Yeshiva
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Balak
Bilaam’s ancestry is mysterious; we’re not sure exactly where he came from. Indeed, chazal say his name can be read as, "Bli Am," nation-less. He was a kind of "gun for hire" & would work on behalf of any person or country that paid him. In our Sedra, he is hired by Balak, king of Moav, to use his considerable talents to curse the Jews.
Balak would ideally like to defeat Israel in battle, but he’s heard of Egypt’s demise, & he fears that we have Divine protection. So he calls upon Bilaam – who actually can speak directly to G-d & has a worldwide reputation – to malign & defame us in the Heavenly court. The "unholy alliance" Bilaam & Balak forge is perfectly indicated by taking the last two letters of Bilaam’s name, & combining them with the last two letters of Balak’s name. That spells – wait for it - Amalek (and now you see the connection to Haman, the Amaleki!).
On the surface, you might shrug off this failed attempt to curse us. You might repeat the famous rhyme about how (derogatory) names, unlike sticks & stones, cannot hurt us. But, regrettably, that’s not so. Since most people take what they see or read at face value, they will generally tend to develop a negative attitude towards something or someone who is continually demonized. And that false impression can lead to hate crimes, violence & murder.
The Torah therefore forbids us of speaking badly about others, and the vilest form of this is Motzi Shem Ra, when people fabricate malicious actions we are accused of. Indeed, Israel has a law on the books that allows one to sue if he or she has been injured by Motzi Shem Ra or Lashon Ha-Ra.
Hashem, of course, knows the damage which Bilaam could cause if his curses are allowed to be enunciated & broadcast. And so, once again, G-d intervenes in history to not only prevent the curses to be made, but to change them into blessings that positively reflect & define us to this very day.
Now you may wonder, "Why didn’t Balak ask Bilaam to use his powers to bless Moav, rather than curse Israel?!" A good question. But that is part of the pervasive hatred & anti-Semitism the enemies near us & throughout the world have: they would rather destroy Israel than have good lives of their own.
May Hashem continue to frustrate their desires, guard us & grant Israel peace.
Rabbis in Midrash
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Hosha'ana Rabba FLYDUBAI & HOSHANA RABBA- ANI VAHU HOSHIA NA- I & HIM SAVE US
"Ani vaHu Hoshia Na", "I and Him, Save Us". We don't just pray to Him, but we also pray to and for ourselves that we should emulate and educate our children to have that instinctive altruism with which He created the world. President Trump seemed amused about Yaniv Hayon, our PLUMBER who confidently worked with G-d like Superman (he learned from a pilot on a TV show!) to save 174 lives on the Dubai hijacking, but we in Israel are totally accustomed already 78 years to our plumbers, teachers, garbage-men, rabbis, farmers & doctors being Hashem's shlichim! This is what Zionism is about.
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part I
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Our King on Rosh Hashana, Our Father on Yom Kippur.
Based on Aroch Siach, p. 221 (Rav Shaul Yisraeli)
