Showing posts with label Balak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Balak. Show all posts
Sunday, June 16, 2013
BALAK - MONEY AND HONOR
Bilaam Harasha is considered to be the archetype of a person with bad midos. The Mishna in Avos describes him as having an ‘ayin raah‘ (he looked upon people in a negative way), a ‘ruach gevoah‘ (he was arrogant), and a ‘nefesh rechava ’ (he was greedy).
‘Nefesh Rechava’ refers specifically to Bilaam’s love for money; the commentaries derive his greediness from his response to the request of Balak’s ministers for him to curse the Jewish people. They said, “…So said Balak Ben Tsipoor, please do not refuse from coming to me. I will greatly honor you and everything that you say I will do, please go and curse this nation for me.” “Bilaam replied and said to Balak’s servants, if Balak will give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of Hashem, my G-d, to do small or great. ” On superficial analysis we learn Bilaam’s greediness from the large sum of money that he alluded to in his refusal to go against Hashem’s words.
However, the commentaries point out that this cannot be true, because there is another example in Chazal where a genuine tzadik used a similar expression to that of Bilaam. The Mishna in Avos describes the account of the great Tanna, Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma, who was approached by a wealthy man to leave his place of Torah to dwell in another city that was lacking in talmidei chachamim. The man offered him an immense amount of money in his attempt to persuade Rebbe Yosse to come to his city. Rebbe Yosse replied, ‘if you give me all the silver, gold and precious pearls in the world I will only live in a place of Torah.” Rebbe Yosse mentioned an even greater amount of money than Bilaam and there is no indication at all that he showed any sign of greediness in his reply. What is the difference between Bilaam’s response and that of Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma ?
On deeper analysis it seems that there is a significant difference between Bilaam and Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma. When the man tried to persuade Rebbe Yosse to stay in his city he promised him a great amount of money, and, in response, Rebbe Yosse replied that no amount of money could make him leave a place of Torah. It was appropriate for Rebbe Yosse to refer to money because the man directly mentioned it himself. In contrast, the ministers of Balak never made any mention of money in their attempts to convince Bilaam to curse the Jewish people. Rather, they said that Balak offered to “greatly honor” him. Bilaam replied by saying the even a great amount of money would not enable him to curse the Jews if Hashem did not allow it. From Bilaam’s mention of money we see two things: Firstly that money was something that was so prevalent in his mind that he brought it up even when no-one else had made any mention of it. Secondly, on a deeper level, we see that he related to the concept of “honor” as meaning, ‘financial benefit’ - to Bilaam, honor and money were the same thing. This proves his love for money, because a person who does not love money will not think that it is equivalent to honor.
A difficulty still remains with this explanation. It would have seemed that someone who loves money would not necessarily consider that its main benefit is honor, rather people want money so that they can make materialistic acquisitions. Having money enables a person to satisfy his desires for physical pleasures such as a nice house, a fast car, good food, and lots of vacations. Given this, why did Bilaam equate honor with money? There are two possible motivations behind a person’s love of money; One is an attachment to gashmius, whereby he wants money to fulfill his physical desires. The second is that having a great deal of money can enable a person to receive honor and respect from others. This is not essentially a physical desire, rather it emanates from a spiritual yetser hara. This means that everyone is looking for some kind of meaning - honor is one of the main ways that a starved soul can try to derive some satisfaction. In western society today, having money is probably the greatest way of receiving honor.
This spiritual of desire for money is much more dangerous than the physical love of money. When a person wants money in order to enjoy certain luxuries, once he has them, he is satiated - this is because the goof is finite and can be satisfied. However, if the desire for honor is a ‘spiritual’ desire, then the person will never be satisfied no matter how much money he acquires - for him, money gives him honor, but his soul will instinctively crave more honor as a source of meaning. Consequently he will try to fulfill this desire by acquiring more money, but will constantly feel dissatisfied. It seems that it is this kind of love for money that Chazal refer to when they say that when a person gets 100 maneh he wants 200 maneh, and when he gets 200 maneh he wants 400 maneh. For this person, money is his means to gaining honor but he will always crave more honor, and therefore he will always want more money to satisfy this desire for honor.
From Bilaam’s equating money with honor, it is clear that Balaam’s ‘nefesh rechava’ caused him to have the more pernicious kind of love for money - the kind that emanates from a desire for honor. The Nesivos Shalom zt”l discusses how damaging this can be to a person - in the aforementioned Mishna in Avos the talmidim of Bilaam are compared with those of Avraham Avinu. Towards the end of the Mishna it asks what the difference is between the two groups. It explains that “the students of Avraham eat in Olam Hazeh and inherit Olam Haba… but the students of Bilaam Harasha inherit Gehinnom and go down to the well of destruction. ” What is the double lashon used with regard to Bilaam’s talmidim, of ‘Gehinnom’ and ‘well of destrcution’? The Nesivos Shalom explains that the ‘well of destruction’ refers to Olam Haba, whereas ‘Gehinnom’ actually refers to Olam Hazeh - the talmidim of Bilaam do not only experience great pain in the next world, they also suffer in this world. They are so concerned about gaining more acquisitions and more honor that they can never attain satisfaction in their lives to the extent that they live Gehinnom even in Olam Hazeh!
This explanation teaches an obvious lesson that the relentless drive for money can never provide a person with true satisfaction. A certain amount of money is a necessary means to helping people attain the end of a meaningful life, but it is essential to remain vigilant that it remains as a ‘means’ and does not become the ultimate goal in itself. Instead, occupying one’s time with developing a relationship with Hashem can provide the only source of satisfaction that leaves a person truly satisfied.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
MONEY AND HONOR - BALAK
Bilaam Harasha is considered to be the archetype of a person with bad midos. The Mishna in Avos describes him as having an ‘ayin raah‘ (he looked upon people in a negative way), a ‘ruach gevoah‘ (he was arrogant), and a ‘nefesh rechava ’ (he was greedy).
‘Nefesh Rechava’ refers specifically to Bilaam’s love for money; the commentaries derive his greediness from his response to the request of Balak’s ministers for him to curse the Jewish people. They said, “…So said Balak Ben Tsipoor, please do not refuse from coming to me. I will greatly honor you and everything that you say I will do, please go and curse this nation for me.” “Bilaam replied and said to Balak’s servants, if Balak will give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of Hashem, my G-d, to do small or great. ” Superficially it would see that we learn Bilaam’s greediness from the large sum of money that he alluded to in his refusal to go against Hashem’s words.
