Parsha Perspectives - Balak

Good morning Bok. Welcome back to para perspectives for today. We have the privilege this week of learning para's bullak together as we continue to make our way through safer bidbar the journey of the Jewish people through the desert. Last week we fast forwarded 38 years. We now are in the 40th year the final year as the Jewish people should be and feel like they are on the cusp of entering the land and yet we still have so much more ground to cover. I want to thank our generous para series sponsors for the year Becky Navikat our dear friends in memory of Becky's father David Gman our little learning should be Louis Nishmas David Benish this morning shar is also sponsored by Beni Lavine in memory of his mother Dr. Gertard Lavine Tamagasia Bastiite is today the 12th of Thomas should have an aliyah just one housekeeping note we are taking vacation the next two weeks so we will be off the next two weeks you can find old para shirum online feel free to listen or listen to other people there are countless brilliant incredible para classes of others you could find everywhere and then we'll resume in uh three weeks from now we'll post on the WhatsApp group the complete schedule as we go to keep everybody updated parishes B page 856 in the arts scroll stone balakoros is balak the son of saw all that the Jewish people had done to the emori last week the Jewish people asked for permission to pass through the land of several and they were denied in each and every case evidence of the bias and discrimination against our people from the very onset. You almost can't read last week's para and say to yourself, "What was the big deal? Why couldn't we pass through the land?" Here we were, a brand new slave nation limping out of Mitim. True miracles were done for us. But we asked very respectfully, very gently. Can we cut through? Jews are always looking for a cut through. We never want to walk the long way. We're always looking for the cut through. So the whole nation was looking for the cut through, the shortcut. And we said, "We won't touch anything. We'll pay the tax. We'll buy the food and water off of you. We're not going to hurt you or harm you in any way. Can we just just a shortcut? Have some have some sympathy. We were just slaves for 210 years. Have some sympathy. And did they have sympathy? No. With no reason to hate us from our very outset, from our very beginning, from our very inception, they already had this bias against us. And in all the cases of last week's para, they said, "No, no, you can't cut through. You're not allowed to get through." So, but and then we ended up going to war. turn. Of course, we won because Hashem is on our side. Much like we just saw with the 12-day war and like we're living through the miracles of our time. So, Balak, the son of Tip, saw this and he was a little worried. He was a little nervous. He was a little afraid. What was he afraid of? He saw all that the Jewish people had done. So, the simple understanding of the text ami he saw what we had done to the Amori people. But I want to tell you insight to this the magnet of trisks. This is brought down by the amoros and a lot of the I shared this with you before whether this far mean it to they mean to suggest this is or they're using the p as a platform to communicate a message. It doesn't matter which either way the message is true the message is compelling and the message is one we should listen to. So the magnet of trisk said the following on this poll. He saw all we had done to keep reading the next. So Moav was very frightened. They were very afraid. They saw the Jewish people were numerous. We were growing and was disgusted in the face of the Jewish people. They were worried. They were afraid. And they became repulsed and disgusted. What was Baka threatened by? What was nervous about? What bothered him so much? After all, we're a slave nation. I just said we're limping out of Mim. Two centuries of slavery, subjugation. In fact, all those who left Egypt had died in the desert. The whole nation that's left right now are young. They were born later. They hadn't sinned with the moragland. So they weren't destined to die in the desert. What were they so threatened by? This youthful nation, young, inexperienced, immature in some ways, unsophisticated, undeveloped. Not me, but Moshe describes as an encourageable nation of complainers. And here Balak is so threatened and nervous. What is he so threatened and nervous about? The says that the is alluding to it. Don't read the verse. The P as they were so worried about what we had done to the Amori people. But read it. They were threatened by what we do with our Amira and what's the power of speech. Wow, what a people. What a nation. What are they busy and occupied with throughout the desert? They're sitting and learning Torah and they're sitting and talking to Hashem. It's incredible. Look at this group, this room of adults who've graduated every formal education who voluntarily on a Tuesday morning are coming to learn, to listen, to grow, to study, to use our words to improve, to make progress, to advance. Wow. Wow. Nothing wrong with and some of us also golf and tennis and maang and all the other fun things you can do. And while many other of your peers are doing that all day and every day, here you are sitting in stying learning. You can hear through the door the sounds of our summer colo. An incredible group of young men learning day and night and learning in the evenings with our local balabatum, our local community. Our cola bokeh that started at 6:15 this morning. The mñana. By the way, there's still another one that's not even going to start for another 45 minutes. The minyanim that go on all morning, all afternoon, and all night. What threatened Bullock? What was he so threatened by? When he saw, wow, look at this nation who aren't acting like victims. They're not walking around like martyrs. They're not negative complainers. Here they are doing what? Emori amore. They're using the power of speech for Torah and file. They're looking to grow and to advance, to study, to learn, to dav, to pray. Wow, what a people. And