ancestress of Moshiach?

The answer is not what it appears to be. To begin with, if we were to have asked Balak how he felt about such a reward, would be have been pleased or upset? He himself answers this question in the parshah:

Balak’s anger flared against Bilaam, and he clapped his hands. Balak said to Bilaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times.” (Bamidbar 25:10)

In other words, Balak would have said to God, “With reward like that I’d rather go rewardless.” Balak had come to push off the Final Redemption, maybe avoid it altogether, and all he did in the end was further its cause. A reward is only a reward if that is how it appears to the one receiving it.

Is the Talmud then only being facetious? It doesn’t seem so, because it is using the story as an example for the rest of us who certainly would be very grateful to give birth to someone like a Rus, especially if we knew that we only performed our mitzvah lo lishmah. Then what is the Talmud’s message, and to whom is it conveying it? To answer the question, we can draw from another story that goes back even further in time, to Egypt and the Ten Plagues.

Of all of the plagues that God inflicted upon the Egyptian ruler and his people, the plague of Frogs was somewhat unique. The Torah reports that once the plague began frogs began to appear all over the place, driving the Egyptians batty. What the Torah does not report is the following:

One verse says, “and the river swarmed with frogs” (Shemos 7:28), and another verse says, “and the frog came up” (Shemos 8:2). Rebi Akiva said, “There was one frog, and the Egyptians were beating it, and many frogs showered from it.” (Midrash Tanchuma, VaAira 14; Tanna d’Vei Eliyahu Rabbah 7)

What was the point of that? Would not the simple understanding have sufficed to describe the second plague with which the Egyptian people were afflicted? Was it not a big enough nightmare for them according to the simple explanation of the plague?

Nightmare yes, lesson no. The plagues that God sent to Egypt were more than just punishment, they were also instructions about life and Divine Providence, if not for the smart Egyptians, then at least for the smart Jews. It is a lesson that is also found in this (rather lengthy) section of Talmud:

Rebi Chanina bar Papa, and some say Rebi Simlai, expounded [the previous verse] this way: “In the time to come, The Holy One, Blessed is He, will take a scroll of the Law in His embrace and proclaim, ‘Let him who has occupied himself herewith, come and take his reward.’ Thereupon all the nations will crowd together in confusion, as it is said, ‘All the nations are gathered together, etc.’ (Yeshayahu 43:9). The Holy One, Blessed is He, will then say to them, ‘Do not come before Me in confusion, but let each nation come in [one at a time].’ The Kingdom of Edom will enter first before Him . . . The Holy One, Blessed is He, will then say to them, ‘With what have you occupied yourselves?’

They will answer, ‘Master of the Universe, we have established many marketplaces, we have erected many baths, we have accumulated much gold and silver, and all this we did only for the sake of the Jewish people, that they might [have leisure] to occupy themselves with the study of the Torah!’

The Holy One, Blessed is He, will answer them: ‘Fools of the world! All that you did you did to satisfy your own desires. You established marketplaces to place prostitutes within them, and baths to enjoy. [Regarding the distribution of] silver and gold, that is Mine . . .’ They will then depart crushed in spirit. (Avodah Zarah 2b)


This account in the Talmud does not end there with the Romans. Rather, the Persians follow the Romans and try the same shtik and receive the same rebuke. And, for all intents and purposes, we could put the Americans and Europeans, et al, in the line up as well with similar stories.

Some might think that the point of this story is that one day, in the future, the Jewish people will have their comeuppance against all of their oppressors. “They may be able to enjoy themselves now,” the Talmud is telling us, “but don’t worry, they’ll be miserable when God finally lowers the boom and turns the tables on them and us.”

True as that point is, the deeper and more profound lesson is hidden under a little “rock” that everyone overlooks, except of course the Brisker Rav. In true Rambam style the Brisker Rav uncovered an important insight about life in this world in a single word: fools.

“Fools?” questioned the Brisker Rav. “More like Liars!” he explained. “Yes, fools,” he answered. The Talmud chose its words carefully, the Brisker explained, and it chose to call the lying nations of history “fools” to tell us that this is exactly what they are, Fools. They will be right, that everything they did throughout history was for the sake of the Jewish people, to help them fulfill their longterm national mission.

“But,” the Talmud is telling us, “if they will think for one moment that they will able, on their future day of judgment, to convince God that this had been their intention from the start, well, they will be outright foolish.” Though it was God’s intention to help the Jewish people along their way to national completion throughout each epoch from Day One, the nations of the world will only have been the instrument to accomplish this, goaded into doing so because of their own selfish and mistaken tendencies.

