(based on a derasha leil Shabbos Balak from
HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita,
Ravad of Yerushalayim)
A Self-Made Man
"Why did Hashem rest His Presence on this evil non-Jew [Bilam]? In order that the nations of the world should not be able to claim: 'If we only had prophets, we would have repented.' Hashem gave them a prophet and he destroyed the moral standard that previous generations had established." (Rashi, Bamidbar 22,5).
The Medrash tells us more details about Bilam. Although the Jewish people never produced another prophet as great as Moshe Rabbeinu, the non-Jews did. This was the evil Bilam whose prophetic insight equaled that of Moshe.
Yet even Bilam's great prophetic powers do not really seem to provide a solid basis for Rashi’s statement. The nations of the world can still argue that had they been given a great prophet as good and righteous as Moshe, they would have repented. Giving them someone as wicked as Bilam just made their situation worse.
This complaints can be addressed as follows: Torah lauds the greatness of humility, and teaches that when Hashem gives a person extraordinary gifts, the recipient is obligated to use these strengths in order to work on himself and make himself worthy of such Divine benevolence. Other nations that are not bound to the Torah do not feel this obligation. Therefore, Bilam, who was arrogant and money-hungry preferred to use his G-d given gifts to promote his personal status and wealth.
Moshe Rabbeinu who taught the Torah to the entire Jewish people followed the directive to cling to the attribute of humility, and is described as the humblest person who ever lived. When he was offered power, he replied: "Give it to someone else and not me. Anyone else is worthier of leadership than I."
Rashi explains that Balak shared Billam's negative drives and felt that, as long as the Jewish people were around, life was not worth living. Their very existence cast a damper on his relentless pleasure seeking and self-aggrandizement. The Jewish People, the Torah and the Divinely inspired moral consciousness that they inspired were a thorn in his side. As far as he was concerned, they had to be destroyed.
An Eloquent Orator
"How good are your tents Yaakov, your Mishkan, Yisrael." Bilam's words of blessing are some of the most beautiful pasukim in Tanach. At face value, it is difficult to perceive why the Torah considers him such a rasha.
Behind Bilam's eloquent phrases was the intention to completely wipe out the Jewish people. Praising the exalted level of holiness of the Jewish people was a ploy to try and arouse Hashem’s judgment when the Jews failed to live up to this high praise. He wanted Klal Yisrael to act immorally, in order that Hashem would punish them with an exacting judgment reserved only for the truly righteous.
Although he was not successful in cursing Klal Yisrael, Bilam's evil intentions bore fruit. He advised Balak to tempt them with immorality, and as a result, 24,000 Jews perished. If Pinchas had not stood up for the Divine honor, Bilam's evil plan could have come to fruition.
Take Me to Your Leader
Bilam's arrogance further expressed itself in his speech. Balak sent melachim, messengers, to summon him. Billam responded that he should have sent sarim, heads of state, to speak to him.
This snobby attitude is a sign of true conceit , and a Jew should be careful to act in the opposite manner. Successful professionals, businessmen and public figures should be accorded honor, but every humble Yid is also worthy of respectful treatment. Moreover, when it comes to lomdei Torah, whose Torah study sustains the entire universe, we should be careful to treat them respectfully, even if the whole world looks down on their “lack of accomplishment.”
I heard recently of an incident in a shul in New York which one morning was visited by a Rav and a well-known Jewish politician for Shachris. The Rabbi of the shul gave the politician a warm welcome, saying what an honor it was that he had chosen to daven in their shul. He did not make mention of the Rav, though he did remind him privately not to try and collect money in his congregation after the services.
A Place in the World to Come
The Gemara is Sanhedrin asks, "Who is an apikoris? Someone who says, 'What do talmidei chachamim do for us?'” Chazal tell us that someone who does not value the essential contribution of talmidei chachamim has lost his place in the World to Come.
"Let me [Bilam] die the death of the righteous… (Bamidbar 23,10)". Bilam understood that Klal Yisrael will receive immeasurable reward in the World to Come, and even wanted to die the death of the righteous. He was not however willing to live the life of a tzadik, and instead directed his gifts towards destroying the Jewish people. As a result, he most certainly found himself in the darkest corner of Gehenom.
The Vilna Gaon once saw a famished wagon driver stranded without a roof over his head in the middle of the night. After the Gaon invited him into his home and fed him, the wagon driver gave a weary sigh and lamented his struggles to make a living. The Vilna Gaon responded that the day-to-day struggle to survive in this transient world is indeed challenging, but it pales in comparison to the work one needs to do to secure an eternal portion in the World to Come.
In a Class of Their Own
We can further understand the unique purpose and goals of Klal Yisrael as learned from Bilam's words from the following incident. Rav Elchanan Wasserman once traveled to England to collect funds for his yeshiva in Barenvitch. He came to speak in a local shul frequented by individuals who did not appreciate what he was doing for Klal Yisrael. The message of the Rosh Yeshiva's derasha was as follows:
"They are a nation in a class of their own, and are not counted among the other nations (Bamidbar 23,9)." Rav Elchanan Wasserman explained that other nations need a land to establish their identity. Without a homeland, their national cohesion quickly dissipates.
Klal Yisrael, on the other hand, does not value Eretz Yisrael as a homeland. For the Jewish people, the Land of Israel is a place where we can perform mitzvos in the optimal fashion. In this way, we are “not counted among other nations,” for our yearning for our land differs from all that of all other peoples.
The gabai considered Rav Elchanon's message to be anti-Zionist and after the speech told everyone in the shul to leave and daven Mussaf somewhere else. A handful of people remained with Rav Wasserman, among them Rav Sternbuch, who was then a young bachur. Rav Elchanan said that success in acquiring funds is in Hashem's hands and was undaunted by the fact that most of his audience left.
Permanent and Temporary
"How good are your tents Yaakov, your Mishkan, Yisrael." Bilam's words are strikingly beautiful and the above phrase was even incorporated into our tefilos. They have the potential to be a source of tremendous bracha for us.
What is the deeper meaning of the above pasuk? Bilam's words come to describe the exalted nature of the Jewish people. The name Yaakov represents the physical aspect of the Jewish people, while the title Yisrael refers to our spiritual nature.
The Jewish people’s physical needs are like a tent – a temporary home in this transient world. Our spiritual endeavors, on the other hand, are like the Mishkan, which although it was only a temporary resting place for the Divine Prescience, served as Klal Yisrael’s spiritual focal point for hundreds of years and is still the model for Jewish homes until this day.
If we properly absorb this world outlook, viewing our never-ending physical needs as fleeting matters, and our brief spiritual opportunities as an investment in perpetuity, we will merit seeing Bilam’s words fulfilled as a bracha in our lives and homes today.