However, the commentaries point out that this cannot be true, because there is another example in Chazal where a genuine tzadik used a similar expression to that of Bilaam. The Mishna in Avos describes the account of the great Tanna, Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma, who was approached by a wealthy man to leave his place of Torah to dwell in another city that was lacking in talmidei chachamim. The man offered him an immense amount of money in his attempt to persuade Rebbe Yosse to come to his city. Rebbe Yosse replied, ‘if you give me all the silver, gold and precious pearls in the world I will only live in a place of Torah.” Rebbe Yosse mentioned an even greater amount of money than Bilaam and there is no indication at all that he showed any sign of greediness in his reply. What is the difference between Bilaam’s response and that of Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma ?
On deeper analysis it seems that there is a significant difference between Bilaam and Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma. When the man tried to persuade Rebbe Yosse to stay in his city he promised him a great amount of money, and, in response, Rebbe Yosse replied that no amount of money could make him leave a place of Torah. It was appropriate for Rebbe Yosse to refer to money because the man directly mentioned it himself. In contrast, the ministers of Balak never made any mention of money in their attempts to convince Bilaam to curse the Jewish people. Rather, they said that Balak offered to “greatly honor” him. Bilaam replied by saying that even a great amount of money would not enable him to curse the Jews if Hashem did not allow it. From Bilaam’s mention of money we see two things: Firstly that money was something that was so prevalent in his mind that he brought it up even when no-one else had made any mention of it. Secondly, on a deeper level, we see that he related to the concept of “honor” as meaning, ‘financial benefit’ - to Bilaam, honor and money were the same thing. This proves his love for money, because a person who does not love money will not think that it is equivalent to honor.
A difficulty still remains with this explanation. It would have seemed that someone who loves money would not necessarily consider that its main benefit is honor, rather people want money so that they can make materialistic acquisitions. Having money enables a person to satisfy his desires for physical pleasures such as a nice house, a fast car, good food, and lots of vacations. Given this, why did Bilaam equate honor with money? There are two possible motivations behind a person’s love of money: One is an attachment to gashmius, whereby he wants money to fulfill his physical desires. The second is that having a great deal of money can enable a person to receive honor and respect from others. This is not essentially a physical desire, rather it emanates from a spiritual yetser hara. This means that everyone is looking for some kind of meaning - honor is one of the main ways that a starved soul can try to derive some satisfaction. In western society today, having money is probably the greatest way of receiving honor.
This spiritual form of desire for money is much more dangerous than the physical love of money. When a person wants money in order to enjoy certain luxuries, once he has them, he may be satiated - this is because the body is finite and can be satisfied. However, if the desire for honor is a ‘spiritual’ desire, then the person will never be satisfied no matter how much money he acquires - for him, money gives him honor, but his soul will instinctively crave more honor as a source of meaning. Consequently he will try to fulfill this desire by acquiring more money, but will constantly feel dissatisfied. For this person, money is his means to gaining honor but he will always crave more honor, and therefore he will always want more money to satisfy this desire for honor.
From Bilaam’s equating money with honor, it is clear that Balaam’s ‘nefesh rechava’ caused him to have the more pernicious kind of love for money - the kind that emanates from a desire for honor. The Nesivos Shalom zt”l discusses how damaging this can be to a person - in the aforementioned Mishna in Avos the talmidim of Bilaam are compared with those of Avraham Avinu. Towards the end of the Mishna it asks what the difference is between the two groups. It explains that “the students of Avraham eat in Olam Hazeh and inherit Olam Haba… but the students of Bilaam Harasha inherit Gehinnom and go down to the well of destruction. ” What is the double lashon used with regard to Bilaam’s talmidim, of ‘Gehinnom’ and ‘well of destrcution’? The Nesivos Shalom explains that the ‘well of destruction’ refers to Olam Haba, whereas ‘Gehinnom’ actually refers to Olam Hazeh - the talmidim of Bilaam do not only experience great pain in the next world, they also suffer in this world. They are so concerned about gaining more acquisitions and more honor that they can never attain satisfaction in their lives to the extent that they live Gehinnom even in Olam Hazeh!
This explanation teaches an obvious lesson that the relentless drive for money can never provide a person with true satisfaction. A certain amount of money may be a necessary means to helping people attain the end of a meaningful life, but it is essential to remain vigilant that it remains as a ‘means’ and does not become the ultimate goal in itself. Instead, occupying one’s time with developing a relationship with Hashem can provide the only source of satisfaction that leaves a person truly satisfied.
‘Nefesh Rechava’ refers specifically to Bilaam’s love for money; the commentaries derive his greediness from his response to the request of Balak’s ministers for him to curse the Jewish people. They said, “…So said Balak Ben Tsipoor, please do not refuse from coming to me. I will greatly honor you and everything that you say I will do, please go and curse this nation for me.” “Bilaam replied and said to Balak’s servants, if Balak will give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of Hashem, my G-d, to do small or great. ” Superficially it would see that we learn Bilaam’s greediness from the large sum of money that he alluded to in his refusal to go against Hashem’s words.
However, the commentaries point out that this cannot be true, because there is another example in Chazal where a genuine tzadik used a similar expression to that of Bilaam. The Mishna in Avos describes the account of the great Tanna, Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma, who was approached by a wealthy man to leave his place of Torah to dwell in another city that was lacking in talmidei chachamim. The man offered him an immense amount of money in his attempt to persuade Rebbe Yosse to come to his city. Rebbe Yosse replied, ‘if you give me all the silver, gold and precious pearls in the world I will only live in a place of Torah.” Rebbe Yosse mentioned an even greater amount of money than Bilaam and there is no indication at all that he showed any sign of greediness in his reply. What is the difference between Bilaam’s response and that of Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma ?
On deeper analysis it seems that there is a significant difference between Bilaam and Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma. When the man tried to persuade Rebbe Yosse to stay in his city he promised him a great amount of money, and, in response, Rebbe Yosse replied that no amount of money could make him leave a place of Torah. It was appropriate for Rebbe Yosse to refer to money because the man directly mentioned it himself. In contrast, the ministers of Balak never made any mention of money in their attempts to convince Bilaam to curse the Jewish people. Rather, they said that Balak offered to “greatly honor” him. Bilaam replied by saying that even a great amount of money would not enable him to curse the Jews if Hashem did not allow it. From Bilaam’s mention of money we see two things: Firstly that money was something that was so prevalent in his mind that he brought it up even when no-one else had made any mention of it. Secondly, on a deeper level, we see that he related to the concept of “honor” as meaning, ‘financial benefit’ - to Bilaam, honor and money were the same thing. This proves his love for money, because a person who does not love money will not think that it is equivalent to honor.
