Parshat Balak: Road Block or Mental Block?

BS"D

This parsha post is dedicated in merit of Rena Daniella bas Basha Leah, Chavie bas Yael, and Hadas bas Dalia, all for a safe, healthy and blessed pregnancies and births.

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Empowered by Hashem's blessing and led by Moshe Rabbeinu, Bnei Yisroel met with success in their latest battle campaigns, slaying the mighty Sichon and Og, and conquering their territories.  The Jewish People's immense numbers and miraculous conquests - despite their lowly origins as slaves in Egypt's crucible - invoked trepidation in the hearts of the nations informed of the news, including Moab, and their present king - Balak - for whom the parsha is named.  The genuine fear brought Moab and Midian, who were initially hateful rivals, to a mutual resolve to annihilate the threat Bnei Yisroel posed.  Thus, they sought the services of the haughty and greedy prophet Bilam, legitimately endowed - although quite inferior - with Divine spirit to receive the word of G-d.  He as well brimmed with vicious contempt for the Jewish People, perhaps even more so than his employers.  Alas, his extensive efforts united with those of Balak proved fruitless in attempt to curse the Jews, and Bilam was forced to concede he could only speak what G-d placed in his mouth, and only execute what G-d allowed him to.  G-d was unwaveringly endeared to His children throughout Bilam's entire scheme, so Bilam could only utter blessings of Bnei Yisroel, much to Balak's infuriation.
Bilam's journey from his riverside home of Pethor to reach Balak was in itself no easy feat.  Bilam recognized departing with Balak's dignitaries, accepting the task to curse Bnei Yisroel, was wicked and discouraged in Hashem's eyes.  He spited G-d anyway in his seething hatred for the people, spurring the affected man to even saddle his own donkey in his haste!  Hashem wasn't going to allow a smooth ride en route to the crime.  So..:

וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֞ב מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהֹוָ֛ה בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ לְשָׂטָ֣ן ל֑וֹ וְהוּא֙ רֹכֵ֣ב עַל־אֲתֹנ֔וֹ וּשְׁנֵ֥י נְעָרָ֖יו עִמּֽוֹ:

"...Vayisyatzeiv malach Hashem baderech l'satan lo v'hu rocheiv al-asono ush'nei na'arav eemo."

" ...and an angel of the Lord stationed himself on the road to thwart him, and he was riding on his she-donkey, and his two servants were with him."

{Bamidbar 22:22}

But wait; the action hasn't happened yet...

וַתֵּ֣רֶא הָֽאָתוֹן֩ אֶת־מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהֹוָ֜ה נִצָּ֣ב בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ וְחַרְבּ֤וֹ שְׁלוּפָה֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ וַתֵּ֤ט הָֽאָתוֹן֙ מִן־הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה וַיַּ֤ךְ בִּלְעָם֙ אֶת־הָ֣אָת֔וֹן לְהַטֹּתָ֖הּ הַדָּֽרֶךְ:

"Vatayreh ha'ason es-malach Hashem nitzav baderech v'charbo sh'lufa b'yado vateit ha'ason min-haderech vataylech basadeh vayach Bilam es-ha'ason l'hatosa haderech."

"The she-donkey saw the angel of the Lord stationed on the road with his sword drawn in his hand; so the she-donkey turned aside from the road and went into a field. Balaam beat the she-donkey to get it back onto the road." {ibid. 23}

Beast perceived what even man wasn't granted perception, and the angel advanced upon the donkey and her rider, confining her to a fenced vineyard path, unable to turn either left or right.

וַתֵּ֨רֶא הָֽאָת֜וֹן אֶת־מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהֹוָ֗ה וַתִּלָּחֵץ֙ אֶל־הַקִּ֔יר וַתִּלְחַ֛ץ אֶת־רֶ֥גֶל בִּלְעָ֖ם אֶל־הַקִּ֑יר וַיֹּ֖סֶף לְהַכֹּתָֽהּ:

"Vatayreh ha'ason es-malach Hashem vatilacheitz el-hakir vatilchatz es-regel Bilam el-hakir vayosef l'hakosa."

