Do we ever stop and think about who we are, as Klal Yisrael? How precious we are to Hashem?
We have an amazing revelation in parshas Balak. Bilam wanted to curse klal Yisrael, and instead was forced to bless us. The Medrash says that when Bilam said the brachos, they were heard by the entire world. (Yalkut Shimoni)
Rav Yisrael Altusky, of Yeshiva’s Torah Ore, Yerushalayim, made the following point: Bilam had lost his powers of Ruach Hakodesh 40 years prior to these blessings. After the cheit ha’eigel, Moshe Rabbeinu davened that Hashem should only place the Divine Presence upon Klal Yisrael, and not the nations of the world. Hashem answered his tefillah. Bilam wasn’t using his own power of Ruach Hakodesh; he was merely being a mouthpiece for the Shechinah to speak through him. Therefore, everyone heard the Shechinah speaking and saying these brachos.
When we read and explain these brachos, even the simple meaning (Rashi), we see something amazing: the greatness of these brachos! We had prophets who gave us beautiful messages, but there’s no comparison to the brachos that Hashem gave to Klal Yisrael through Bilam.
Ma ekov… even when they were deserving to be cursed, they were not cursed…
Hein am levadod… a nation set apart from all the others - they will never be included with the other nations when Hashem will punish them collectively…
Lo hibit ovin… even when they will transgress Hashem’s will, He won’t be meticulous to punish them, even when they will anger and rebel against Him.
Hashem will never move away from us. At those moments, He still loves us! The opposite of what the nations claim. What amazing brachos that we received through Bilam!
To illustrate, when there’s a loving and caring father who rebukes his son, even harshly, when necessary, it’s only because he loves his son and wants the child to be able to improve. But, if someone else criticizes or insults his child, the loving father’s response will be - don’t touch my son! I’ll take care of him! In fact, I’ll tell you how great he really is!
In this parshah, the Torah says that Balak took Bilam to see the “k’tzei ha’am,” the edge of the nation, in order to curse them. What does that mean?
In addition, weren’t there the ananei hakavod (clouds of glory) surrounding Klal Yisrael? How did Bilam see them?
Targum Yonasan explains that Bilam only saw the Jews who were expelled from the ananei hakovod. For example, parts of shevet Dan who had problems with avoda zara, the idol of Micha. There were also other sinners who were expelled from the ananei hakavod. Those were the ones that Bilam saw, and it was specifically on them that he said the brachos!
Rav Tzaddok Hacohein explains: Bilam’s brachos were going on the Jews who lost their share in olam habah, kofrim - non-believers - who didn’t believe in Moshe and the Torah. The brachos weren’t even going on the tzaddikim! Why? Because Bilam couldn’t grasp any level of kedushah beyond that! He couldn’t even fathom a people greater than that level, and they were much greater than his own! That’s who Bilam was saying the brachos on. (We mentioned before that Bilam was Hashem’s mouthpiece, but this was still his level of understanding.)
Imagine the level of the brachos, as I described before, when they’re going on Jews who are not sinners? When we’re describing Jews who are trying to serve Hashem in the best way possible? Certainly, Jews who are shomrei Torah and mitzvos will receive the benefit of these brachos in the greatest way possible!
Today, almost the entire world views our nation with hate and disgust. They, and the self-hating liberal Jews, are attacking us from all sides. Klal Yisrael, don’t despair! Know what Hashem really thinks of us, as opposed to them! He will never forsake us!
As we enter the three week/tishah b’Av period, a time when we feel more down, we must keep this in the proper perspective. Hashem loves us more than we’ll ever know. There are times when we’re zoche to see it more than others. A practical way to do this is to try to concentrate a little more when we say aleinu. Proclaiming that there is no other power other than Hashem, and that He chose us from among all the other nations, and places all His blessings upon us!
And remember: Know what Hashem really thinks of us!
By Rabbi Dov Chaitovsky
