Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR/ Yeshiva Bais
Hachinuch
STAM TORAH
PARSHAS BALAK 5774
“A
WORLD RECKONING”
My
life is but a weaving
Between
my Lord and me,
I
cannot choose the colors
He
worketh steadily
Oftentimes
he weaveth sorrow,
And
I, in foolish pride
Forget
he sees the upper
And
I, the underside
Not
till the loom is silent
And
the shutters cease to fly
Shall
G-d unroll the canvas
And
explain the reason why
The
dark threads are as needful
In
the Weaver’s skillful Hand
As
the threads of gold and silver
In
the pattern He has planned
----------------------------------
But
when the cloth is done
I
stand with awed respect
On
vicissitudes transcended
With
admiration I reflect
Every
painful stitch
Threads
on every side
Now
composite beauty
Part
of my joy and pride
The
challenge overbearing
At
last – the arduous design
Now
the joy of perseverance
Of
my refusal to resign[1]
Among the blessings he unwittingly
conferred upon Klal Yisroel, Bila’am praised Klal Yisroel as a People guarded
solely by G-d, unaffected by constellations and natural forces which affect
other nations. “For there is no divination in Ya’akov and no sorcery in
Yisroel. Ka’ays yayamer l’Ya’akov
ul’Yisoel mah pa’al Kel - At this time it is said to Yaakov and Yisroel
what G-d has wrought.”[2]
The Chofetz Chaim notes that this verse contains
an allusion to an integral concept regarding faith. When a sentence begins with
the word “mah- what”, it can be
understood either as an emphatic exclamation or as a poignant question.[3]
In exile, Bila’am’s words are read as a
question: “At this time about Yaakov and Yisroel, “What has G-d done?” In other
words, it is a rhetorical question, for we cannot comprehend why tragedies
occur. However, we live with the absolute conviction that there will come a
time when that question will be transformed into a statement: “At this time
about Yaakov and Yisroel, what has G-d done!” When Moshiach comes we will
review all the heretofore incomprehensible events and recognize how it was all
just and good. The painful question, “What has G-d done? will be utterly
transformed into a joyous exultation that all recognize “What has G-d done!”
In Biblical times, there were people who
recorded the details of noted battles in the form of poems or aphorisms. At the
conclusion of parshas Chukas, the Torah relates the manner in which the poets
recounted the battles against the forces of Sichon. “Regarding this the poets
would say: “Come to Cheshbon – let it be built and established as the city of Sichon
Rashi explains that the ‘poets’ referred to
here are Bila’am and his father Beor. Until this point, Moav had been
successfully resisting Sichon’s efforts to invade and overtake Moav. But then
Sichon hired Bila’am and Beor to curse Moav, and shortly thereafter Sichon
indeed vanquished Moav’s forces. They celebrated Sichon’s victory by composing
a poem which declared that Cheshbon, the city which had been the Moavite
stronghold, now became Sichon’s capital. From Cheshbon, Sichon was able to
vanquish all of Moav’s forces.
The gemara[5]
views this verse as an ethical exhortation. “Regarding this, those who dominate[6]
will say: Let us calculate[7].”
The gemara expounds: “Regarding this, those who dominate their spirit (i.e.
maintain self-control) will say: Come let us make a calculation of the world,
i.e. the reward one will receive for performing a mitzvah versus the relatively
paltry amount one must expend for the physical expenses necessary for the
performance of the mitzvah, and the gain from sin versus the ultimate
retribution he will suffer for committing the sin.”
It seems strange that the Torah would derive
such a fundamental ethical lesson from a statement made by the depraved Bila’am
and Beor regarding the victories of the wicked Sichon? What do spiritual
calculations have to do with Sichon and the fact that he conquered the city of Cheshbon
Birchas Ish[8]
and Harav Avigdor Nebenzhal shlita[9]
offer the following explanation: After Sichon was finally able to vanquish Moav
he was undoubtedly hailed as a great warrior. Bila’am too received great
adulation and honor because clearly his efforts were directly involved in that
victory.
But “He Who sits in Heaven laughs”[10],
for there was a hidden reason why Sichon was granted mastery over Moav. The
Torah forbids Klal Yisroel from antagonizing the nation of Moav[11],and
therefore, Klal Yisroel is not allowed to wage war against Moav. When the
nation arrived at the border of Moav they would have been unable to proceed. In
order to solve this problem, G-d allowed Sichon to conquer Moav, solely so that
when Klal Yisroel defeated Sichon they would be able to conquer the lands which
had formerly belonged to Moav as well.