"The she-donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and she was pressed against the wall. She pressed Balaam's leg against the wall, and he beat her again." {ibid 25}

A third and final time the scene is repeated: "Vatayreh ha'ason - and the she-donkey saw" the Divine manifestation obstructing the path forward.  She finally yielded and crouched before it, and was rewarded with a third and final beating from her ruthless master.  In that charged moment, G-d actualized a miracle preserved from Shabbat Eve of Creation at twilight (according to the Mishna, Avos 5:8):

וַיִּפְתַּ֥ח יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־פִּ֣י הָֽאָת֑וֹן וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לְבִלְעָם֙ מֶה־עָשִׂ֣יתִי לְךָ֔ כִּ֣י הִכִּיתָ֔נִי זֶ֖ה שָׁל֥שׁ רְגָלִֽים:

"Vayiftach Hashem es-pi ha'ason vatomer l'Vilam 'Meh-asisi l'cha ki hikisani zeh shalosh regalim?'"

"The Lord opened the mouth of the she-donkey, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?'" {ibid 28}

Bilam replied with a threat to slay her, had he been holding a choice implement.  The donkey responded in turn, rhetorically questioning her consistent loyalty, service and docility.  Hashem thereupon opened Bilam's eyes to the Divine revelation, the angel, immediately before him, bringing him to humble his position, and quite likely, bewilderment as well.

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How often is it that we set out on a venture we've so painstakingly concocted, only to be faced with a kink in the plan, an abrupt and unwelcome halt?  The multiple cogs of our design, which we've so carefully arranged and delegated, seem to be neglecting the fulfillment of their quota.  Things are obstructing our obvious path forward, and we may seem virtually pressed against a wall (which, in Bilam's case, was literal).  Simply put, things aren't going our way.  The ego of our human nature endorses us to become annoyed at the very least; enraged and hostile, G-d forbid, at the severest, unable to accept the change in our personal agenda Divinely ordained by the Higher Plan.  Tragically, we then may lash out at our loved ones who care, or anyone in our proximate surroundings, when essentially whatever occurred to us specifically, as a result of their actions, is solely decided by G-d, keeping in tune with the Master Plan.  These wrinkles, bumps, jolts and burns we experience put up a frustrating and obstinate front; but truly, they are wake-up calls and springboards intended to propel our upward spiritual growth, and inspire us to consciousness of the raw truth which is hidden in plain sight, right under our noses.  Others may perceive the purpose of our difficulty, perhaps even clearly, yet we remain blind.  How can we extricate ourselves from this sorry "Bilam" state, and genuinely "open our eyes?"

Hashem granted Bilam more than one opportunity to probe the situation and "get the message," and from Bilam's incongruous reaction we can perhaps learn many lessons of what not to do; and also conversely, how we can grow to be more receptive.  Let's take a closer look.

To borrow a popular expression, 'When G-d gives you lemons, make lemonade.'  Take the sour, bitter and difficult in your life, all latent with potential for elevation and transformation, and work with it to produce something beneficial and meaningful.  Admittedly easier said than done, but assuredly achievable by every person who invests the effort.  Every moment the world is being recreated, including you in your particular circumstances, with purpose.  Find that purpose, and bring it to light.

How fortunate we are, when Hashem sends His messengers to assist us in recognizing this purpose, and attaining our goal!  Sometimes these G-dsends, human or otherwise, are obvious; sometimes, they approach us in disguise, perhaps a donkey or a stranger; they're an unassuming whisper from Hashem.  When something 'goes wrong' for us, these messengers (denoted in Hebrew by "malachim" which also means "angels") may try to point us in the right direction, indicate what's really going on, and prompt us to respond appropriately.

