Standing on a mountaintop overlooking the Jewish people was a wicked prophet, a cruel man who hated them bitterly.
His curses were known to have been effective, having humbled powerful armies.
And now he wanted to curse the Jews and spur G-d's wrath against them.
But his designs never materialized.
Every time, he tried to curse the Jews, G-d caused him to utter blessings, bestowing generous promises of abundant good upon them.
And he foresaw the ultimate good, the coming of Mashiach and the era when Israel will no longer fear challenges from her enemies.
This narrative serves as a lesson for all time.
We must realize that G-d will never "consent to listen to Bilaam" (Deuteronomy 23:6) and He will "transform the curse into a blessing, for G-d... loves you." (Deuteronomy 23:6)
All situations which the Jewish people confront, even those which appear grim, will be transformed into blessings.
May the study of the Rebbe, Melech HaMashiach's teachings inspire us to further the goals to which he dedicated his life. And may we soon merit the coming of Mashiach and the Resurrection of the Dead, when "[G-d] will swallow up death for eternity, and G-d, the L-rd will wipe away tears from every face." (Isaiah 25:8).
10 Tammuz, 5754
Adapted from:
Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XVIII, p. 300ff,
Vol. XXIII, p. 166ff
The Talmud relates:
[1]
When Ulla came [to Babylon from Eretz Yisrael],... Rava asked him: "Where did you spend the night?" [Ulla] told him: "In Kalnebo."
[Rava] responded: "Is it not written: [2] 'And you may not mention the name of other deities'?"
[Ulla] answered: "Rabbi Yochanan taught as follows: [The name of] any false deity which is recorded in the Torah may be mentioned."
On the surface, the question arises: Although it is permitted to mention the name of a false deity which is recorded in the Torah, seemingly, it is not desirable to do so. What purpose could this serve?
Moreover, our Sages emphasize [3] the importance of refined speech, noting how in several instances, the Torah adds extra words [4] rather than mention the word tameh ("impure").
Surely, Ulla could have found a way to answer Rava's question without mentioning the name of a false deity.
The above difficulty can be resolved based on the explanation of Rabbi Yochanan's teaching offered by the Yereim:
[5] "Since the Torah mentions [the name of a false deity], it has already been negated. For the same reason that the Torah mentions it, we are entitled to mention it."
The statement of the Yereim cannot be understood in a simple, literal interpretation.
For there are false deities to which the Torah refers, e.g., Baal Peor as mentioned in the conclusion of this week's Torah reading, [6] whose worship was perpetuated long afterwards. [7]
Instead, the intent appears to be that the Torah's mention of the false deity negates the deity's importance in the eyes of a person who would study that portion of the Torah.
The Torah's words will impress him with the futility of the worship of all other deities - that these deities are of no benefit to those who revere them, and that when the Jews have erred and worshipped them, they were punished severely.
Going further, every Jew desires to observe the Torah and its mitzvos [8] and therefore to shun the worship of false deities.
And when he studies the Torah, this awakens this inner desire, inspiring him to dedicate himself to the Torah and negate all other forms of worship.
And "For the same reason that the Torah mentions [a false deity], we are entitled to mention it."
When a Jew studies the Torah and identifies with it, he taps the G-dly potential it contains.
This empowers him, and enables his mention of a false deity to bring about the negation of its influence. [9]
Based on the above, we can understand the conduct of Ulla.
Our Sages state: [10] "A Jew living in the Diaspora serves false divinities in purity."
For in Eretz Yisrael, G-d's providence is more overtly revealed, while in the Diaspora, Divine influence is hidden with the natural order.
As such, just as in a literal sense, the worship of false divinities involves bowing one's head to them, so too, figuratively, when living in the Diaspora, one is required to subjugate one's thinking process to the forces controlling the natural order. [11]
Upon leaving the holiness of Eretz Yisrael and entering Babylonia, Ulla sensed the transition in spiritual sensitivity, and felt it necessary to emphasize the negation of false deities.
Therefore summoning up the power of the Torah acquired through his study in Eretz Yisrael, he mentioned the name of a false deity with the intent of nullifying its influence.