therefore, he became very afraid. The people conotes the simple people, the average people. Even those who' cooled off, even those who were lukewarm, even those who weren't on fire, not the young summer guys who just got back from the average, the so-called the, you know, we use a term today, the who's the every man, the every woman, the average person. Not talking about those on fire. You're not talking about the biggest and the biggest. Who was he afraid of? The He saw the He saw the the average everyday regular people who came to Din to learn to grow. And what was he afraid of? What the Jewish people had done with their power of speech. It's incredible. Last night at Marav I don't know we were 80 100 men and one person said kadesh and it strikes me one minar is full because a lot of people are mourning and grieving they have to say kadesh so okay it's packed because people are here to say kadesh but we now have early the plague mk the regular we have many and even that mka was packed and there was one voice it was so unusual because there's usually many and I looked around and I saw older people and children and everyone in between I said wow they're here why Not because they're not because they're saying kadesh. They're here because it's and a Jew comes to sh to say and that's what Bak saw. That's what Bak was threatened by. He was threatened with the Jewish people. What we did with Look at the Jewish people learning and davening. Look at the images still coming out. Nebuch lost five precious soldiers in Gaza. We dedicate our learning in their memory and to the strength and comfort of their families. They don't need us to dedicate to their memory because their soul can't go any higher. Any soldier who gave his life for the Jewish people is right next to the kayak. Their soul can't go any higher. So we don't need to learn in the merit of the nama having an aliyah but that their family find strength and comfort. But you continue to get images of soldiers making sum learning to dvening making minyanim learning in these unimaginable places. That's what Bullock was afraid of. That's what And that's these five soldiers and 16 who were injured yesterday. They came from a unit of religious. These were all religious soldiers. Not that one soldier's life is more precious than another, but these were soldiers who were learning and who were dvening throughout fighting and battling to protect and save a Jewish people. And that's what Bulock looked at and he said, "We're in trouble. We're in trouble. what the Jewish people have done with the power of speech. We're in trouble. We're in trouble. That's what quotes from his father. Even the average Jew who's going to work all day, negotiating business deals, who's working all day, who's shopping, cooking, planning, Pilates, the day is so busy, so occupied, so preoccupied, they could almost forget there's a God so busy work and shopping and working, exercising, carpool, and all of a sudden punked time comes. The alarm on the phone goes off and they remember I'm running out of options at BRS. It's the now he says the whole day is over. It's and I haven't taken advantage. I haven't utilized it fully. I haven't learned. I haven't used it to do. And this Jew so busy all day almost forgets there's a God runs to the side of the alleyway to this Jew doesn't know which way to hold the sitter. This Jew breaks his or her teeth on the doing on the This Jew doesn't even know what the words mean said the holy of this Jew who almost forgot God who's so busy running occupied preoccupied all day doesn't even know what the words mean but when he pulls over you ever driving in Israel the side of a road you see somebody who pulled over because the sun is setting and they're running out of time they just have see Jews organized at a baseball game, a Yankee stadium, a Mina, and you say, "Wow, wow," says the Balmto. You know how holy and how high those prayers are. That's what Balok was worried about. Everyone else is saying, "Beer here. Get another beer and peanuts." And there's a group of Jews underneath the staircase who are ding a mah. By the way, there's not one MK. There's a Mina at every kosher stand all over the stadium. There's multiple. There's a MK you'd go to and the MK you'd never go to. People you ding with people you'd never be caught dead with. We even have breakaway mas at Yankee Stadium. It's unbelievable. And then the Marav and then the and the Bashtov said, "Wow. Wow. It's unbelievable." So the cynic, by the way, says, "What are they wasting their time? They're at a baseball game. What are they wasting their time hanging out? The daff we just learned about going to stadiums. What are they wasting their time?" But the bashto said, "Wow, look at these Jews. They remember there's an abisher. There's Hashem. And look what they're doing. Emori, look what the Jewish people are doing with Amira and Debor. They're diving a Mina. Wow. And Bolock looks at that. Bollock's also at the Yankee game. He's probably there to root for the Red Sox, but Bolock's also at the game. And he looks and he sees Mashi is what they're doing with Amira and Dbor. They're domining. They're staging. They're learning. They're opening a safer between innings or throughout the whole game. They're taking advantage of their time. Wow. is says that according to the mag the mag this is what bol was afraid of the regular everyday Jews the sadikimos the moetsas the gdole that didn't make him afraid that's a handful he could take them but the am the where only one person is saying kadesh but mk is packed the minyam all day long bak takes one look and he says forget about about it. How are we going to defeat this people? Look what they're doing with the He's worried about because he sees wow because of the he's in trouble from them. That's what he is. That's what he's worried about. That's what he's worried about. At the beginning it says he saw all the Jewish people did to the what did Balak see? What did he focus on? what the Jewish people did to their enemy. Now, did the Jewish people do it unprecipitated? Did the Jewish people do it unprovoked? Did the Jewish people wake up one morning