How do we receive these hints?  There are individuals who are highly defensive of themselves during a debate, running their next sharp reply alone through their head; they don't hear what their challenger is telling them.  Likewise, if you're preoccupied beating on the other players like Bilam, lashing out and relentlessly trying to force a situation to fit your mold, you may just miss the important point they are trying to make.  You reject the opportunity to bring G-d into the picture, to state and feel, "I know and see You present here, too," to bring illumination, and grow.  Instead, slow down and be silent, observe and listen to what Hashem is trying to tell you at this place and time.  Let Him take the reins, and accept with grace His directive, tailored just for you.  He will guide you back on track, to somewhere even higher than you started out.  Whether or not we permit this to happen effectively is up to us, to either harden our hearts or instead open our arms wide to receive the counsel, see the miracles, and understand the power and possibility of this experience, just waiting to be realized and harnessed.  And when it so happens that Hashem's messengers get vocal, it is humbling, awesome, and reason to be grateful.  They are not just putting us in check, but also putting the cosmic reality into perspective, endowed with eye-opening results.

Prepare to look beyond nature, beyond your limitations, beyond the trials and tribulations the world seems to throws at you.  Know that it comes from a Higher Place, where Will and Wisdom are united with their source within G-d; elevate your vision to there, to the Infinite, transcending all barriers... And then, you too will break through.

Parshat Eikev: Trust in the Higher Manna-gement

BS"D

Good Shabbos!
I dedicate his parsha post as a refuah sheleimah for Tova bas Sarah, and two twin toddlers from L.I., who were incredibly saved from a near-drowning.

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This week's parsha is Eikev.  It is bursting from its first to last word, replete with themes and morals, as Moshe Rabbeinu continues to recapitulate the Torah's teachings, and the nation's history, preparing the Bnei Yisroel to enter the Promised Land.

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"Kol-hamitzvah asher anochi m'tzav'cha hayom tish'm'run la'asot lma'an tichyun urvitem uvatem virishtem et-ha'aretz asher nishba Hashem la'avoteichem.  V'zacharta et-kal-haderech asher holich'cha Hashem Elokecha zeh arbayim shana bamidbar lma'an l'nasotcha lada'as et-asher bilvavcha hatishmor mitzvosav I'm-lo.  Vayancha vayarivecha vaya'achil'cha et-hamahn asher lo-yadata v'lo yadun avosecha l'ma'an hodiaiycha ki lo al-halechem l'vado yichyeh ha'adam ki al-kal-motza pi-Hashem yichyeh ha'adam. -- The entire commandment that I command you today you shall observe to perform, so that you may live and increase, and come and possess the land that Hashem swore to your forefathers.  You shall remember the entire road on which Hashem, your G-d, led you these forty years in the Wilderness so as to afflict you, to test you, to know what is in your heart, whether you would observe His commandments or not.  He afflicted you and let you know hunger, then He fed you manna that you did not know, nor did your forefathers know, in order to make you know that not by bread alone does man live, rather by everything that emanates from the mouth of Hashem." {Devarim 8:1-3}

Examine the third pasuk, "Vayancha.../He afflicted you...".  Can you identify the seeming contradiction in the verse?

We are reminded above that Hashem "afflicted" our ancestors and caused them to "hunger", and He gave them a great "test"...  But He provided them with manna, with an incredible nourishment that sustained them on even more than a physical level, and possessed many wondrous properties!  G-d's kindnesses in the Midbar are further enumerated in following verses, some of which were that their clothes miraculously never became filthy or worn out, and that Hashem caused water to gush from a rock.  Where exactly was the tribulation and suffering that G-d imposed?  Weren't practically all of the unfortunate incidents, that occurred on the journey, on the Bnei Yisroel's account, because of their complaints and rebellion?  How was the blessed mun (manna) a nisayon (challenge)?

To answer, let us try to define what affliction and hunger mean, in this context.