A difficulty still remains with this explanation. It would have seemed that someone who loves money would not necessarily consider that its main benefit is honor, rather people want money so that they can make materialistic acquisitions. Having money enables a person to satisfy his desires for physical pleasures such as a nice house, a fast car, good food, and lots of vacations. Given this, why did Bilaam equate honor with money? There are two possible motivations behind a person’s love of money: One is an attachment to gashmius, whereby he wants money to fulfill his physical desires. The second is that having a great deal of money can enable a person to receive honor and respect from others. This is not essentially a physical desire, rather it emanates from a spiritual yetser hara. This means that everyone is looking for some kind of meaning - honor is one of the main ways that a starved soul can try to derive some satisfaction. In western society today, having money is probably the greatest way of receiving honor.
This spiritual form of desire for money is much more dangerous than the physical love of money. When a person wants money in order to enjoy certain luxuries, once he has them, he may be satiated - this is because the body is finite and can be satisfied. However, if the desire for honor is a ‘spiritual’ desire, then the person will never be satisfied no matter how much money he acquires - for him, money gives him honor, but his soul will instinctively crave more honor as a source of meaning. Consequently he will try to fulfill this desire by acquiring more money, but will constantly feel dissatisfied. For this person, money is his means to gaining honor but he will always crave more honor, and therefore he will always want more money to satisfy this desire for honor.
From Bilaam’s equating money with honor, it is clear that Balaam’s ‘nefesh rechava’ caused him to have the more pernicious kind of love for money - the kind that emanates from a desire for honor. The Nesivos Shalom zt”l discusses how damaging this can be to a person - in the aforementioned Mishna in Avos the talmidim of Bilaam are compared with those of Avraham Avinu. Towards the end of the Mishna it asks what the difference is between the two groups. It explains that “the students of Avraham eat in Olam Hazeh and inherit Olam Haba… but the students of Bilaam Harasha inherit Gehinnom and go down to the well of destruction. ” What is the double lashon used with regard to Bilaam’s talmidim, of ‘Gehinnom’ and ‘well of destrcution’? The Nesivos Shalom explains that the ‘well of destruction’ refers to Olam Haba, whereas ‘Gehinnom’ actually refers to Olam Hazeh - the talmidim of Bilaam do not only experience great pain in the next world, they also suffer in this world. They are so concerned about gaining more acquisitions and more honor that they can never attain satisfaction in their lives to the extent that they live Gehinnom even in Olam Hazeh!
This explanation teaches an obvious lesson that the relentless drive for money can never provide a person with true satisfaction. A certain amount of money may be a necessary means to helping people attain the end of a meaningful life, but it is essential to remain vigilant that it remains as a ‘means’ and does not become the ultimate goal in itself. Instead, occupying one’s time with developing a relationship with Hashem can provide the only source of satisfaction that leaves a person truly satisfied.
LIVING FOR HASHEM - BALAK
Chazal tell us that Bilaam harasha had incredible powers of prophecy which in some ways were even greater than those of Moshe Rabbeinu. Yet, at the same time, he possessed numerous bad midos. How can these two opposite factors come together in one man? The answer is that Bilaam never worked to attain his madreiga. In contrast to the Jewish neviim who had to climb the ladder of Rav Pinchas Ben Yair and reach the highest levels of tzidkus, Bilaam was given his prophetic abilities without having earned them. He clearly knew the emes, that the G-d of the Jews was the only true G-d, and that keeping the Torah would reap the ultimate reward, but, he never internalised these truths and therefore was unable to match his behaviour with his hasagos.
However, we see from his brachos to Klal Yisroel that he hoped to attain the spiritual reward that awaits tzadikkim. In his first set of blessings he expressed this desire: “May my soul die the death of the upright, and may my end be like his. ” The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh writes that Bilaam did not simply hope to get reward without having done any righteous act, rather he intended “that when the day of death would arrive he would improve his evil ways…he desired that at the time of death he would do teshuva and be like the righteous of the nations.” Bilaam realised that he was living a life of sheker and that he would suffer in the next world, so he wanted to do teshuva, but only at the end of his life. The Ohr Hachaim continues with an amazing observation.
“Likewise I have seen reshaim who told me that if they would be certain that if they did teshuva and would then immediately die, that they would do so, but they know that they could not maintain their teshuva for a longer period of time, because the foolish and old king [the yetser hara] dominates them.”
These reshaim, like Bilaam, knew the truth but they were not prepared to live by it, they were only willing to die by it. When a Torah observant Jew sees this attitude he is struck by its foolishness, however, in a certain way, it can effect us all. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l demonstrates this point : He quotes a Medrash that discusses the moments before Krias Yam Suf: It tells us that when the Jewish people were at the sea, each tribe was arguing with the other about who should enter the sea first, no-one wanted to take the first fateful steps, until Nachshon ben Amminadav stepped in first. Rav Shmuelevitz asks, how can it be that no-one wanted to step into the sea? Throughout history Jews have been willing to give up their lives and those of their children for the sake of Kiddush Hashem, how is it possible that the Dor Deah were not able to make the same sacrifice?! He answers that had they been commanded to enter the sea in order to give up their lives then they would have gladly done so, but that was not the test in this instance. Rather, “they were commanded to enter in order to be saved, to jump in in order to live.”
The avoda at the Yam Suf was not to die for Hashem but to live for Him. It is much easier to give up one’s life for Hashem and then be exempt from mitzvos, than to stay alive and face the challenges that life poses.
How is this yesod relevant to us? Rav Noach Weinberg Shlita says that there is a basic question that everyone should ask themselves: ‘What am I living for, what is the purpose of my life?’ This is not such an easy question to answer in a genuine way - Torah observant Jews know that the purpose of life is to get close to Hashem but this can be a vague concept - there are many different ways in which to do this, and it is not so easy to find a specific answer to fit each individual’s unique situation and strength. Rav Weinberg gives one suggestion that can help make it a little less abstract. A person should think what he would be willing to die for. Then, he should say to himself, ‘I want to live for that.’
A good example of this is chinch; we would all willingly give up our lives for our children, yet do we devote enough time and energy towards living for them. There was a baal habayis who worked long hours trying to support his family. He even worked on Sundays. Every week his son would ask him if he had time to play with him on Sunday but his father would always answer that he had to work. One week, the desperate son asked his father, “dad, how much money do you earn on Sunday?” The bemused father answered him, and the son offered to pay the father whatever he normally earned so that he could be free to spend time with his son! This story has a sad irony; the whole reason that the father was working so hard was so as to give his children a good life, but he got so caught up in his work, that he missed the tachlis, he wasn’t being a father to his son.