and decide, "We're going to wipe out Amori. Let's ethnically cleanse the land of the Amori." No, of course not. Because they were attacked. Because they were confronted. Because Amori came after them. But guess what? Balak didn't see that. What side of the story did Balak say? Where does Balak start the whole story when he saw everything that what I what about what amii did to Israel writes and he wrote this before October 7th. The safer is a couple years old. This is the method of they only see what they want to see. And they don't see and they don't focus and they don't report on what they don't want to say. even our so-called friends and allies. They're students of they see when we respond. They see when we defend ourselves. They see when we step up. But they forget. What about theam? They don't focus on the Arabs who attack us. They roll their eyes. They refuse to see. They refuse to focus. This is a path the students of Balak. And is it not exactly what we're living through right now? All these conversations, a genocide in Gaza, the death of innocent civilians, children being wiped out, ethnically cleansing, what did they the IDF wake up one morning and decide we're going to go attack, we're going to go kill innocent people October 7th. But that they don't see, that they don't talk about, that they don't focus on, hiding behind human shields, the evidence. Israel killed a hundred civilians in Iran in 12-day war, wiped out Iran, barely took out anybody. barely took out anybody. They wiped out the Syrian nuclear reactor. There wasn't one civilian casualty. They wiped out the Iraqi nuclear reactor. There was one civilian casualty. How come in Gaza the tens of thousands? It's one simple answer, one reason. Because kamas are hiding behind them as human shields. And because Egypt and no other country will let them flee as refugees from a war zone. But nobody wants to tell that side of the story. All they talk about is all they're talking about is what the Jewish people do to the enemy. They don't start from the beginning what the enemy did to the Jewish people says this is not a new phenomenon. Kamas has Pierce Morgan. They're Talmid of Balakar Russia. Pierce is a spiritual descendant of Balak. He's violating the same. He's following the same methodology. They don't tell the story from the beginning. They only pick it up from where they want. That paints the Jewish people in a terrible light. And that story is one that continues until now. Rabbi Saxs, Rabbi Lord Saxs begins his Kumish. And listen to how he describes this. I was blown away when I saw this. We're introduced to Bum, a religious virtuoso in his own society, a sought-after shaman, a spellbinder, a miracle worker on the Puk. There's never a risen a prophet in Israel like Mosha. Torah tells us Mosha that there's never been a prophet like Moshe. We've never had a prophet in the Jewish people like Moshe. However, among the nations of the world, there is a prophet on par with Moshe. And what was his name? Bum. Why? Lest the nations of the world say, "Look, Jewish people, goody tush, honor society, your favorites." They had Moshe. They had a moha to keep him in line, keep him in check. We didn't have a Moshe. If we had a charismatic, brilliant leader, we also would have been better behaved. So, Hashem says, "Okay, I'm giving you one. His name is Bum. He's a N'vi. He's a prophet on par with Moshe." Yet, the ultimate verdict on Bum is negative, says Rabbi Saxs. The picture that emerges from the Jewish sources, a man with great gifts, a genuine prophet, a man of the sages compared to Moshe himself, yet at the same time a figure of flawed character that eventually led to his own downfall and to his reputation as an evildoer, one of those mentioned by the Mishna as having been denied a share in the world to come. When the Mishna tells us, who are those who have no on that list? The notorious villain Bum. Bum had all the potential in the world to be a great prophet of God of Hashem. Instead, he is a notorious villain. He goes down in history as a villain. Wonders, Rabbi Lord Sax, what was his flaw? Where did Bum go wrong? And listen to what he says. There are many speculations, but one suggestion giving in the Gmorrah infers the answer from his very name, the etmology of his name. What is the meaning of bum? says the son of bum means a man below am a man without a people a man without a nation I saw this insight and immediately made me realize this is what we're witnessing and experiencing this is what we're victims of again today who's bum bum is the first grifter what's a grifter a grifter this is a new word I don't blame you for not knowing A grifter is a public personality, often a media personality or politician, whose opinions change based on where they'll get the biggest following and make the most money. They grift. A grifter is somebody who is drawn. They don't have any principles. Or as a rabbi I'm close with in Florida who I love, he says to me, "I'm a very principled man. And if you don't like them, I can change them." So Bum was a principled man. If you don't like them, you can change them. He's Bum Blo. He's not loyal to a people, to a community, to a nation. Bam is a prophet for hire, a man with no loyalties. He has supernatural powers. He can bless someone, that person will succeed. He can curse the person will be blighted by misfortune. But there's no hint in any of the reports, biblical or otherwise, that Bib Bum is a prophet in the moral sense. that he's concerned with justice, the rights and wrongs of those whose lives he affects. Bam has skills and he uses them with devastating effect. But he has no commitments, no loyalties, no rootedness in humanity. He's a man below without a people. Moshe is the opposite. What does Moshe say about him? What's Mosha's greatest character trait? loyalty, reliability, dependability, fidelity. Moshe till the end is loyal to his people. He gives up and he sacrifices so much to a degree his wife to a certain degree his very children. He gives up so much because he's loyal endlessly. He's he's trustworthy, trusted, loyal. The Hebrew word amuna is usually translated as faith and