Parshas Balak
The rabbis of the Talmud compared Bilaam to Moshe. On the surface at least
this is a very strange comparison. Bilaam was certainly a master of prose
and poetry, as was Moshe. But I do not believe that the rabbis were
judging literary abilities in making that statement. Rather I believe they
were talking about the potential to teach and influence masses of people,
as well as generations yet unborn. Moshe uses that gift granted to him by
God to transmit the values of Torah and morality to the Jewish people and
through them unto the world. Bilaam uses his gift for unprincipled
personal gain and the destruction of others. Bilaam in effect becomes a
professional hired gun, willing to curse and destroy innocents because of
his own personal wants, hatreds and agenda. Because of this startlingly
different treatment of their seemingly similar gift of teaching masses and
influencing others, we find Moshe raising himself to becoming the most
humble of all human beings, while Bilaam on the other hand, sinks into the
morass of self-congratulatory hubris and arrogance. Moshe says; “Compared
to the holiness of my mission and message, I am personally insignificant
in the scheme of God’s world.” Bilaam says: “Because of my message of
negativity that I can control and inflict on anyone, I am the most
important person in the world!” Moshe is a savior of mankind. Bilaam is a
tyrant and murderer of humans.
The rabbis of the Talmud, in discussing the phenomenon of almost permanent
anti-Semitism, stated; “ He who attempts to harm Jews/Israel becomes a
rosh – a head or a leader.” The simple explanation of this cryptic
statement is that being anti-Jewish is a shortcut to rising to leadership
in the non-Jewish world. This does not mean that every world leader or
national ruler is anti-Semitic. It does however point out the reality that
from Haman to Sadaam Hussein, being against the Jews automatically gains
one an audience and a platform if not, eventually, actual power. There are
plenty of people around today in the world who prove the accuracy of this
assessment of the rabbis. However, I would venture to offer an additional
insight into this statement of the Talmud. Hatred of Jews (and I believe
that unreasoning hatred of anyone) automatically makes one a rosh – a
person with a swelled head and a view of one’s self that is filled with
hubris and arrogance. Bilaam is the paradigm model for this disease of the
soul and personality. Bilaam is so confident of his greatness that he
convinces himself that he can fool God, so to speak, into allowing him to
curse Israel. The man of arrogance, by misusing the divine gifts granted
to him, becomes a malevolent and evil person. Using one’s gifts for
persuasion and not demagoguery, for blessings and not curses, for
enhancing G-d’s standing, so to speak, in the world and not debasing it,
means following in the steps of Moshe. Doing otherwise, dooms one to
becoming a follower and disciple of Bilaam.
Shabat Shalom.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Text Copyright © 2005 by Rabbi Berel Wein and Torah.org
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