Another example of this is our attitude towards Klal Yisroel. Most, if not all of us, would be willing to give up our lives for the Jewish people if they were threatened with physical or spiritual destruction. But are we willing to live for the Jewish people? Do we spend some time helping our fellow Jew in need? There are many thousands of Jews who don’t have enough food on the table and millions who have no idea what Judaism is about. Do we take out any time out of our busy lives to help them? Rav Pam zt”l drives this point home in his haskama to the biography of Irving Bunim zt”l.
“We hear so much talk these days about ahavas Yisroel, but if you want to know the real meaning of these words, translated into action, read the chapters in this book on the rescue efforts of Vaad Hatzala, headed by Reb Aron, Rav Kalmanowitz, and Irving Bunim. These men, along with the Sternbuchs in Switzerland and Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandel in Slovakia, knew no bounds in their persistent determination to move heaven and earth tosave lives, to alleviate suffering. Read it! It will move you. It will inspire you. It will give you a deeper understanding of achrayus for Klal Yisroel…But it may also disturb you, for it may be induce some painful soul-searching. Did we really do all we could to save lives then, or, for that matter, are we doing enough today to respond to the crying, desperate needs of Klal Yisroel in this generation ?”
We are living in a time where Klal Yisroel needs us, but it doesn’t need us to die by Kiddush Hashem, rather to live by it. Bilaam is described as a rasha despite his lofty hasagos. He knew what Hashem wanted from him, but he wasn’t willing to live by it, only to die by it. We know better than Bilaam, we are prepared to live for Hashem, but sometimes we can miss the forest for the trees and forget the tachlis. By reviewing now and again what we would be willing to die for, we can remind ourselves of what we should be living for. And what is the reward for ‘living’ for Hashem?
At the Yam Suf, no-one wanted to enter until Nachshon be Amminadav went in, he was prepared to live for Hashem, the Medrash tells that that it was because of this act that the tribe of Yehuda was zocheh to Malchus . Rav Shmuelevitz describes the significance of this moment: “At that moment the tribe of Yehuda felt himself responsible for all of Yisroel to do what was required of them, and from this feeling, they became higher and greater than all of Yisroel, and were filled with strength and might to cross the sea as if it was completely dry, and through this, Yehuda was zocheh to Malchus . We too, can be zocheh to greatness if we learn from Nachshon’s lesson and live for Hashem.
However, we see from his brachos to Klal Yisroel that he hoped to attain the spiritual reward that awaits tzadikkim. In his first set of blessings he expressed this desire: “May my soul die the death of the upright, and may my end be like his. ” The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh writes that Bilaam did not simply hope to get reward without having done any righteous act, rather he intended “that when the day of death would arrive he would improve his evil ways…he desired that at the time of death he would do teshuva and be like the righteous of the nations.” Bilaam realised that he was living a life of sheker and that he would suffer in the next world, so he wanted to do teshuva, but only at the end of his life. The Ohr Hachaim continues with an amazing observation.
“Likewise I have seen reshaim who told me that if they would be certain that if they did teshuva and would then immediately die, that they would do so, but they know that they could not maintain their teshuva for a longer period of time, because the foolish and old king [the yetser hara] dominates them.”
These reshaim, like Bilaam, knew the truth but they were not prepared to live by it, they were only willing to die by it. When a Torah observant Jew sees this attitude he is struck by its foolishness, however, in a certain way, it can effect us all. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l demonstrates this point : He quotes a Medrash that discusses the moments before Krias Yam Suf: It tells us that when the Jewish people were at the sea, each tribe was arguing with the other about who should enter the sea first, no-one wanted to take the first fateful steps, until Nachshon ben Amminadav stepped in first. Rav Shmuelevitz asks, how can it be that no-one wanted to step into the sea? Throughout history Jews have been willing to give up their lives and those of their children for the sake of Kiddush Hashem, how is it possible that the Dor Deah were not able to make the same sacrifice?! He answers that had they been commanded to enter the sea in order to give up their lives then they would have gladly done so, but that was not the test in this instance. Rather, “they were commanded to enter in order to be saved, to jump in in order to live.”
The avoda at the Yam Suf was not to die for Hashem but to live for Him. It is much easier to give up one’s life for Hashem and then be exempt from mitzvos, than to stay alive and face the challenges that life poses.
How is this yesod relevant to us? Rav Noach Weinberg Shlita says that there is a basic question that everyone should ask themselves: ‘What am I living for, what is the purpose of my life?’ This is not such an easy question to answer in a genuine way - Torah observant Jews know that the purpose of life is to get close to Hashem but this can be a vague concept - there are many different ways in which to do this, and it is not so easy to find a specific answer to fit each individual’s unique situation and strength. Rav Weinberg gives one suggestion that can help make it a little less abstract. A person should think what he would be willing to die for. Then, he should say to himself, ‘I want to live for that.’
A good example of this is chinch; we would all willingly give up our lives for our children, yet do we devote enough time and energy towards living for them. There was a baal habayis who worked long hours trying to support his family. He even worked on Sundays. Every week his son would ask him if he had time to play with him on Sunday but his father would always answer that he had to work. One week, the desperate son asked his father, “dad, how much money do you earn on Sunday?” The bemused father answered him, and the son offered to pay the father whatever he normally earned so that he could be free to spend time with his son! This story has a sad irony; the whole reason that the father was working so hard was so as to give his children a good life, but he got so caught up in his work, that he missed the tachlis, he wasn’t being a father to his son.
Another example of this is our attitude towards Klal Yisroel. Most, if not all of us, would be willing to give up our lives for the Jewish people if they were threatened with physical or spiritual destruction. But are we willing to live for the Jewish people? Do we spend some time helping our fellow Jew in need? There are many thousands of Jews who don’t have enough food on the table and millions who have no idea what Judaism is about. Do we take out any time out of our busy lives to help them? Rav Pam zt”l drives this point home in his haskama to the biography of Irving Bunim zt”l.
“We hear so much talk these days about ahavas Yisroel, but if you want to know the real meaning of these words, translated into action, read the chapters in this book on the rescue efforts of Vaad Hatzala, headed by Reb Aron, Rav Kalmanowitz, and Irving Bunim. These men, along with the Sternbuchs in Switzerland and Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandel in Slovakia, knew no bounds in their persistent determination to move heaven and earth tosave lives, to alleviate suffering. Read it! It will move you. It will inspire you. It will give you a deeper understanding of achrayus for Klal Yisroel…But it may also disturb you, for it may be induce some painful soul-searching. Did we really do all we could to save lives then, or, for that matter, are we doing enough today to respond to the crying, desperate needs of Klal Yisroel in this generation ?”
