Balaak and midot tovot

This piece was originally given as a live speech at the Lake Shore Drive Synagogue in Chicago, July 20, 2024.

Shabbat Shalom

Thank you to this amazing anshe k’nesset and all its leaders for the chizuk and yidishkeit it brings.

Particular thanks to my mom for her journey from the holy land of Highland Park.

Most of the thoughts today are the Torah of Rabbi Moshe Shapiro z’l; I hope the words can arouse the realm in a most positive way for c’lal y’Israel and for each and every Jew being held captive against his or her will.  K’eyn y’hi ratzon.

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This parashat is the same old story of the Jewish people:  we were successful…leaving Egypt; they tried to kill us; we were victorious….let’s eat.

There is a nuance here:  Balaak had tried to destroy us spiritually.  He knew God was with the Jewish people and that swords and traditional warfare would be useless.  He tried to tackle our relationship with the foundation principles of the spiritual world:

torah

avodah

ma’asim tovim

He sought out Bilaam…the great prophet of the gentiles, Bilaam.

It is said Bilaam had a prophecy as great as that of Moshe.  Chazal say that Bilaam was given to the goyim to address their past, present and future claim:  “if we too had a prophet as great as Moshe, then we too would be dedicated to serving haKadosh barukh’Hu. “ How did that work out for you?

The attempt by Balaak to destroy the Jews with the help of a great prophet failed.  Why? This is our question.  What led to the failure of Balaak and Bilaam to curse the Jews and weaken their spiritual connection to the Master of the Universe?

Let’s back up for a second.  There are only 2 parshiot in tanakh named for gentiles.  Anybody?  I’ll give you a hint…Balaak is one of them.  The other?  Anyone?  Right.  Yitro.  Obviously, there must be something connecting Yitro and Balaak.  Any takers?  Also for extra credit…any thoughts on why the parasha is named Balaak when if features Bilaam?  At least some credit like  in music…call it “parashat Balaak…featuring Bilaam?”

Yitro was a high priest of avodah zarah… he came to see Hashem’s hand and joined clal y’Israel.  His daughter had the merit to marry Moshe.

Balaak: saw the greatness in clal y’Israel and knew the only way to defeat them was spiritual.  He recognized God and even built alters to bring korbanot to Hashem.

Yitro and Balaak did teshuvah….in that they recognized a Master of the Universe.  Yitro’s grandchildren were descendants of Moshe.  Balaak was the progenitor of Ruth the convert and King David accordingly.  It is fitting in some way that just defeating the wickedness of Balaak is insufficient; not only was he defeated but Hashem again turned nature upside down making Balaak’s grandchildren Jewish. Shandah!

So enough about Yitro and Balaak.  I want to focus on Bilaam

Bilaam is a prophet.  A great prophet…the gentile answer to Moshe Rabeinu.  But Moshe builds a nation and elevates spirituality to a place of ultimate connection to Hashem.  Moshe brings his people to matan Torah.

And Bilaam…where does Bilaam’s prophecy bring his people?  Bilaam is obliterated and his “devotees” are not mentioned at all in the annals of history.  What was “wrong” with Bilaam and the great gentile prophet and what can we learn?

How is it that this great prophet cannot see a malakh blocking the road…and that this same prophet does not even think twice when his donkey speaks?  We will discuss:  Bilaam was a prophet but his character traits were so depraved he was unable to be of service.  The rah of Bilaam’s midot and his lust and jealousy and pursuit of honor literally blinded him from his own prophecy. 

Rabbeinu Yonah speaks at length about how being so committed to a result causes one to be blind from seeing faults and shortcomings. There is merit in the journey not just in the destination. Note to self:  if “everyone” tells you something about your character, it’s probably worth listening to.  Oh…and if your dog talks to you, you should probably listen.

This parashat then is really about character and the importance of midot tovot.   And that we can change.  Hashem gave a miracle and the donkey spoke.  The donkey “changed its nature.”  We too can change our nature.  What can we learn by the spiritual goals of Jewish character on the one hand the midot ra’ot of Bilaam on the other hand?

Jews:  In pirkei avot we are taught to be students of Avraham Avinu.  Most gadolim like Rabbi Chayim Vital suggest that refining midot is even more important than doing mitzvot.   How can that be?  Is life not about collecting mitzvah points?  Not exactly.  Our forefathers were before matan Torah and passed down to us the chesed of Avraham; the pachat of Yitchak; and we inherited the emet of Yaakov.

We had our prophet Moshe and we build the prophesy upon a most solid foundation based on our avot.  This is midot tovot and it defines our character as a segulah and as a people.  It is THIS character that enables our heart to follow our mind.  Our intellect controls our impulse.

For Bilaam….for Bilaam this was upside down.  He had prophecy but his foundation was the pursuit of lust.  His heart was too strong, and he could not control himself.  THAT is not the Jewish way. For Jews…we have our mind and intellect and THEY control our heart.  Our eyes are open and we can see clearly.  We would see the malakh in the road…a broad figure with a drawn sword blocking the road.  And would think something big in the works once the donkey started to talk.

God gave a  high level of prophecy to the gentiles; it was a waste. We are students of Avraham our forefather.  Chazal note three manifestations of midot tovot:

Ayin Tov

Ruach nemuchah

Nefesh Sh’feilah

We have goodwill to our brothers, ve’yahavta l’reiach et kamocha; we have humility and busha and are not jealous or wanting; and we live in a spiritual realm disconnected from taivah and pursuits of selfish gratification.

Bilaam is the opposite.  His midot include:

Ayin rah:  he is selfish

Ruach Gaivah:  he is obsessed with his neighbor’s things and needs to have them

Nefesh Rachana:  taivah, he is obsessed with gross physical indulgence

So, we see that the PROPHESY of Bilaam may have been even greater than that of Moshe.  And yet, the man Bilaam was not even close in stature to that of Moshe.  King Balaak YOU WERE MISTAKEN.  You picked a flawed prophet….one with zero spiritual foundation on which to relate to God or to cause judgement on  His chosen people. And so we learn:  repair and perfect yourself…and then you can be of service.

In our tradition, we get excited about 3’s; we have 3 avot and learn the world rests on 3 things torah, avodah and g’milut hassidim.   In the case of midot, we learn that 3 traits remove someone from this world:

Kinah:  jealousy

Taivah:  physical abuse and obsession

Kavod:  the desire for honor

Bilaam was destroyed by having all 3 of these midot ra’ot.  He is the star of the parasha and it does not even bear his name.  And his demise is as expected, no legacy whatsoever.  Even his donkey thought he was…well…a complete ASS.