R' Yehoshua Gordon ob"m, suggested that you imagine how the Bnei Yisroel could have been quite frustrated with their manna.  Although, the Midrash elucidates, the mun could taste as whatever food one desired it to, it always retained the same appearance:  a seedlike, crystalline piece.  Most of us can't fail to recognize the power of aesthetic (visual) appeal.  How else do advertisements draw our attention?  Why else do we admire our beautifully set Shabbos tables (prepared l'kavod Shabbos kodesh, of course!)?  For what other reason do restaurants and caterers invest so much time and energy in creating that "perfect plate", garnish and all?  The Bnei Yisroel could have become fed up (please excuse the chance pun) with their forty years of heavenly food, since it always looked the same.  They hungered with their eyes (reminiscent of, and perhaps warned about, by the Shema's "...v'lo taturu acharei l'vavchem v'acharei ainaychem asher atem zonim achareihem - ...and not explore after your heart and your eyes after which you stray."), which, although not the most rational in their particular circumstance, is understandable in terms of general human nature.  We all want things to look nice.  In fact, we should make an effort to make them so.  However, when you are in the desert for four decades, and Ribono Shel Olam is providing you every single day with the "bread of angels", one's appreciation probably shouldn't be contingent on how diverse his meals look.  This speaks to us today as well.  Although the appearance of something is definitely important, it is not the main thing.  It is not the essence.  It shouldn't be the central intention and focus.

The second 'concern' the nation might have had with the mun, was complete and utter dependence on Hashem.  Hashem rained down the gift of mun daily, blanketed between the morning dew, which each person would go and gather, according to his and his family's needs.  Every day (with the exception of Shabbos morning-- on erev Shabbos, a double portion would fall, since gathering was asur on the Sabbath.  Hence, we have lechem mishna, two loaves, at our Shabbos seudos, to remember this blessing.), because it was forbidden to stash the mun overnight for the next day.  If one transgressed with this, they would discover their leftovers in the morning, decaying and infested.  Yes...  gross.  This was one consequence that put the nation into the position of humble receivers.  Their source of energy and family's nourishment, was entirely in G-d's hands (and is eternally so).

They had to possess the middah (trait) of sincere bitachon, trust.  Trust in a higher, all-encompassing, all-caring power, that He'd give them their daily bread.  It's true, that it's sometimes a great test to have trust in Hashem in times of pain or worry.  It is hard to go to bed, wondering what the next day will bring, if your pantry's empty, or your child is going off the derech, or when you're waiting for a reply of acceptance to your resume or proposal...  it seems like the scenarios are infinite.  Discovering whether or not we would prove to be faithful to Him and His Torah, even in times of great challenge or suffering, Hashem probed our hearts, as declared in verse 2, with the mun.  He searched to see if we would consistently place our bitachon in Him, in realization that every test is formative and a growth experience, that whatever occurs is only for the good, and belief that it's not because of our hand and might that we have bounty and blessing... but it is only Hashem who provides.

Yes, we must put in our effort, to gather what we need to live.  But what we think we need, might not match up, with what the One Who made us knows we require, Who has something better in store.  If we thought that the mun we hoarded would be the proper food for us, G-d showed us that He had something better in mind.  In the (paraphrased) words of the Rashbam: "In our uncertainty, due to not possessing tangible food while we waited for our next portion, we were compelled to adopt trust that our blessing would be spread out for us on the desert floor the next day."  And over forty years, this trait of bitachon became ingrained into our characters and psyche, and may just be one of the greatest keys to Jewish survival.

Now we see, the concern for the next day's sustenance over which they had absolutely no direction, was the affliction the nation would undergo, unless they otherwise elevated themselves above the mundane worry, and succeeded in the struggle for whole and unswerving bitachon.

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Now, for a bit about the conclusion of this collection of verses:  "...l'ma'an hodiaiycha ki lo al-halechem l'vado yichyeh ha'adam ki al-kal-motza pi-Hashem yichyeh ha'adam. - ...in order to make you know that not by bread alone does man live, rather by everything that emanates from the mouth of Hashem."

A famous verse.  But how deeply do we actually understand it?