We are living in a time where Klal Yisroel needs us, but it doesn’t need us to die by Kiddush Hashem, rather to live by it. Bilaam is described as a rasha despite his lofty hasagos. He knew what Hashem wanted from him, but he wasn’t willing to live by it, only to die by it. We know better than Bilaam, we are prepared to live for Hashem, but sometimes we can miss the forest for the trees and forget the tachlis. By reviewing now and again what we would be willing to die for, we can remind ourselves of what we should be living for. And what is the reward for ‘living’ for Hashem?
At the Yam Suf, no-one wanted to enter until Nachshon be Amminadav went in, he was prepared to live for Hashem, the Medrash tells that that it was because of this act that the tribe of Yehuda was zocheh to Malchus . Rav Shmuelevitz describes the significance of this moment: “At that moment the tribe of Yehuda felt himself responsible for all of Yisroel to do what was required of them, and from this feeling, they became higher and greater than all of Yisroel, and were filled with strength and might to cross the sea as if it was completely dry, and through this, Yehuda was zocheh to Malchus . We too, can be zocheh to greatness if we learn from Nachshon’s lesson and live for Hashem.
Monday, June 21, 2010
MONEY AND HONOR - BALAK
Bilaam Harasha is considered to be the archetype of a person with bad midos. The Mishna in Avos describes him as having an ‘ayin raah‘ (he looked upon people in a negative way), a ‘ruach gevoah‘ (he was arrogant), and a ‘nefesh rechava[1]’ (he was greedy).
‘Nefesh Rechava’ refers specifically to Bilaam’s love for money; the commentaries derive his greediness from his response to the request of Balak’s ministers for him to curse the Jewish people. They said, “…So said Balak Ben Tsipoor, please do not refuse from coming to me. I will greatly honor you and everything that you say I will do, please go and curse this nation for me.” “Bilaam replied and said to Balak’s servants, if Balak will give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of Hashem, my G-d, to do small or great.[2]” On superficial analysis we learn Bilaam’s greediness from the large sum of money that he alluded to in his refusal to go against Hashem’s words.
However, the commentaries point out that this cannot be true, because there is another example in Chazal where a genuine tzadik used a similar expression to that of Bilaam. The Mishna in Avos[3] describes the account of the great Tanna, Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma, who was approached by a wealthy man to leave his place of Torah to dwell in another city that was lacking in talmidei chachamim. The man offered him an immense amount of money in his attempt to persuade Rebbe Yosse to come to his city. Rebbe Yosse replied, ‘if you give me all the silver, gold and precious pearls in the world I will only live in a place of Torah.” Rebbe Yosse mentioned an even greater amount of money than Bilaam and there is no indication at all that he showed any sign of greediness in his reply. What is the difference between Bilaam’s response and that of Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma[4]?
On deeper analysis it seems that there is a significant difference between Bilaam and Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma. When the man tried to persuade Rebbe Yosse to stay in his city he promised him a great amount of money, and, in response, Rebbe Yosse replied that no amount of money could make him leave a place of Torah. It was appropriate for Rebbe Yosse to refer to money because the man directly mentioned it himself. In contrast, the ministers of Balak never made any mention of money in their attempts to convince Bilaam to curse the Jewish people. Rather, they said that Balak offered to “greatly honor” him. Bilaam replied by saying the even a great amount of money would not enable him to curse the Jews if Hashem did not allow it. From Bilaam’s mention of money we see two things: Firstly that money was something that was so prevalent in his mind that he brought it up even when no-one else had made any mention of it. Secondly, on a deeper level, we see that he related to the concept of “honor” as meaning, ‘financial benefit’ - to Bilaam, honor and money were the same thing. This proves his love for money, because a person who does not love money will not think that it is equivalent to honor.
A difficulty still remains with this explanation. It would have seemed that someone who loves money would not necessarily consider that its main benefit is honor, rather people want money so that they can make materialistic acquisitions. Having money enables a person to satisfy his desires for physical pleasures such as a nice house, a fast car, good food, and lots of vacations. Given this, why did Bilaam equate honor with money? There are two possible motivations behind a person’s love of money; One is an attachment to gashmius, whereby he wants money to fulfill his physical desires. The second is that having a great deal of money can enable a person to receive honor and respect from others. This is not essentially a physical desire, rather it emanates from a spiritual yetser hara. This means that everyone is looking for some kind of meaning - honor is one of the main ways that a starved soul can try to derive some satisfaction. In western society today, having money is probably the greatest way of receiving honor.
This spiritual of desire for money is much more dangerous than the physical love of money. When a person wants money in order to enjoy certain luxuries, once he has them, he is satiated - this is because the goof is finite and can be satisfied. However, if the desire for honor is a ‘spiritual’ desire, then the person will never be satisfied no matter how much money he acquires - for him, money gives him honor, but his soul will instinctively crave more honor as a source of meaning. Consequently he will try to fulfill this desire by acquiring more money, but will constantly feel dissatisfied. It seems that it is this kind of love for money that Chazal refer to when they say that when a person gets 100 maneh he wants 200 maneh, and when he gets 200 maneh he wants 400 maneh. For this person, money is his means to gaining honor but he will always crave more honor, and therefore he will always want more money to satisfy this desire for honor.
From Bilaam’s equating money with honor, it is clear that Balaam’s ‘nefesh rechava’ caused him to have the more pernicious kind of love for money - the kind that emanates from a desire for honor. The Nesivos Shalom zt”l discusses how damaging this can be to a person - in the aforementioned Mishna in Avos the talmidim of Bilaam are compared with those of Avraham Avinu. Towards the end of the Mishna it asks what the difference is between the two groups. It explains that “the students of Avraham eat in Olam Hazeh and inherit Olam Haba… but the students of Bilaam Harasha inherit Gehinnom and go down to the well of destruction.[5]” What is the double lashon used with regard to Bilaam’s talmidim, of ‘Gehinnom’ and ‘well of destrcution’? The Nesivos Shalom explains that the ‘well of destruction’ refers to Olam Haba, whereas ‘Gehinnom’ actually refers to Olam Hazeh - the talmidim of Bilaam do not only experience great pain in the next world, they also suffer in this world. They are so concerned about gaining more acquisitions and more honor that they can never attain satisfaction in their lives to the extent that they live Gehinnom even in Olam Hazeh!
