בית יעקב הכולל פרשת בלק

Concepts -מושגים

ויאמר בלעם אל האלקים בלק בן צפור מלך מואב שלח אלי. ברבה במדבר פ"כ ס"ו זה אחד משלשה בני אדם שבדקם הקב"ה מצא קרון של מי רגלים . קין חזקיה ובלעם. קין בשעה שאמר שאמר לו הקב"ה אי הבל אחיך . בקש להטעות כביכול. היה צריך לומר רבונו של עולם הנסתרות והנגלות לפניך גליויות ואת שואלני בשביל אחי. אלא אמר לו לא ידעתי השומר אחי אנכי. חזקיהו שעמד מחוליו שלח לו מראדך בלאדן דורון וכו. התחיל מתגאה ואמר ארץ רחוקה באו אלי מבבל וכו. כן בלעם הרשע וכו. בלק בן צפר מלך מואב שלח אלי.

Bilaam responds to Hashem's question, of " who are those people with you?" by saying that "Balak son of Tzipor sent them to me." The בית יעקב quotes the Midrash which says that there were three people who were tested by Hashem and were like a vessel filled with water to wash one's self, but instead it was found to be full of urine.

They are Kayin, Chizkiya and Bilaam. Kayin was asked by Hashem, where is Hevel your brother. It was as if Hashem was asking to be misled. Kayin (Bereshis 4) should have said, "Master of the world, all hidden things before You are revealed, and You are asking me about my brother?" But instead, he answered I don't know am I my brother's keeper?

Chizkiyahu (Melachim II 20 ) recovered from his sickness, and Marduch son of Baladan sent him a present. He showed the messengers all of his treasures. Yeshayahu asked "Who were those people and why were they here?" Chizkyahu demonstrated pride in responding, "they came from far away, to see Me from Bavel," instead of saying, "Navi of Hashem, why are you asking Me?" Bilaam answered the Hashem's question with a similar amount of pride that "Balak son of Tzipor sent people to me."

דהנה שאלת השי"ת בדרך נבואה אינה כשאלת בשר ודם.

The בית יעקב starts to explain this Midrash. He says when Hashem asks a question to a person through prophecy it is not like another person asking. There is a purpose to the question. It is not merely to extract information. This is why the Midrash uses the phrase "like a vessel filled with water to wash one's self, but instead it was found to be full of urine." The question was an opportunity to cleanse one's self, and instead they used it to soil themselves further.

כי כמו שהקב"ה שאל ליחזקאל התחיינה העצמות האלה (לז:ג) לא היה רצונו יתברך בתשובתו כי מה פעל בתשובתו. אך רצונו יתברך היה כי יגיד לו . אם קבועה האמונה כי המתים יוכל לחיות על פי רצון השי"ת. וכמאמר הגמרא (סנהידרין צ"א א) דלא הוו חיי דהוי חיי לא כל שכן. או אין בלבו זאת האמונה בעומק. רק מאמין מגדול בטחונו בהשי"ת. ולא שיתאמת לו בשרש לבו. ועל זה השיב אדנ' שם אתה ידעת (ל"ז ג)

In a similar way Hashem asked Yechezkel in the valley of Dura ( 37:3) "could these bones live?" Hashem really was not interested in Yechezkel's answer, in terms of gaining information. What Hashem wanted Yechezkel to do is that he should reveal that he had the Emunah that the dead could come back to life if Hashem wills it. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 91a) says that if the dead people came back to life it would demonstrate Emunah that Hashem could do it, so doesn't make sense that a living person could demonstrate this Emunah as well? However we see that Yechezkel didn't have such profound Emunah in the principle of Techiyas Hamesim. How do we see this? Instead of saying "If You will it Hashem." He said "Only You know Hashem." The fact that He did not attribute the power relied on Hashem, so he said, "only You know, Hashem," this showed that his Emunah was not as strong as was required, and need strengthening.

כי הכי בכח בן אדם להביט בנסתרות הלא השם בוחן לבבות.

The purpose of Hashem's asking through a Navi is to allow a person to see into the depths of your heart, because we so often cannot see what's happening even in our own hearts.

והנה חזקיה המלך כשבאו אליו שלוחי מלך בבל. והוא הראה להם כל אשר באוצרותיו. והם באו לדרוש את המופת. והוא סבר כי הוא מפאר שם השם בזה מראה להם כל שאשר בואצרותיו . כי זה מורה שגילה להם דברי תורה יקרים. והוא לא הבין פן נמצא בלבו קצת התפארות מצד עצמו רק דימה שעשה כלו להשם. לכן כשבא הנביא אליו השיב השם יודע מה הראיתי אותם. אם פארתי שמו או רציתי בכבוד עצמי אך חזקיה לא הכיר ולא הבין לחשוב פן יש בזה נטיה מרצון השי"ת.