that's what it came to mean in the Middle Ages. But in the Torah, it is better translated as faithfulness, reliability, loyalty. It means not walking away from the other party when times are tough. It's a key covenantal virtue. There are people with great gifts, intellectual, and sometimes even spiritual who nonetheless fail to achieve what they might have done. They lack the basic moral quality of integrity, honesty, humility, and loyalty. What they do, they do brilliantly, but often they do the wrong things. Conscious of their unusual endowments, they give way to pride, arrogance, and a belief they can somehow get away with great crimes. Bum is a classic example. Prophecy is a form of leadership. But leadership without loyalty is not leadership. Skills alone cannot substitute for the moral qualities that make people follow those who demonstrate them. We follow those who we trust because they have acted so as to earn our trust. That was what made Moshe the great leader. Bum might have been but never was. When I saw this, I thought to myself, Bum is the first grifter in history. Mamasha grifter. Bam. Biam. He has no loyalty. No nation, no people. Who will get me the most followers? How will I get the most likes? How will I get the most views? What will bring me in the most money? Think about these media personalities. At one point, they were loyal to the Jewish people. At one point, they spoke the truth about Israel. Pierce, Candace, the list can go on. Tucker, the list can go on and on. And they're grifters because they're bums. They're bam. They have no loyalty to any people, to any nation, to any values, to any principles. Who will pay them? Qatar, who's gonna pay them? Put them on their payroll to say and to advance and to interview evil, wicked people and let them off the hook because when you're ble you'll grift and you'll migrate to wherever you'll make the most money, whoever will give you the biggest fame and fortune. And they are the spiritual descendants of Bum. And so if they're also the spiritual descendants of Balak of Balak that they only tell part of the story. They only talk about what the Jewish people did to Amori. They don't talk about what Amori did as to start the war with Israel. They're also descendants of Bum Bam grifters with no nation, no people, no loyalty. So what happens? Bam goes and he recruits Bum to curse the Jewish people. He sends these literal or figurative. The word means messengers. He sent agents to go recruit bum, but the word malim could also mean angels. And the commentaries here debate this beautiful interpretations of both sides, but we're not going to get into it. And he recruits him. And the text here is fascinating. I can point this out. We haven't had many paral. I'm often away. But when we have, I always point out when you read the Torah itself, you it paints a picture. You get the impression that Bum is a very decent guy because they come to recruit him and he says, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I can't go anywhere without permission from Hashem. I'm a man of faith, man of principle. Unless I get the green light, the okay from above, I can't go anywhere." And he continues to do that. And then he's supposed to curse, but he blesses. He doesn't seem so upset that he gave the blessing in the end. If you just read the Torah text, you could be fooled to think he's not a bad guy. But when you read in between the text, the Torah tells us and reveals to us just just how evil and wicked he really is. So much so, he has no portion in the world to come. And he goes back and forth with God in terms of being recruited, the yes, the no, and so on. So much so that you get to the next page. Listen, you keep muttering me. You keep asking me, you won't take no for an answer. So, I'll tell you what. So, go already. If they come and sum and you arise and go with them. If you want to go so badly, fine. Go already. But here's the deal. If you go, you can only say only what I tell you to say. Oh, only that can you speak. Only that can you say. So, Rabbi Saxs, one more, maybe two more. Sax says for today, go with them. Go with them. Skip ahead now. Turn top of the next page. Then God gets infuriated. God gets outraged. What are you doing? How could you go? And an angel blocks the path. Blocks the way. Bam is riding on his donkey. He's got his two young men with him. Hashem is blocking the path. But the Pik describes gets enraged. What are you doing? How dare you go? So all the jump on this and ask one second. Poor bum. Took him ago. Hashem just said, "What? If you want to go so badly, fine. Get up and go." And now later, God gets angry. His wrath, how dare you? He blocks the path. Which is it? Which is it? Did Hashem change his mind? Not once but twice in a single narrative. It seems like Hashem keeps changing his mind. Go. Don't go. Go. Don't go. I'm okay with you going. I'm furious if you go. Which is it? Which is it? So the first offer various ways of resolving the contradiction. According to the Ramban, the Rabban weighs in. And when the Ramban Rabban says that when Hashem first says don't go with them, he meant don't curse claw Israel. And when he said go with them, he meant but make it clear you'll only say the words I put in your mouth. So Hashem was angry with Bum not because he went that he had given him permission to do. When he saidum he meant you can go but don't curse them. He was angry not because he went but because he didn't tell them the condition. When they come get bum he should have said look I have permission to go but here's the deal. I can't say what you want me to say. when I open my mouth, I'm only going to say what Hashem wants me to say. He left out the condition and that's what Hashem was about. So he said, I don't understand. Hashem gave him permission. Then he gets angry. He went, what happened? So the Ramban says the permission was to go on a condition. Bum omitted. He left out the condition and that's why Hashem got angry. The Malb Meckllinburgg both in the 19th century give a different answer. Torah uses two different words for with them in the first and the second reply. When Hashem says don't go