This explanation teaches an obvious lesson that the relentless drive for money can never provide a person with true satisfaction. A certain amount of money is a necessary means to helping people attain the end of a meaningful life, but it is essential to remain vigilant that it remains as a ‘means’ and does not become the ultimate goal in itself. Instead, occupying one’s time with developing a relationship with Hashem can provide the only source of satisfaction that leaves a person truly satisfied.
[1] Avos, 5:22.
[2] Balak, 22:16-18.
[3] Avos, 6:9.
[4] Many commentaries discuss why Bilaam’s response indicated that he was greedy; these include; Mizrachi, Maskil le David, Nachalas Yaakov, Be’er b’sadeh, Emes le Yaakov, and Rav Elyashiv in Divrei Aggadah. They offer a variety of explanations but a different approach will be used here.
[5] Avos, 5;22.
‘Nefesh Rechava’ refers specifically to Bilaam’s love for money; the commentaries derive his greediness from his response to the request of Balak’s ministers for him to curse the Jewish people. They said, “…So said Balak Ben Tsipoor, please do not refuse from coming to me. I will greatly honor you and everything that you say I will do, please go and curse this nation for me.” “Bilaam replied and said to Balak’s servants, if Balak will give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of Hashem, my G-d, to do small or great.[2]” On superficial analysis we learn Bilaam’s greediness from the large sum of money that he alluded to in his refusal to go against Hashem’s words.
However, the commentaries point out that this cannot be true, because there is another example in Chazal where a genuine tzadik used a similar expression to that of Bilaam. The Mishna in Avos[3] describes the account of the great Tanna, Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma, who was approached by a wealthy man to leave his place of Torah to dwell in another city that was lacking in talmidei chachamim. The man offered him an immense amount of money in his attempt to persuade Rebbe Yosse to come to his city. Rebbe Yosse replied, ‘if you give me all the silver, gold and precious pearls in the world I will only live in a place of Torah.” Rebbe Yosse mentioned an even greater amount of money than Bilaam and there is no indication at all that he showed any sign of greediness in his reply. What is the difference between Bilaam’s response and that of Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma[4]?
On deeper analysis it seems that there is a significant difference between Bilaam and Rebbe Yosse ben Kisma. When the man tried to persuade Rebbe Yosse to stay in his city he promised him a great amount of money, and, in response, Rebbe Yosse replied that no amount of money could make him leave a place of Torah. It was appropriate for Rebbe Yosse to refer to money because the man directly mentioned it himself. In contrast, the ministers of Balak never made any mention of money in their attempts to convince Bilaam to curse the Jewish people. Rather, they said that Balak offered to “greatly honor” him. Bilaam replied by saying the even a great amount of money would not enable him to curse the Jews if Hashem did not allow it. From Bilaam’s mention of money we see two things: Firstly that money was something that was so prevalent in his mind that he brought it up even when no-one else had made any mention of it. Secondly, on a deeper level, we see that he related to the concept of “honor” as meaning, ‘financial benefit’ - to Bilaam, honor and money were the same thing. This proves his love for money, because a person who does not love money will not think that it is equivalent to honor.
A difficulty still remains with this explanation. It would have seemed that someone who loves money would not necessarily consider that its main benefit is honor, rather people want money so that they can make materialistic acquisitions. Having money enables a person to satisfy his desires for physical pleasures such as a nice house, a fast car, good food, and lots of vacations. Given this, why did Bilaam equate honor with money? There are two possible motivations behind a person’s love of money; One is an attachment to gashmius, whereby he wants money to fulfill his physical desires. The second is that having a great deal of money can enable a person to receive honor and respect from others. This is not essentially a physical desire, rather it emanates from a spiritual yetser hara. This means that everyone is looking for some kind of meaning - honor is one of the main ways that a starved soul can try to derive some satisfaction. In western society today, having money is probably the greatest way of receiving honor.
This spiritual of desire for money is much more dangerous than the physical love of money. When a person wants money in order to enjoy certain luxuries, once he has them, he is satiated - this is because the goof is finite and can be satisfied. However, if the desire for honor is a ‘spiritual’ desire, then the person will never be satisfied no matter how much money he acquires - for him, money gives him honor, but his soul will instinctively crave more honor as a source of meaning. Consequently he will try to fulfill this desire by acquiring more money, but will constantly feel dissatisfied. It seems that it is this kind of love for money that Chazal refer to when they say that when a person gets 100 maneh he wants 200 maneh, and when he gets 200 maneh he wants 400 maneh. For this person, money is his means to gaining honor but he will always crave more honor, and therefore he will always want more money to satisfy this desire for honor.
From Bilaam’s equating money with honor, it is clear that Balaam’s ‘nefesh rechava’ caused him to have the more pernicious kind of love for money - the kind that emanates from a desire for honor. The Nesivos Shalom zt”l discusses how damaging this can be to a person - in the aforementioned Mishna in Avos the talmidim of Bilaam are compared with those of Avraham Avinu. Towards the end of the Mishna it asks what the difference is between the two groups. It explains that “the students of Avraham eat in Olam Hazeh and inherit Olam Haba… but the students of Bilaam Harasha inherit Gehinnom and go down to the well of destruction.[5]” What is the double lashon used with regard to Bilaam’s talmidim, of ‘Gehinnom’ and ‘well of destrcution’? The Nesivos Shalom explains that the ‘well of destruction’ refers to Olam Haba, whereas ‘Gehinnom’ actually refers to Olam Hazeh - the talmidim of Bilaam do not only experience great pain in the next world, they also suffer in this world. They are so concerned about gaining more acquisitions and more honor that they can never attain satisfaction in their lives to the extent that they live Gehinnom even in Olam Hazeh!
This explanation teaches an obvious lesson that the relentless drive for money can never provide a person with true satisfaction. A certain amount of money is a necessary means to helping people attain the end of a meaningful life, but it is essential to remain vigilant that it remains as a ‘means’ and does not become the ultimate goal in itself. Instead, occupying one’s time with developing a relationship with Hashem can provide the only source of satisfaction that leaves a person truly satisfied.
[1] Avos, 5:22.
[2] Balak, 22:16-18.
[3] Avos, 6:9.
[4] Many commentaries discuss why Bilaam’s response indicated that he was greedy; these include; Mizrachi, Maskil le David, Nachalas Yaakov, Be’er b’sadeh, Emes le Yaakov, and Rav Elyashiv in Divrei Aggadah. They offer a variety of explanations but a different approach will be used here.
[5] Avos, 5;22.
