The summer season always brings a special atmosphere, especially for kids—camp, swimming, and exciting outdoor activities. But it also brings challenges, such as the heat. For women, maintaining tznius; for men, dressing appropriately for tefilah, wearing tzitzis, and guarding what they see.
In Sefer Yetzirah (traced back to Avraham Avinu), each month is described as having unique powers, when certain functions and senses are especially sensitive—both physically and spiritually. In Tamuz, sight is most powerful. Physically, Tamuz has the longest days and brightest sunlight—ideal for seeing clearly.
But every power has a potential for misuse. Tamuz is also associated with a destructive force called ketev meriri, which has the ability to harm during this time. The Shulchan Aruch warns us to be cautious. This mazik (damaging force) is either covered with many eyes or has a single eye over its heart. It sees—but it sees too much and incorrectly. Much suffering during this season has been attributed to its influence.
Spiritually, the abuse of sight is demonstrated in key events. The cheit ha’eigel occurred on the 17th of Tamuz because the people misperceived Moshe’s delay. The meraglim traveled through Eretz Yisrael during Tamuz. They were meant to see the good—but instead viewed the land negatively.
Parshas Balak always falls in this time. It begins, “And Balak saw…” Rashi explains that Balak saw Sichon and Og destroyed by Bnei Yisrael and feared Moav was next. But he misinterpreted what he saw. Bnei Yisrael were explicitly commanded not to attack Moav. That’s why they traveled around Moav’s borders and ended up in Sichon’s territory.
In Sefer Shoftim, the Shofet Yiftach explains to the king of Amon that Bnei Yisrael never conquered Amon’s land—it had previously been taken by Sichon. Moav and Edom had refused to let Bnei Yisrael pass peacefully, forcing them to detour. Sichon, hired by Canaanite kings to guard the region, gathered his army to stop Bnei Yisrael. But Hashem caused him to leave his cities undefended, and he was defeated. Og followed, and he too fell. As a result, Bnei Yisrael inherited the entire east bank of the Yarden.
Balak couldn’t see clearly. He panicked because of Moav’s refusal to allow passage—ironically, had Moav let them through, they would’ve remained across the river. Instead, Moav’s hostility resulted in Bnei Yisrael becoming their neighbors.
Even worse, Bilam saw incorrectly. He was blind in one eye. The Gemara in Niddah says he became blind because he saw Hashem observing the moment of conception to determine when a tzaddik would be born. Bilam saw this and mocked it: “This is what interests Hashem?” He viewed the holiness of marriage and conception as impure, failing to recognize the kedushah in a physical relationship.
Pirkei Avos teaches us to be students of Avraham Avinu, with an ayin tovah—a good eye—and not of Bilam, who had an ayin ra’ah—a bad eye.
We must view the world through a Torah lens.
Once, talmidim at Yeshiva Torah Ore noticed that Rav Yosef Stern zt”l (brother of Rav Moshe Aharon Stern) had an injured hand. He explained with a mashal: A king decreed that anyone who entered his private garden would be crushed by a giant boulder. The prince entered, and the king, needing to uphold his word but wanting to spare his son, had the boulder smashed into pebbles and thrown gently at him. The prince still got hit—but was spared the worst.
Hashem acts similarly. The original enemy attack—planned for Pesach 5783—included all Iranian proxies, Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, and Iraqi militias, attacking Eretz Yisrael simultaneously. It would have been devastating.
But for various reasons, that plan was delayed. When Hamas attacked alone on Simchas Torah 5784, it caught Israel off guard—but the other enemies didn’t join. Hashem orchestrated events so Israel could focus first on Hamas, then Hezbollah—beep beep, bang bang! Syria collapsed without Israel firing a shot. Iran, too, suffered significant setbacks.
Compared to what could have happened, these were tremendous miracles. Hashem directed it all.
We must focus on efes zulato—there is no power but Hashem. Aleinu is a perfect place to internalize this.
May we be zocheh to make wise decisions, see with clarity, and greet Moshiach soon.
Based on shiurim by Rav Yisrael Altusky shlita, Yeshiva Torah Ore, Yerushalayim
R’ Dovi Chaitovsky and his family are zocheh to live in Eretz Yisrael. He has the great z’chus to learn and teach Torah in Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh.