with them, pay careful attention. What does he say? What's the Hebrew word he uses? Don't go with them. When he later says, "Okay, so go already." What does he say? Goam. What's the difference between Imah and pay careful attention the Malim the Kabala paid careful attention and they found the solution to the question in the change of words when he said don't go he says don't go and when he says fine permission granted he uses the word you can go the two prepositions have subtly different meanings means with them mentally as well as physically go along with their plans don't just go with them physically but go along with their plans. Means you can go with them physically but not mentally. In other words, Bum could accompany them but not sure their purpose or intention. Hashem is angry when Bum goes because he identifies with their mission. What stirred Hashem to be angry was not that he went. After all, Hashem said you can go but Hashem said you can go what? Imm physically be with them but spiritually be with me. But what did Bum do? He went ahead and he went. He didn't just physically join them. He spiritually joined them. And that's what infuriated enraged Hashem when Bum agreed with them and joined. Then Rabbi Saxs gives his own answer. Listen to this answer. The hardest word to hear in any language is the word no. Nobody wants to hear no. When you want something and you want it badly, it's very hard to hear no. You desperately want a shik. You're dating and there's no end in sight. It feels like there's a no. Feels like there's a no. A child, his parent says, "You can't have that candy. You can't stay up past your bedtime. You can't buy that toy." Nobody wants to hear a no from a child to an adult. Bam asked Hashem once and Hashem said no. And that should have sufficed. Should suffice when a parent tells a kid no also. But then the negotiation is just beginning. we should send our kids to the Middle East to figure out how to get the hostages home. They're the master negotiators. When they hear no, they know that's just our opening salvo. The negotiation is just beginning. But when a person hears a no from Hashem, so that's it. He's the divine omnipotent infinite Hashem. His no should be a hard and fast no. It should be a no. But what does Bum do? Pretty please God. Come on. Can't you make an exception? Bam negotiates with the Abisher and Hashem does not change his mind. Bam's delay says something not about Hashem but about himself. He's not accepted the divine refusal. He wants to hear the answer. Yes. So much so says Rabbi Saxs that indeed that's what he hears. It's not that Hashem changes his mind. This is Rabbi Sax's suggestion. You listening? It's not that Hashem changes his mind because what right then does Hashem have to get angry. It's that Bum hears what he wants to hear. Hashem said no. But when Bum goes back and mushers him and chases him and drives him crazy and asks again, he hears Hashem say yes. Not because Hashem wants him to go, but because God speaks once and if we refuse to accept what he says, God does not force his will upon us. tell us that the path that a person wants to go, Hashem draws us. The true meaning of Hashem's second reply, go with them, is if you insist, I can't stop you. But I'm angry with you that you asked a second time. If Hashem speaks and we don't listen, he does not intervene to save us from our own choices. But Hashem is not prepared to let Bum proceed as if he has divine consent. This is to be Bum's lesson. What we too must discover if we want to be open to the voice of Hashem. Sometimes when it's a no, it's a no and we have to be willing to accept it. So Bum gets up and he goes bum. He gets up and he goes back to Bum. How does Bum get up to go? So tells us Rashi Bam wakes up early in the morning and he gets his donkey ready and he goes with the officers of Moisur. Bam liked to sleep in generally but for this he set his alarm and woke up early. He had no problem jumping out of bed. Bam was an early riser acting with elacrity and zeal. Why? Hate drives people. Hate makes us do things we ordinarily don't do. Normally bum said, "Do you know who I am? Do you know how many followers I have online? Do you know how popular my podcast is? What do you think? I'm going to saddle my own donkey. I have a whole staff. I have an entourage. I have people to do that. What are you crazy? You have any idea how many people listen and watch my show? But for this at the chance to wake up early and go curse the Jewish people, he jumped out of bed early in the morning. He saddled his own donkey. So says, "Russia, wicked one. You think you're the first to wake up early in the morning and saddle your own donkey?" Aram, their forefather got up early, saddled his own donkey. I ask him a woke up early. What morning was that? The morning of the morning of the binding of Andra woke up early in the morning and he too had young men who could have helped. Saddled his own donkey, got started on his day. Wonders of Duk as we all are. What in the world is going on tells Bum, what do you think? I'm impressed. You woke up early and saddled your donkey a beat to it. He already did it. He woke up early. He sat his own donkey and he was going to What in the world is the comparison? Why are we drawing a comparison? What's going on? What's going on over here? What's going on over here? I'm just deciding which of the two of interpretations to share with you. Yeah. So, the first interpretation he gives of meaning now when God told why did he want him to saddle his donkey where were they going what was their destination I want you to take your son your only son the son you love your legacy your future and I want you to do what you've been preaching to the whole world that they shouldn't do I want you to offer him as a sacrifice so what would have been the natural thing for aim to do sleep in delay, take time, slash his own tires to say, "I'm sorry. I've got to get it fixed. I got to call AAA. They're taking forever to get here." If there's something you desperately don't want to do, you're going to find every way in the world to delay it. To delay, to procrastinate, to shle it