BALAK - LIVING FOR HASHEM
BALAK - LIVING FOR HASHEM
Chazal tell us that Bilaam harasha had incredible powers of prophecy which in some ways were even greater than those of Moshe Rabbeinu. Yet, at the same time, he possessed numerous bad midos. How can these two opposite factors come together in one man? The answer is that Bilaam never worked to attain his madreiga. In contrast to the Jewish neviim who had to climb the ladder of Rav Pinchas Ben Yair and reach the highest levels of tzidkus, Bilaam was given his prophetic abilities without having earned them. He clearly knew the emes, that the G-d of the Jews was the only true G-d, and that keeping the Torah would reap the ultimate reward, but, he never internalised these truths and therefore was unable to match his behaviour with his hasagos.
However, we see from his brachos to Klal Yisroel that he hoped to attain the spiritual reward that awaits tzadikkim. In his first set of blessings he expressed this desire: “May my soul die the death of the upright, and may my end be like his.[1]” The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh writes that Bilaam did not simply hope to get reward without having done any righteous act, rather he intended “that when the day of death would arrive he would improve his evil ways…he desired that at the time of death he would do teshuva and be like the righteous of the nations.” Bilaam realised that he was living a life of sheker and that he would suffer in the next world, so he wanted to do teshuva, but only at the end of his life. The Ohr Hachaim continues with an amazing observation.
“Likewise I have seen reshaim who told me that if they would be certain that if they did teshuva and would then immediately die, that they would do so, but they know that they could not maintain their teshuva for a longer period of time, because the foolish and old king [the yetser hara] dominates them.”[2]
These reshaim, like Bilaam, knew the truth but they were not prepared to live by it, they were only willing to die by it. When a Torah observant Jew sees this attitude he is struck by its foolishness, however, in a certain way, it can effect us all. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l demonstrates this point[3]: He quotes a Medrash that discusses the moments before Krias Yam Suf: It tells us that when the Jewish people were at the sea, each tribe was arguing with the other about who should enter the sea first, no-one wanted to take the first fateful steps, until Nachshon ben Amminadav stepped in first.[4] Rav Shmuelevitz asks, how can it be that no-one wanted to step into the sea? Throughout history Jews have been willing to give up their lives and those of their children for the sake of Kiddush Hashem, how is it possible that the Dor Deah were not able to make the same sacrifice?! He answers that had they been commanded to enter the sea in order to give up their lives then they would have gladly done so, but that was not the test in this instance. Rather, “they were commanded to enter in order to be saved, to jump in in order to live.”
The avoda at the Yam Suf was not to die for Hashem but to live for Him. It is much easier to give up one’s life for Hashem and then be exempt from mitzvos, than to stay alive and face the challenges that life poses.
How is this yesod relevant to us? Rav Noach Weinberg Shlita says that there is a basic question that everyone should ask themselves: ‘What am I living for, what is the purpose of my life?’ This is not such an easy question to answer in a genuine way - Torah observant Jews know that the purpose of life is to get close to Hashem but this can be a vague concept - there are many different ways in which to do this, and it is not so easy to find a specific answer to fit each individual’s unique situation and strength. Rav Weinberg gives one suggestion that can help make it a little less abstract. A person should think what he would be willing to die for. Then, he should say to himself, ‘I want to live for that.’
A good example of this is chinch; we would all willingly give up our lives for our children, yet do we devote enough time and energy towards living for them. There was a baal habayis who worked long hours trying to support his family. He even worked on Sundays. Every week his son would ask him if he had time to play with him on Sunday but his father would always answer that he had to work. One week, the desperate son asked his father, “dad, how much money do you earn on Sunday?” The bemused father answered him, and the son offered to pay the father whatever he normally earned so that he could be free to spend time with his son! This story has a sad irony; the whole reason that the father was working so hard was so as to give his children a good life, but he got so caught up in his work, that he missed the tachlis, he wasn’t being a father to his son.
Another example of this is our attitude towards Klal Yisroel. Most, if not all of us, would be willing to give up our lives for the Jewish people if they were threatened with physical or spiritual destruction. But are we willing to live for the Jewish people? Do we spend some time helping our fellow Jew in need? There are many thousands of Jews who don’t have enough food on the table and millions who have no idea what Judaism is about. Do we take out any time out of our busy lives to help them? Rav Pam zt”l drives this point home in his haskama to the biography of Irving Bunim zt”l.
“We hear so much talk these days about ahavas Yisroel, but if you want to know the real meaning of these words, translated into action, read the chapters in this book on the rescue efforts of Vaad Hatzala, headed by Reb Aron, Rav Kalmanowitz, and Irving Bunim. These men, along with the Sternbuchs in Switzerland and Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandel in Slovakia, knew no bounds in their persistent determination to move heaven and earth tosave lives, to alleviate suffering. Read it! It will move you. It will inspire you. It will give you a deeper understanding of achrayus for Klal Yisroel…But it may also disturb you, for it may be induce some painful soul-searching. Did we really do all we could to save lives then, or, for that matter, are we doing enough today to respond to the crying, desperate needs of Klal Yisroel in this generation[5]?”
We are living in a time where Klal Yisroel needs us, but it doesn’t need us to die by Kiddush Hashem, rather to live by it. Bilaam is described as a rasha despite his lofty hasagos. He knew what Hashem wanted from him, but he wasn’t willing to live by it, only to die by it. We know better than Bilaam, we are prepared to live for Hashem, but sometimes we can miss the forest for the trees and forget the tachlis. By reviewing now and again what we would be willing to die for, we can remind ourselves of what we should be living for. And what is the reward for ‘living’ for Hashem?
At the Yam Suf, no-one wanted to enter until Nachshon be Amminadav went in, he was prepared to live for Hashem, the Medrash tells that that it was because of this act that the tribe of Yehuda was zocheh to Malchus[6]. Rav Shmuelevitz describes the significance of this moment: “At that moment the tribe of Yehuda felt himself responsible for all of Yisroel to do what was required of them, and from this feeling, they became higher and greater than all of Yisroel, and were filled with strength and might to cross the sea as if it was completely dry, and through this, Yehuda was zocheh to Malchus[7]. We too, can be zocheh to greatness if we learn from Nachshon’s lesson and live for Hashem.
[1] Balak, 23:10.
[2] Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh, ibid.
[3] Sichos Mussar, Parshas Beshalach, Maamer 33.
[4] Bamidbar Rabbah 13:7
[5] A Fire in His Soul, p 8.
[6] Tosefta, Brachos, 4:16
[7] Sichos Mussar, Parshas Vayeshev, Maamer20.