It is a very powerful and encouraging message for the Jew, especially the downtrodden one. It also teaches us the importance of trusting in God and having faith in the way He runs the world, especially when human logic has difficulty making sense of current history. It’s all for the good, and it’s all to help the Jewish people reach fulfillment, even when it looks as if what is being accomplished is just the opposite.

The only question is, how does this reflect back on the original source of the discussion about performing mitzvos even, if necessary, lo lishmah? That too may be hiding the Talmud’s real message, which is embedded in the unusual example it uses to make its point. This is something that only becomes clear once the concept of lo lishmah is better understood.

The Talmud, when discussing the end result of the adulterous woman, says its quite poignantly:

Our Rabbis have taught: The suspected woman set her eyes on one who was not proper for her, and what she sought was not given to her and what she possessed was taken from her. Whoever sets his eyes on that which is not his is not granted what he seeks and what he possesses is taken from him. (Sotah 9a)

In other words, the Talmud warns, be careful what you seek, and why you seek it. If it is not meant for you, or at least for the reason you seek it, then not only will you not acquire it in the end, but even that which you did possess will be taken from you. If the only way you can get yourself to do a mitzvah is for an ulterior motive, let it be with the goal of eventually doing it for the right reason. God has patience for that, and will help you out.

Do not, however, make lo lishmah your approach to Torah and mitzvos, because it will not serve you well. Rather than get what you want, you will even lose what you have. You can fool yourself some of the time, other people most of the time, but God, none of the time. If love of God and a desire to be His partner in the rectification of Creation is not your motivating factor when it comes to mitzvos, He will know it and respond accordingly. The mitzvah will get done and the Torah will be learned, but it will not be for the benefit of the one who did them. As they say here in Israel, “Chaval al hazman,” which loosely translates as, “What a waste of time.”

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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http://www.torah.org/learning/rabbiwein/5774/balak.html

Parshas Balak
Friendly Enemies
Rabbi Berel Wein

This week’s parsha offers us the opportunity to meet the unofficial founders of the Human Rights Organizations of our time. Here we see the ancestors of Kathleen Ashton, who is the head foreign affairs person of the European Union, the leaders of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, the left-leaning anti-Semitic professors of academia the world over, the neo-communist Putin and the rest of the well-meaning, ever protesting “friends” of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

Bilaam is engaging in public prophecy concerning the Jewish people, and all for our own good. He, like his diplomatic descendants of our time, is the one person that really knows what policies we should follow in order to guarantee our long-range future survival and success. Therefore, his words are soothing, beautifully phrased and dripping with friendship and compliments.

But in his heart of hearts Bilaam and certainly Balak mean us no good. They protect terrorism, educate generations to hatred and violence and yet hypocritically cluck in amazement when violence, kidnapping and rocket attacks against Jews continue. On the surface one can find almost no fault in the words of Bilaam.

The Jewish people were and are so enamored by his compliments that our prayer services every morning begin with his statement of how goodly are the tents of Jacob. Jews love and treasure every complement, no matter how patently insincere and begrudgingly given, from non-Jewish sources and persons.

King Solomon in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes cautioned us that it is much more beneficial to hear criticism from a friend than complements from those who do not really like us. Nevertheless, we have always been naïve when it comes to Bilaam and his intellectual and diplomatic descendants.

The Torah itself tells us that the Lord reversed the curses of Bilaam and turned them into blessings. What curses are meant in this statement? We do not read in the Torah of any direct curses or even sharp criticisms aimed at the Jewish people uttered by Bilaam. So why does God have to interfere, to reverse seemingly nonexistent curses? The answer to this is a relatively simple one. The Lord Who not only hears what we say, but more importantly knows what we mean, sees beyond the beauty of the words of Bilaam.

There is a well-known story that I have often related of two women that constantly fought and cursed each other. The rabbi of the community intervened and on Yom Kippur eve forced a reconciliation and extracted a promise that they would only say nice things to each other hereon in. The women were forced to agree to the rabbi’s terms. However, walking home after Yom Kippur services one of the women turned to the other and said: “Blessed may you be, but you know what I mean!”

The Lord fully understood what Bilaam meant with his ”blessings” and compliments to Israel. Hence, His intervention and the reversal of the unspoken curses into spoken and eternal blessings and compliments. Not much has changed in the world since the days of Balak and Bilaam. Jews the world over and here live in a hateful and dangerous environment. We would do well to realize that we should be wary not only of those who openly curse us and even of those who claim that they have our best interests in heart when they advise and criticize us.

Shabbat shalom Rabbi Berel Wein
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14