out. After all, where was he meant to go? What was he supposed to do? He's going to offer his son. And yet, nevertheless, despite that, even though what he was going to do was not something he wanted to do, and why? Because love, love makes you do crazy things. Love makes you, when you love someone, you take crazy risks. You stay up all night talking to them. You spend money you don't have. When you're in love, you do crazy things. his diaries au didn't love what he was being asked to do but Aram loved Hashem so to give to give pride and joy to Hashem jumped up and woke up and that's what Hashem is telling Bum you woke up and you jump jumped up early in the morning to do something you're excited to do you think you're impressing me a showed the same enthusiasm and zeal to jump up to do something that he desperately did not want to do you think you're impressing me a beat you do it. Not to do something he loves and wants to do, but to do something he desperately didn't want to do. And that is not the comparison, but that's the indictment of Bum. You're not impressing me. You're not impressing me. You know, there are people who can't get up. They're late to minion. They miss minion altogether. They're late to school, but then you make them the first tea time in the morning. Oh, they jump out of bed. They're ready and raring to go for the thing that they're super excited for that they could jump up that they'd never be late. that they're so excited for. So they say, "Aren't you impressed I got up early?" No, not impressed when you wake up early for the thing you're excited about. I'm impressed when you wake up early because you made it to I'm impressed that you woke up and ran to go fast. I'm impressed that you wake up. I'm impressed when you wake up for the things you don't want to do. And that's what Hashem was answering to Bum. You're not impressing me already beat you to it. Page 860. So, Hashem gets angry at him. He puts a malik to block the way. And this donkey now stops and Bum hits it and stops and he hits it. And finally the donkey talks back, talks up and challenges Bum. What are you doing? God opened the mouth of the donkey. What? What did you do to me? What's going on over here that you've now hit me shall three times? What's the significance of shellum? You've now hit me three times. Some say what bum wanted to undo was the shaolum. The Jewish people's observance of our shellum the yontiffs. But you shall literally translates as you've now hit me three times. What are you doing? Why'd you hit me? Why'd you hit me? What's going on? On the PK on this P the sworno writes the donkey was given the power of speech just like we say at the beginning of every Hashem open my lips so that I can speak your praise. Huh? The donkey miraculously spoke just like we begin every Amida by saying Hashem moved my lips. Hashem moved the donkey's lips just like we begin our amid and say Hashem moved my lips. What are we bunch of donkeys? What kind of comparison how obnoxious? So said quoting the Yonas this is quoted by Rev Weinfeld. I will gladly endorse the new safer. My dear friend Bapolski recorded the teachings of his rebi our rebi Rabbi Wininfeld of Katka Weinfeld. You can now order timely and timeless his wonderful insights on para and Ravinfeld quotes the following. What kind of comparison iso making? Hashem opened the mouth of the donkey to the request we make at the beginning of the Amida. So explains, you see from thiso, the fact that a person can open his mouth and dav to Hashem is as much of a as much of a miracle as a donkey speaking. In the end of the day, it's all only what Hashem wants or allows us to do. Who says you get an audience with the Almighty? Who says you get to tell him what you're happy about, what you protest, what you want him to do differently? Who entitles you? Who gave you license? Who enabled you? who allows you to articulate your thoughts. So even when a person feels he's incapable and inadequate, he never really is adequately prepared to speak to Hashem. The gap requires a tremendous leap that not really possible with human effort. Just like it required a tremendous leap for the donkey to speak to bum. But if we commit to doing it even though we don't really feel capable, Hashem will grant us the ability to talk to him. Hashem gives us that ability. That's the comparison. So every time we take those three steps forward and we say Hashem's, Hashem, move my lips and give me the ability to say your praise, to talk to you, we're recognizing Hashem, even though I feel like and I've acted like a donkey. I know what I was watching late last night. I know I used these lips to say gossip. I know I did actions that I'm embarrassed about. I feel ashamed. What right do I have to now talk to you? Hashem's the same way you move the lips of the donkey, move my lips even when I act like a donkey to nevertheless trust that I can turn to you, confide in you, talk to you, thank you, lean on you, and be able to tell you what I need from you. I apologize the noise from the construction. I don't really apologize. Sorry, not sorry. It's what I'm living with now every day. It's the sound of building Torah. It's not the sound of construction. It's the sound of spreading and building Torah. So, it's the most beautiful sound in the world, even if it's going to require a Costco size bucket of Advil to get through the next few months. Okay, that is Rav Weinfeld. You know that we're going to get to the says the Oh, says open the mouth of the donkey. Why would God intervene in nature to make a miracle here? God doesn't make miracles all the time. Not only hidden miracles, but this is a revealed miracle. A donkey talking. Donkeys don't normally talk. Hashem created the world and the natural order. And he pressed start. He pressed go. And now there's a world in motion, something called nature. And he intervenes. He suspends nature. He does miracles very selectively, very infrequently. And this is one of the times for a donkey to talk to this low-life bum. That's a that's a good enough justification or reason to intervene and intercede in nature. Makes no sense. Refers us to Shabasiml. a story