The above discussion sheds light on an obvious question raised by the name of this week's Torah reading: Balak.
Balak was a wicked man, an immoral [12] king, who hated the Jewish people and wanted to destroy them.
Why then is his name immortalized as one of the weekly Torah readings?
Our Sages state [13] that a person should not be named after a wicked man. Surely, this applies with regard to the name of a portion of the Torah!
Based on the above, however, the intent is clear.
Naming the Torah reading Balak is a means of negating the forces associated with him.
As the Torah reading relates, Balak's intent was thwarted entirely.
In a similar manner, the name Parshas Balak is an eternal source of positive influence frustrating any and all powers that seek to harm the Jewish people.
The narrative in our Torah reading relates, moreover, not only that Balak's intent was foiled, but that Bilaam whom Balak brought to curse the Jewish people showered powerful blessings upon them, including the ultimate blessings which will become manifest with the coming of Mashiach. [14]
Thus the name Balak refers, not only to the negation of evil, but also its transformation into positive influence.
During several years, Parshas Balak is read together with Parshas Chukas. For it is the selfless commitment implied by the name Chukas
[15] which makes possible the transformation of evil into good alluded to in the name Balak.
When a person taps the spark of G-dliness within his soul and expresses it through unbounded devotion to the Torah, he influences his surrounding environment, negating undesirable influences and transforming them into good. [16]
As this pattern spreads throughout existence, we draw closer to the fulfillment of the prophecies mentioned in this week's Torah reading: [17] "A star shall emerge from Yaakov, and a staff shall arise in Israel, crushing all of Moab's princes, and dominating all of Seth's descendants."
May they be fully manifest in the immediate future.
Notes:
- (Back to text) Sanhedrin 63b.
- (Back to text) Exodus 23:13.
- (Back to text) Pesachim 3a.
- (Back to text) Although generally, the Torah employs the minimal amount of letters necessary, that thrust is waived in favor of refined speech.
- (Back to text) Sec. 75.
- (Back to text) Numbers, ch. 25.
- (Back to text) See Sanhedrin 64a which relates that this deity was still worshipped in the Talmudic Era.
- (Back to text) Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Geirushin, conc. of ch. 2.
- (Back to text) On this basis, we can understand why the Talmud (Sanhedrin, loc. cit.) and the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 147:4-5) mention the above law in direct conjunction with the law permitting the belittling of false deities through jest. The activities permitted by both laws serve the same function; they degrade the false deities and nullify their influence in the eyes of others.
- (Back to text) Avodah Zorah 8a.
- (Back to text) See the maamar, VeYadaata, 5657 (English trans. To Know G-d, p. 42ff).
- (Back to text) As reflected by his willingness to accept Bilaam's suggestion which involved to have the Moabite maidens seduce the Jewish men, and his sending his own daughter to participate in this endeavor.
- (Back to text) Yoma 38b.
- (Back to text) Significantly, there are very few allusions to the coming of Mashiach in the Chumash, and none are as explicit as Bilaam's prophecies.
The transformation of good into evil and the manifestation of this concept in the assistance and support the gentile nations will offer the Jewish people is one of the fundamental themes of the Era of the Redemption, as it is written (Yeshayahu 49:23): "And kings will be your butlers...." To highlight this concept, the prophecies which describe this era are themselves a reflection of this principle, transforming the wicked designs of Balak and Bilaam into good.
- (Back to text) See the previous essay in this series entitled "Beyond the Reach of Knowledge."
- (Back to text) The parshiyos Chukas and Balak are often read during the weeks before and after the celebration of the Previous Rebbe's redemption on Yud-Beis-Yud-Gimmel Tammuz. The saga of the Previous Rebbe's imprisonment and liberation is a reflection of this dynamic. Arrested because of his selfless commitment to spreading Jewish practice (Chukas), he was ultimately released from prison. The news of his release inspired the continuation of Jewish practice in Russia, and throughout the world, reflecting how the entire sequence served as a source of positive influence (Balak).
- (Back to text) Numbers 24:17.
Chukas 5754