Let's see this concept now in the examples given in the Midrash. When Chizkiyahu was visited by the messengers of the king of Bavel, and he showed them everything in his treasure house, they came wanting to know about his miraculous recovery from his sickness. He thought that he was demonstrating the glory of Hashem by revealing to them secrets of Torah, the inner meaning of everything in his treasure house. He was not aware of the amount of pride that doing so contained. He thought that he was doing something entirely for Hashem. Therefore, when the Navi came to him and asked what did you show them? Chizkiyah said, " I didn't do this for my own honor." But didn't realize the amount of self investiture that he had, and how it could be taking him away from what Hashem wanted.

אבל קין ובלעם הכירו בשקרים. כי קין כשבא אלין השי"ת ואמר לו אי הבל אחיך והוא השיב לא השמר אחי אנכי. לא עלה רעיונו לרמות את השי"ת. כי לא בשופטנא עסקינן. אך השיב כי לא יכול לשומרו. כי בא אליו הכעס בלי בחירה. עד שלא היה ביכולתו להתגבר על כעסו. וזה שבשיב השמר אחי. וכי בי השמירה תליא והלא בך תליא היה לך ליתן לי כח בחירה להתגבר על כעסי. ובאמת ע"ז היה לו להשיב אתה ידעת. כי באמת היה לו כל בחירה. וזה השיב לו הקב"ה קול דמי אחיך צעקים (בראשית ד:י) והוא באם לא היה בך כח בחירה אז לא היה דמו צועק.

But Kayin and Bilaam recognized that they were lying to themselves. When Hashem came to Kayin and asked him as the whereabouts of his brother, he responded, "I don't know, am I supposed to guard my brother?" It never crossed his mind to try to fool Hashem, he just said he couldn't guard him. The בית יעקב explains that this means he had such rage that he could not control himself, to stop himself from killing Hevel. When Kayin exclaimed this isn't my fault, this is Your fault, You should have given me the ability to conquer my rage. But Kayin could have said, "Hashem, You know where he is." Kayin could have recognized the truth, admitting that he actually did have control, and killed Hevel, by saying Hashem You know, he would have been taking responsibility for his actions. This is why Hashem chastises him saying "that your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground," because if Kayin really had no control, his brother's blood would not be crying out, testifying to Kayin's guilt.

וגם בלעם כשרצה ליעץ רע על ישראל במצרים. כדאיתא בגמרא (סוטא יא) וראה כי לא נעשתה עצתו חישב איך לקללם ויירא מאד. לכן אמר כי ישמור עצמו על המעשה שלא תצא מאתו שום דבר בפועל. ועל המחשבה אין צבא מעלה נזקקין לעונש. השיב ופעל במחשבתו עד כי בלק שלח אליו. וכמבאור במי השלוח ח"א בלק וכי הוא על ידי במחשבתו פעל אצל בלק. והוא השיב בלק בן צפור מלך מואב שלח אלי.

Bilaam wanted to give Pharoh counsel against the Jews in Mitzraim, but he saw that it didn't work. Therefore he realized that he would not be able to curse the Jews. He took a different approach. He was careful not to act against the Jews directly and he thought that therefore He would not be punished. He believed that a person is not liable for their thoughts. The מי השלוח says that he was hoping that some nation would come to him, and be the instrument to destroy the Jews as he realized that he could not. As a result of this hope, Balak approached him. Hashem asked Bilaam, "Who are these people," indicating that He knew that it was Bilaam's thoughts which brought the Balak to him. Bilaam responded that Balak had sent them, trying to reject any responsibility for their plan, and therefore he was not culpable in the least.

Izhbitzer Twist

The Izhbitzer seforim often discuss the depths of a person's thoughts, their subconscious and how to repair them.

Practical Advice

David Hamelech said, טוב וישר השם על כן יורה חטאים בדרך, Hashem is good and straight, therefore he guides sinners down the path. The Rambam (Teshuva 6:5) says that this means that Hashem gives us the opportunities to correct ourselves from the correct the problems that are within a person. Hashem asks us questions, meaning He gives us the opportunities to fix the problems which are normally obscured from our view, because He loves us and entrusts us with a second chance.