Chazal tell us that Bilaam harasha had incredible powers of prophecy which in some ways were even greater than those of Moshe Rabbeinu. Yet, at the same time, he possessed numerous bad midos. How can these two opposite factors come together in one man? The answer is that Bilaam never worked to attain his madreiga. In contrast to the Jewish neviim who had to climb the ladder of Rav Pinchas Ben Yair and reach the highest levels of tzidkus, Bilaam was given his prophetic abilities without having earned them. He clearly knew the emes, that the G-d of the Jews was the only true G-d, and that keeping the Torah would reap the ultimate reward, but, he never internalised these truths and therefore was unable to match his behaviour with his hasagos.
However, we see from his brachos to Klal Yisroel that he hoped to attain the spiritual reward that awaits tzadikkim. In his first set of blessings he expressed this desire: “May my soul die the death of the upright, and may my end be like his.[1]” The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh writes that Bilaam did not simply hope to get reward without having done any righteous act, rather he intended “that when the day of death would arrive he would improve his evil ways…he desired that at the time of death he would do teshuva and be like the righteous of the nations.” Bilaam realised that he was living a life of sheker and that he would suffer in the next world, so he wanted to do teshuva, but only at the end of his life. The Ohr Hachaim continues with an amazing observation.
“Likewise I have seen reshaim who told me that if they would be certain that if they did teshuva and would then immediately die, that they would do so, but they know that they could not maintain their teshuva for a longer period of time, because the foolish and old king [the yetser hara] dominates them.”[2]
These reshaim, like Bilaam, knew the truth but they were not prepared to live by it, they were only willing to die by it. When a Torah observant Jew sees this attitude he is struck by its foolishness, however, in a certain way, it can effect us all. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l demonstrates this point[3]: He quotes a Medrash that discusses the moments before Krias Yam Suf: It tells us that when the Jewish people were at the sea, each tribe was arguing with the other about who should enter the sea first, no-one wanted to take the first fateful steps, until Nachshon ben Amminadav stepped in first.[4] Rav Shmuelevitz asks, how can it be that no-one wanted to step into the sea? Throughout history Jews have been willing to give up their lives and those of their children for the sake of Kiddush Hashem, how is it possible that the Dor Deah were not able to make the same sacrifice?! He answers that had they been commanded to enter the sea in order to give up their lives then they would have gladly done so, but that was not the test in this instance. Rather, “they were commanded to enter in order to be saved, to jump in in order to live.”
The avoda at the Yam Suf was not to die for Hashem but to live for Him. It is much easier to give up one’s life for Hashem and then be exempt from mitzvos, than to stay alive and face the challenges that life poses.
How is this yesod relevant to us? Rav Noach Weinberg Shlita says that there is a basic question that everyone should ask themselves: ‘What am I living for, what is the purpose of my life?’ This is not such an easy question to answer in a genuine way - Torah observant Jews know that the purpose of life is to get close to Hashem but this can be a vague concept - there are many different ways in which to do this, and it is not so easy to find a specific answer to fit each individual’s unique situation and strength. Rav Weinberg gives one suggestion that can help make it a little less abstract. A person should think what he would be willing to die for. Then, he should say to himself, ‘I want to live for that.’
A good example of this is chinch; we would all willingly give up our lives for our children, yet do we devote enough time and energy towards living for them. There was a baal habayis who worked long hours trying to support his family. He even worked on Sundays. Every week his son would ask him if he had time to play with him on Sunday but his father would always answer that he had to work. One week, the desperate son asked his father, “dad, how much money do you earn on Sunday?” The bemused father answered him, and the son offered to pay the father whatever he normally earned so that he could be free to spend time with his son! This story has a sad irony; the whole reason that the father was working so hard was so as to give his children a good life, but he got so caught up in his work, that he missed the tachlis, he wasn’t being a father to his son.
Another example of this is our attitude towards Klal Yisroel. Most, if not all of us, would be willing to give up our lives for the Jewish people if they were threatened with physical or spiritual destruction. But are we willing to live for the Jewish people? Do we spend some time helping our fellow Jew in need? There are many thousands of Jews who don’t have enough food on the table and millions who have no idea what Judaism is about. Do we take out any time out of our busy lives to help them? Rav Pam zt”l drives this point home in his haskama to the biography of Irving Bunim zt”l.
“We hear so much talk these days about ahavas Yisroel, but if you want to know the real meaning of these words, translated into action, read the chapters in this book on the rescue efforts of Vaad Hatzala, headed by Reb Aron, Rav Kalmanowitz, and Irving Bunim. These men, along with the Sternbuchs in Switzerland and Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandel in Slovakia, knew no bounds in their persistent determination to move heaven and earth tosave lives, to alleviate suffering. Read it! It will move you. It will inspire you. It will give you a deeper understanding of achrayus for Klal Yisroel…But it may also disturb you, for it may be induce some painful soul-searching. Did we really do all we could to save lives then, or, for that matter, are we doing enough today to respond to the crying, desperate needs of Klal Yisroel in this generation[5]?”
We are living in a time where Klal Yisroel needs us, but it doesn’t need us to die by Kiddush Hashem, rather to live by it. Bilaam is described as a rasha despite his lofty hasagos. He knew what Hashem wanted from him, but he wasn’t willing to live by it, only to die by it. We know better than Bilaam, we are prepared to live for Hashem, but sometimes we can miss the forest for the trees and forget the tachlis. By reviewing now and again what we would be willing to die for, we can remind ourselves of what we should be living for. And what is the reward for ‘living’ for Hashem?
At the Yam Suf, no-one wanted to enter until Nachshon be Amminadav went in, he was prepared to live for Hashem, the Medrash tells that that it was because of this act that the tribe of Yehuda was zocheh to Malchus[6]. Rav Shmuelevitz describes the significance of this moment: “At that moment the tribe of Yehuda felt himself responsible for all of Yisroel to do what was required of them, and from this feeling, they became higher and greater than all of Yisroel, and were filled with strength and might to cross the sea as if it was completely dry, and through this, Yehuda was zocheh to Malchus[7]. We too, can be zocheh to greatness if we learn from Nachshon’s lesson and live for Hashem.
[1] Balak, 23:10.
[2] Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh, ibid.
[3] Sichos Mussar, Parshas Beshalach, Maamer 33.
[4] Bamidbar Rabbah 13:7
[5] A Fire in His Soul, p 8.
[6] Tosefta, Brachos, 4:16
[7] Sichos Mussar, Parshas Vayeshev, Maamer20.
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