In this week’s Parasha, Balak hired Bilaam to curse the Jewish people. It says the Hashem came to Bilaam and said
אִם־לִקְרֹ֤א לְךָ֙
these people called for you (meaning you think it will be good for you), ק֖וּם לֵ֣ךְ אִתָּ֑ם
go with them.
וְאַ֗ךְ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־אֲדַבֵּ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יךָ אֹת֥וֹ תַעֲשֶֽׂה
But, what I speak is what you’ll do.
Hashem was telling Bilaam that he was not in control of himself, that he shouldn’t think that he could say whatever he wanted, or curse as he’d like. The Ramban asks why Hashem made the miracle that the donkey spoke. He explains that this was one of the miracles that was destined since the beginning of creation. He says that the reason for this miracle was to show Bilaam that God is the one that gave man a mouth, and God is the one that makes people mute. Hashem told Moshe Rabbenu to let it be known that Hashem can open the mouth of a mute, and when He wants to, He can surely make mute those that are able to speak. He puts the words in people’s mouths as He’d like, because everything is in Hashem’s hands.
This is what Hashem was showing Bilaam.
You think you can curse?
If I can open the donkey’s mouth, don’t you think I can close your mouth?
The Midrash says the same thing, Let it be known at the mouth and tongue are in Hashem’s power. Only Hashem can allow someone to curse. This is one of the important principles of Bitachon that the Hovot HaLevavot includes in what is required in order to rely on somebody. One of those principles is that this person is in total control of you, and no one else can control you, because if this person is not in total control, and somebody else can do some thing, then how can I rely on this person? No person can do that other than Hashem. Nobody can affect us or hurt us without Hashem’s permission. That is an important principle.
Don’t be fooled by what you might’ve heard, by confusing things that make it seem like people can affect you. It’s clear from the Parasha, the pesukim and many Rishonim, that no one can hurt or harm you unless Hashem wills it so. The Chinuch says that the reason that we aren’t allowed to take revenge is because there is no reason to take revenge – no person can affect you.
Rabbenu Yonah in Mishleh, perek ג pasuk כז says it very clearly, You should know in truth that no human being can benefit you or save you unless Hashem decrees that he should help you. And the same is true for the opposite. Nobody can hurt you. No human being can harm you like David HaMelech said, “Hashem is with me. I’m not afraid of what anybody can do to me.”
That is our first lesson from Parashat Balak:
No one do anything to you except Hashem- a lesson we learn through the miracle of the donkey.
Lesson two comes from when Bilaam told the angels, “I sinned because I didn’t know you were there.”
The Shelah HaKadosh says that this is an inherent contradiction. If he didn’t know that the angels were there, then what was the sin?
His answer is that Bilaam saying, “I didn’t know,” was the sin.
Bilaam should have realized something was wrong when his donkey kept stopping and banging against the walls.
His mistake was that he didn’t pick up on the cues around him. When things are going on around us in the world, Hashem wants it to speak to us. Things don’t happen by coincidence. This is the second lesson of the Parasha: When things are going on around us, we have to pay attention.
The Chafetz Chain says something beautiful about this. He points out that whereas there are normally breaks in the Parasha, there are no breaks in this discussion of Bilaam’s story. Why not?
Rashi tells us that the purpose of the breaks is to give us time to think between each parasha. But since Bilaam the Rasha didn’t think about what was going on, there are no breaks in this portion. We find a similar event with Paroah (who was advised by Bilaam), who didn’t think either. The Mesilat Yesharim says that Paroah symbolizes the Yetzer Hara. One of the main techniques of the Yetzer Hara is not to allow us a chance to think. He makes us work hard, so that we have no time to think. That’s how Bilaam acted, and it’s a lesson for us.
When things are going on around us, we have to think. We have to wonder what it means for us. If something goes wrong, look into your deeds, strengthen yourself, and reach out to Hashem. Don’t just allow things to happen around you as if they are coincidences.
There are no coincidences, because Hashem controls everything. Hashem controls what people say to us- of course, they have freedom of choice, but if Hashem doesn’t want something to happen, it doesn’t happen. So, if it did happen- it’s talking to you.
When Shimi Ben Gera cursed David and David said,
ה׳ אמר לו קלל
God told him to curse,”
David recognized that if God didn’t allow it, Shimi would not have cursed him.
Therefore, when something happens, look into yourself, and fix yourself.
Think- If this happened to me, I have to fix myself.
These are the powerful lessons from this weeks Parasha.
ה׳ אמר לו קלל
“Hashem told him to curse.“
Don’t take it out on anyone else. Look into yourself, do some introspection, connect to Hashem and everything will turn around. Have a wonderful day and a Shabbat Shalom