of a of a woman who shouldn't have been able to nurse and Hashem made a miracle and gave her the power to nurse. And you see when a miracle happens for you, it doesn't reflect your worthy reflects your unworthy. Because if you're worthy, God enables things to happen through the natural order. Why did Hashem make this great miracle that he opened the mouth of the donkey says we know the mission of us tells us don't be a student of bum why who are the students of bum in the fifth chapter of a person who behaves with a negative critical eye with an arrogant An arrogant spirit with an inflated ego is a student of a disciple of buma. The students are so arrogant. Certainly the teacher, the master has an incredible ego. Could you imagine a person would come over to Bum and say, "Look, I want to give you some feedback. It's unsolicited, but I have some advice. I think you're going about it all wrong. I got to tell you the way it is. What would Bill Bum say? He'd say, "Are you crazy? Are you out of your mind? I'm going to listen to you what you have to say. Who are you to give me criticism or feedback? Do you know who I am? Do you know how many followers? Do you know how many people watch and listen to my podcast and my show? Do you know who I am? What are you going to tell me I'm wrong?" Even if would come and give him when a person is so arrogant and is such a grifter that all they care about his followers and fame and money they're never going to listen to anything but all of a sudden something unnatural something extraordinary the donkey who's not your equal the donkey who never was in the arena of giving you feedback a donkey is now giving you muser Even the most arrogant person can't deny there's something unusual happening. And that's why Hashem had to intervene. Why? Because the balgiva, the arrogant one, doesn't pick up the signal and doesn't listen to the message from anyone or anything around them. The balgya, Hashem, needs something unnatural to happen to wake them up, to shake them, to speak to them, to get them to listen. And that's what's going on over here. So much so that Hashem is willing to intervene and intercede to get bum to open his eyes and to be willing to listen even even a little bit. Even a little bit and what is a donkey? You're my donkey. And you'll excuse me. You're my donkey that you've ridden on me. But Rashi Kazal tell us I'm your donkey that you've not only ridden that you've mounted. We've been intimate. Bam practiced beastiality. Bum was a low life, immoral, had no boundaries. And the donkey is not telling him, "What are you giving me a zets? I'm calling shalom task force. This is domestic abuse. You and I are in a relationship and now you're smacking me around three times. The donkey says, "Am I not your donkey that you've been on me all your life until this day? Have I been accustomed to do such a thing to you?" and he said no says the medish tells us [Music] when Bum who is the wisest of wise Bum who the Torah tells us is on par with Moshe in his prophecy and yet he's getting muser he's being smacked down by a donkey. A donkey is the lowly, the stupid of the animal kingdom. Woe onto those who are elevated, exalted, those who are bright and have broken through and yet they get muser from as unlikely of places. Sometimes the stupidest, the most foolish, the most unsophisticated, the lowly donkey can see the truth while the the wisest one is blinded. And is there a bigger muser? Is there a greater sense of shame that the lowly low can see what even the wise one fails to see? A person who doesn't perceive and sense and feel I'm in this world and I'm engaged in a battle. If they could be the smartest, the wisest, you could have the highest SAT score, the highest IQ, could have gone to the best universities, you could have the biggest show and following online. But if you can't see the writing on the wall, you don't see what even the lowly donkey sees. What are you worth? knew there was one thing in a eight to a tree of knowledge that knew good and evil that one piece of knowledge that I can't have it that I have to battle and struggle with it that I have to avoid it that one thing was enough for him to realize that life being alive is a battle is a battle So that's what's going on over here. That's what the med is telling us. Bum, you're so smart. And how much have we seen this? How many brilliant, accomplished, wealthy, famous politicians, athletes, leaders, media personalities have thrown it all away over the biggest stupidity that the most unsophisticated fool would have told them this is going to be your demise. Doesn't matter how smart, how brilliant your breakthrough. If you can't listen to the messages around us. If a person doesn't live with a mindfulness that all of us are vulnerable and susceptible, none of us are immune to having to overcome those drives, those instincts, those yates that we are all in a war with our alter ego. Even the the lowly donkey could see and give to this great woe unto us for when that is going to happen. For when that is going to happen, let's continue. I was going to do but we'll skip that. Let's go back to Rabbi Saxs. Another beautiful insight. Puk test page of Pik test. Yes. Now, Bum has been recruited to curse the Jewish people. Instead, he opens his mouth and what happens? He blesses them. Anyone see the video a couple weeks ago of one of the ministers of Iran in their parliament and he's testifying and he wants to talk about why Israel should never exist and he got confused and he talked about Israel's right to exist. It was Mamish watching the para come alive. Mamesh like Bam Harasha Hashem put words in his mouth. He tried to curse the Jewish people and instead he gave a blessing to the Jewish people. It's an amazing thing because when you read the Torah you're like ah that can never happen. Okay, it just happened and clearly it happened then too. So when bum opens his mouth to curse us instead he blesses usu from its origins I see it rock-like from its s do I see it this is a nation a nation that will dwell alone in solitude and not be reckoned among the nations. It will never be respected by the United