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Foolin’ Around
Hashem asked Bilaam ‘Who are these people with you?’ Rashi explains that Hashem knew the answer, but fooled Bilaam into thinking that He didn’t.
Bilaam thought ‘Wow! He does’t know everything! Great, now I’ll curse the Jews when He is doesn’t see!’
Would Hashem purposely fool Bilaam??
The Tanchumah offers that just as Bilaam tricked others into sin, so was he fooled too, measure for measure.
We suggested another approach. Lincoln told of an old drunkard who finally decided to go dry, swearing off whiskey forever. Soon thereafter, however, the urge grew strong. He wandered into the town tavern and said to the bartender ‘Look friend, I don’t drink any liquor, so pour me orange juice. However, if you could slip a draught into my juice unbeknownst to me, I’d be much obliged!’
It’s not much of a trap when one wishes to be tripped up!
Bilaam didn’t mind being tripped up. In fact he wanted to be fooled into cursing the Jews. Hashem obliged him…
Ed. comment: are there any untruths we would rather believe? We may be led on, and its because we want to believe those things. Look sharp there!
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Leading Hashem On
The Ibn Ezra asks why Hashem told Bilaam the first time not to go, but allowed him the second time. What had happened?
Hashem lets one know His Will. However, if the fellow is determined to bargain with Him, Hashem may go along with him, because Hashem is a gentleman. He doesn’t force His point. Well, Instead of hassling with a nudnik, He may reply ‘Yes’, but it means ‘No!’.
Its like a joke; Hashem is not human. He never changes His mind. So why ask again? To weasel a ‘Yes’ out of Hashem??
The proof, says the Ibn Ezra, is the verse ‘And Hashem was angry with Bil’am, because he went’. Angry? But He had agreed!! Nope, He had NOT.
This is also what happened by sending spies to Eretz Yisroel; Hashem told them to step up and take possession of Eretz Yisroel without reconnoitering at all. But they knew better. They insisted on sending spies. Hashem said ‘Have it your way!’ This is not agreement: its acquiescence.
Perhaps we want something in our lives which Hashem does not want. He may indicate His displeasure once or twice. Sometimes we choose to take no notice. After that He will ‘go along’ with our decision, and we see no overt displeasure. Things do seem to be working out.
Are they really? As the Ibn Ezra says, this may be very deceptive!!!!
Another point is that sometimes we ask a person for a favor and they seem to reluctantly go along with it. Please note: they do not agree, not for a minute!
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Missing The Point
When the sword-menacing angel was revealed to Billam, he responded saying ‘I have sinned; I did not know that you were on the road to stop me.’
This was the wrong message. The angel tried to stop him for Billam traveled against Hashem’s wishes. Instead of going to bless the Jews, as Hashem had allowed, he intended to curse them. That’s why Hashem sent His angel.
The appropriate response ought to have been ‘I erred; I ought not have tried to outsmart Hashem’.
Instead, Bilaam said that he had picked the wrong day, for the angel was on the road that day. Had he known, he would have gone tomorrow!
How totally inappropriate!!
I make this mistake often, especially with interpersonal behavior. I’ll say something offensive. Someone gets insulted. I conclude ‘I had better avoid that fellow!’
How sad! The real lesson is ‘Lets talk more nicely from now on! I need to be considerate to others!’
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And Had We Seen Miracles??
‘Bilaam returned to his place and Balak also went on his way’. So ends the Billam-Balak saga. Pretty generic.
What’s the message for us here?
Billam and Balak truly tried hard to curse the Jews. They were stymied. Hashem loves His People, realizes schemes against them and intervenes to help His folk. Some great truths!
Certainly Bilaam would be affected by this all. Plus, he had even seen his donkey talk!
There is dramatic tension here; what will happen next – will Billam convert? Will Balak devote his life to Hashem? Will they change their ways a bit? Something???
Nothing happened… ‘Bilaam returned to his place and Balak went on his way’ i.e. they slipped back into their old routines no wiser. Nothing occurred – total loss.
This is a lesson to us; people think they are uninspired because they never saw miracles, or have not personally experienced standing at Har Sinai.
Its untrue.
It’s not the experience at all, but rather the learning done out of it, – and the willingness to learn and change, – that ultimately counts.
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Newsflash:
‘And the Jews worshiped Baal Peor and Hashem angered at them… the dead of plague numbered twenty four thousand victims…’
In Mechuzza, Rabbi Chaninah’s hometown, raged a deadly plague. Only Rabbi Chaninah’s quarter was spared. People said ‘Rabbi Chaninah is unconcerned. Were his area hit, he would storm the heavens and save the city. But because it is not at his doorstep, he does nothing about it’.
Rabbi Chaninah heard of these rumors, and spoke to the public: ‘Fellow Jews! In Pinchas’ time there was Moshe, Aharon, Miriam and the greatest tzaddikim that ever were in klal yisroel. Yet Zimri, one single man, caused twenty four thousand Jews to die. No merits of the righteous helped.
Surely they prayed, but sin is much stronger. I too am doing my level best, but how many ‘Zimri’s are among us! My prayers are simply not being answered! What can I do?!’
Food for thought?
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Old Fashioned Kanna’us
‘Pinchas saw [Zimri sinning], stood up and took a spear in his hand’.
Rav Moshe Feinstein z”l commented that the order here is significant; Pinchas first saw, then took the spear. Some folks, he would say, do it backwards: first pick up the spear then go out looking for sinners to stick with their spear!
Vhamavin Yavin…
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Getting It Together
Balak told Bilaam to go to another vantage point where ‘only part of them you will see, and not all, and you can curse them from there’.
Why assume it would be easier to curse the Jews if they weren’t all visible?
Jews have protection promised and bonded to them by their forefathers. But only for the Jewish people as a whole, not individuals.
By relating to only a portion of the nation, not the people as a whole, Bilaam tried to get a curse in.
The lesson: unity protects. Disunity leaves a Jew bereft of Divine protection.
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‘Because you sported with me. Oh! That I had a sword to kill you with!’ [-Bilaam to his donkey]
Billam claimed to have hit his donkey because it laughed at him (‘sported with me’). Was that true?
Nope. In fact, the donkey completely disregarded Bilaam – it was busy dodging the angel swinging a sword!
It was not about Bilaam at all. He took it very personally, but it was not about him.
[Ever happen to you – someone yells and we get all huffed? Most times its not about you at all. So chill Bro…]
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Asking The Right Questions
Bilaam was censured by his donkey. He hit his donkey, and the donkey asked why. He told the donkey it was because he had been playing with him by going off the road. The donkey said “I am your donkey whom you have always ridden on – have I ever done so to you?” Whereupon Hashem allowed Bilaam to see the dangerous angel swinging his sword nearby.
The donkey did not tell Billaam that there was an angel. Billaam might well have scoffed at the idea. Instead, the donkey took a roundabout route; Billaam, can you not see that I act out of character? MIght there not be a reason for that?
Often the direct route is not the quickest…
Another lesson; consider the larger picture – is this person acting in character? If not, then what else is happening?