Balak and Bilaam: The Power of Jealousy and Choice

This week’s Parshah is Balak. It contains the story of how Balak, the king of Moav, offered Bilaam, the most powerful (and wicked) sorcerer, a king’s ransom to curse the Jewish Nation. It begins with Balak sending emissaries to Bilaam. It tells of Bilaam’s insatiable lust for honor, wealth and immorality and how he tried to blindside HaShem into thinking he was a decent person. HaShem didn’t fall for it, denied permission to Bilaam to curse the Jews, and Bilaam thus sent back the emissaries. Balak tried again. This time Bilaam presented his case better than before and HaShem let him go! What was the reason?

The Talmud teaches a most valuable lesson: “The chosen path of a person is the one he is led upon!” That is, everyone has free choice. We, of course, choose certain paths and ideas to follow. Many times we then waver and rethink our paths and change them. We ALWAYS have free choice. But if that’s the path we choose, then from Heaven they open up the venues for that path for us. Thus, we oftentimes choose what seems an attractive path—whether financial, emotional, physical or even spiritual—and we find ourselves embarking on a path that seemingly can lead us to success.

But too often, the choice is not the right one. Bilaam hated the Jews. He was jealous of their success (like modern-day Arabia) and would do whatever possible to destroy their lives (like the modern-day UN and Europe). Despite the absurdity of Balak’s claims, Bilaam’s hatred and lust for wealth and honor propelled him to pursue the Jews.

Interestingly, the Torah relates that Bilaam’s donkey rebuked him. Reb Noson explains (as does the Zohar) that Bilaam was so steeped in lust that he descended to the lowest levels of impurity. Since his power was in his ability to curse others, his power of speech was transferred to his donkey and Bilaam had to endure his donkey’s rebuke. As the Talmud relates, Bilaam was steeped in bestiality and had relations with his donkey!

In the end, HaShem did not allow Bilaam to bring his mission to fruition. At each opportunity to curse, he was forced to bless the Jews. Despite being allowed to embark on his nefarious mission, God’s Master Plan will, in the end, prevail.

The lesson is that we must be careful which way we want to go in life, which path we should embark upon. In today’s world, Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and actually the entire world have chosen to gang up on the Jewish Nation and join together to attack the victims (just as Bilaam tried). Our Prophets foresaw that the time would come when the Jews would begin returning to their land. Arabia is jealous. What have they contributed to the world except wars, bloodshed and slaughter? A bloody history. The Jews have contributed in every field: medicine, manufacturing, business, agriculture, hi-tech, sciences and physics, etc. This is pure jealousy—perhaps the major trait of Bilaam and his cohorts.

Each is given a path to choose. Let us choose the side of good. Trouble may be brewing in the atmosphere, but God’s Master Plan will ultimately prevail.

Have a great Shabbos!