A simple, yet profound interpretation (although there are many), a gem of Kabbalah:  This test of the mun, and the dependence on Hashem that it taught us, revealed to us a mystery of creation.  We cannot claim that it is by our hands that our bread, our food, and our possessions, came into being.  "Someone" (can you guess Who?), in the item's very beginning, formed it, and invested it with a Divine spark, G-dly energy, the force of life, enabling it to be, and to serve a purpose in the physical world.  And that same Someone guided it through every step of the process, until the item came into our ownership, with His intention and blessing.  We cannot declare that this loaf of bread, for example, is separate from G-d, devoid of holy energy, and that it is the masterpiece of our physical hands.  For what is it, truly, that sustains us in the bread, and keeps us going?  It is only the G-dly spark that causes it to be, and that nourishes the soul, which in turn fuels us to exist, and fulfill our purpose: To reconnect everything and everyone with the Divine.  Hashem is the Makor (Source) of everything, and the world's survival is dependent in His will and wish, whatever emanates from the mouth of Hashem.

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May we all be blessed with clear and strong bitachon in the One Above, and recognition of Him and His Hand in every area of our lives.

Parshas Shelach: Emuna in Hashem

BH

Parshas Shelach talks about the sending of the first Jewish spies. But there's a big question that remains. Why would the ten other spies want to say bad things about Israel? We know the Yehoshua and Caleiv didn't. But why did the other ten spies say bad things? What did they gain out of it? The land was great. It was chosen by Hashem. So why would they want to go against that?

   To understand this, we have to first understand what it means when the ten spies saw giants. Because they saw that the giants were not just any giants, they were fallen angels from the times before the Mabul (Flood) and had taken a physical form. These giants were so big, that when the spies were actually spotted by the giants, they thought they were "strange ants that looked like people" (Lekuti Sichos, Chassidus)

   So the ten spies, scared, thought that Hashem wouldn't be able to deal with power such as this.

So if that's true, then how were Yehoshua and Caleiv able to have faith in Hashem while the other spies weren't? They seemed to have a reason to be scared too.

   The answer is in the beginning of the Parsha. Yehoshua's name wasn't always Yehoshua, it was Hoshea. Moshe davened for Yehoshua and changed his name, originally "Hoshea", by adding the letter Yud, to the beginning of his name. And Caleiv went to the Kever of the Avos to Daven that he would not follow in the spies' ways, who after the event of Har Sinai, should have had Bitachon in Hashem, because Hashem promised them the land, and would, therefore, make them get it no matter what power there was in the land. Nothing could overpower them because he made them.

   We also learn, that after the spies came back, it miraculously took 40 days. The Torah refers to the spies as the ten "men" when they are saying bad things about Israel. Why? They weren't ten "men" they were ten spies.

   Because the Torah didn't want to embarrass them. By saying that they are ten "men" the Torah seems to be hiding the fact that they were actually spies. They were also on the level of power of ten "men" because they stopped being Naviim after this point, and weren't able to be leaders of their Shevet anymore.

   This is how the ten other spies didn't have Bitachon - faith - in Hashem, why they forgot about Him, and thought that He wouldn't be able to destroy the giants...

   This was all because they thought that Hashem wouldn't be able to deal with this physical power.

   We also see that the ten spies, when saying the bad things in the Torah, they have three Passukim, while the people who said good, had four Passukim. This is to show that the Torah favors Yehoshua, and Caleiv, and anybody who says good about Israel.

   So from this, we learn of Emuna and Bitachon (Faith, and Trust) in Hashem. Because the Bnei Yisroel cried out to Hashem, because of their lack of Emuna, and Bitachon, the generation all got killed out, because they had Har Sina and Hashem promising them that they would enter Eretz Yisroel, and that nothing will stop them, yet they still didn't believe. 

   Yehoshua and Caleiv were saved from the Bnei Yisroel's punishment of death, all because they didn't rebel, and defended Israel with Moshe and Aharon.

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Ekir: 

Emunah (belief) in Hashem is hard, but we should still have it no matter what. Sometimes we need a Brucha, like Yehoshua, and Daven ourselves like Caleiv, to have such Emuna, even when talking about spiritual danger such as Dibiks, and Tummah, the "dark side" of the world. It may even save your life!