Nations, by the nations. It'll never be reckoned or respected by the nations. Instead, it dwells and it lives in solitude. It dwells and it lives alone. Alone. Says theos says the holy. What does that mean? The nope. Sorry. Hashem is called the lonely one, the singular one. Hashem is unique and distinct. Hashem dwells all alone. We say this in the period of when we sing. What do we say? We all believe that Hashem is Hashem is singular and alone. since Hashem who's singular and all alone dwells on us. So we too are singular and all alone. So he's alone. We're alone. Lonely hearts are drawn to one another. Hashem is alone in this world singular and in part. We're lonely, isolated. So Hashem dwells among us. We are not included among the nations. We'll never break through. We'll never get that validation, recognition. We'll never be equals. We always will live. Why? One can argue that's the biggest barrier to assimilation. If we'd be allowed to integrate, we'd assimilate and we disappear. And therefore, though we don't welcome it or want it, the hostility of the nations around us keeps us in existence. It keeps us in existence. But here, the promise of the Torah is we are always going to dwell alone. We're going to soon this Sunday begin the three weeks with pleas by tishab together. the B mikdash offering but if not we'll read of night and we'll read those words that are haunting how we sit and we dwell alone and we still do we sit and we dwell alone we sit and we dwell alone the nations of the world we have friends and there are friends who love us more than we ever imagined but relatively few among the nations of the world we continue to sit and dwell alone own. It's part of the promise for whatever reason and it's said, "However, Rabbi Saxs encourages us to read it differently." Listen to what he writes. This is a very ambiguous blessing. Being alone from a Torah perspective is not a good thing. First time the words not good appear in the Torah. Loto. What's the first time we see the two words loc? It's not good for a person to be alone. When Adam is all alone, Hashem says, "No, this isn't good. I need to find you a wife." The second time, Loto, is when Yes comes and sees Moshe and he says, "Uh, Loto, I don't like the way that you're leading, that you're taking care of of the people all by yourself. Lotove, you need to delegate. You need to include others. What are you doing? We cannot thrive and live alone. Isolation is not a blessing." Quite the opposite. The wordad appears in two other profoundly negative contexts. In the case of the when a person has it says somebody who has who has they sit outside the camp and the only context in which bad is a positive sense is when it is applied to Hashem for obviously logical reasons in's view a people that dwells alone eventually became not a blessing but a curse. What is more, a people that dwells alone risks turning from an ambiguous prophecy to a self-fulfilling one. Why bother to make friends and allies if you know in advance that you will fail. Those who take refuge in solitude compound their problems rather than solving them. So listen observes, nowhere in Tanakh are we told it will be the fate of Israel or the Jews to be hated. To the contrary, the prophets foresaw that there would come a time when the nations would turn to Israel for inspiration. Isolation may at times be the Jewish condition, but it is not the Jewish vocation. We must treat this pronouncement with caution. It is Bam's curse, not God's blessing. Don't read as some fatalistic conclusion. Warns Rabbi Sachs. Nowhere does Tanakh promise we have to live this way. It is Bum's curse, not God's blessing. It may at times be the Jewish condition, but it's never the Jewish vocation. We should never settle for it. We should never be satisfied with it. We deserve. If you're not going to respect us, fear us. We don't have to live. And I'll tell you, we're not Levad. We're not Levad. It was extraordinary. I guess I'm allowed to say this now that the law changed and 501c3s are allowed to endorse polit. I'm not endorsing any politicians. I'm still not going to endorse any politician despite that law changing. But I will tell you it was remarkable what happened in the Roosevelt room last night. To watch the camaraderie and the friendship at least on display, let's hope and believe it's genuine between the president of America and the prime minister of Israel who look like best buddies. They look like they went to the same fraternity. That when reporters are trying to drive a wedge between them, it doesn't and it can't happen. Mr. President, what do you think of the two-state solution? He refuses to take the bait. Ask the prime minister. He's the expert. Nobody knows better. What do you say? How do you feel that the future mayor of New York may arrest you if you try to come? I'm not going to arrest him. I'm going to come to New York with him. We're going to arrest that future mayor. Unbelievable. So, we're not Levadon with all the challenges and with all the issues and with all the media personalities and all the spiritual errors of Balak and Bam. We're not Levad. And we have to express gratitude that we're not Levad. And to see such displays, maybe cynics will say it's only a display. It's transactional. It can ch maybe maybe but you know what while it happens be grateful for it. Say thank you for it and lean in and say that being led doesn't have to be our vocation. It may be a condition. It doesn't have to be our vocation. We shouldn't and don't have to ever settle for it. We should be grateful that we can change it. I had some more of these beautiful brahos that bum intended as a curse but turned out to be a braha about the dust of the earth. that Hashem doesn't look at our iniquity and sins. He sees only our good things. But Hashem will get into it next year. We are on tomorrow for Tanya and living with Amuna. But a reminder, we're off for the next two weeks. A little vacation and you can listen to online or find those of others and then we'll resume. We're going to put the entire schedule in the WhatsApp so you can follow from there. It should be a day. Please God bes Yeshu.