To the physical eye it seemed that Sichon’s
victory was a demonstration of his military prowess and of Bila’am’s evil
abilities. However, to those who “make a calculation of the world” and
recognizes the Hand of G-d will realize that the victory of Sichon was divinely
orchestrated for the benefit of Klal Yisroel.
This is why the Torah alludes to the
concept of contemplating the Hand of G-d and the concept of reward and
punishment specifically in its mention of these wars. So often one tries to
understand why G-d has allowed something to happen, or what the purpose of an
event was. Most of the time one is unable to understand the ways of G-d. The
seemingly unimportant war of Sichon and Moav were actually only so that Klal
Yisroel could inherit all of their land.
Rabbi Nebenzhal continues that this is a
lesson about faith. The world is filled with the prosperity of the wicked and
the triumph of nefarious evil against the righteous and holy. But beneath the
surface, beyond what is discernible to the naked eye, is the realm of the
divine. It is G-d’s Omnipotent Hand which guides every event of the world
toward the fulfillment of its purpose and mission. One must always make
‘calculations of the world’, but he must remember that even when his
calculations don’t ‘add up’ he must rely in his faith that somehow everything
G-d does is for the best!
When
tragic events occur we wonder how such things can happen and how the nefarious
schemes of evil people can come to fruition[12]. As a nation we all join the painful mourning
of the Shaar, Frenkel, and Yifrach families for the tragic loss of their
beloved sons – Gila’ad, Naftali, and Eyal hy’d.
Our
only solace is the knowledge that G-d controls all that transpires. Despite the
pain that lingers in our hearts as we wonder, “To Yaakov and Yisroel what G-d
has wrought?” we live with the faith that there will come a time when we will
rejoice in the understanding of, “To Yaakov and Yisroel what G-d has wrought!”,
even for this tragedy.
The
debacle of Bila’am and Balak and Bila’am’s failed attempt to curse Klal Yisroel
is always read shortly prior to the onset of the three weeks, which mark the
commemoration of our mourning for the destruction of Jerusalem
The
blessings that Bila’am unwittingly gave to Klal Yisroel contain timeless
concepts about the greatness of Klal Yisroel as a people and the secret to our
eternity. Often an outsider ‘looking in’ has a more candid view than the
‘inside view’. Bila’am himself was astonished by Klal Yisroel’s unyielding
faith. One of those great messages is the message of faith, that somehow behind
the shadows lies a great light which will soon penetrate the world and
illuminate all darkness, quickly in our time. And beyond that light our three
beloved brothers/sons will be awaiting us.
“At this time it is said… what G-d has wrought!”
”Those
who dominate their spirit will say: Let us calculate.”
[1] The first four stanzas of the following poem have
made the rounds as being “of unknown authorship”. The concluding three stanzas
are my own addition
[2] Bamidbar
23:23
[3] For
example, the pasuk states (Devorim 10:12), “(Now, O Yisroel) mah Hashem Elokecha shoel mayimach- What
does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you (only to fear Hashem, your G-d, to go in all
His ways and to love Him…)” The verse can be understood both as a question and
a statement. As a question it would read, “What does G-d ask of you?”, as if to
say there is so much more that He can demand. Therefore, see and appreciate
that He has only demanded these criteria. As a statement it is to be understood
as saying, “What does G-d ask of you!”, i.e. as a statement worthy of note. It
is incumbent upon every individual to comprehend these fundamental concepts
that G-d demands every individual to master.]
[4] Bamidbar
21:27
[5] Bava
Basra 78b
[6] the word
moshlim can also refer to a sovereign
ruler
[7] the word
cheshbon can also refer to thoughts
and calculations
[8] Rabbi
Avrohom Shain
[10]
Tehillim 2:4
[11] Devorim
2:15
[12] When I
originally wrote this essay – parshas Balak 5768 - this was the painful
sentence that followed: Last week, an
evil Israeli-Arab construction worker, committed a heinous act by purposely
driving the plow he was driving into cars, pedestrians, and a bus before he was
shot and killed.
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