Balak

The previous parsha concludes with the victory of the Jewish people over the Amori ‎. This week, Balak, the king of Moav, fearful that the Jews will come to him next, hires Balaam to curse the Jewish people. ועתה לכה נא ארה לי את העם הזה, so now please come and curse this people for me. 

The Chafetz Chaim points out the stark difference between a Jew & non-Jew. When a Jew is in trouble, he goes to a Tzaddik to get a blessing & to have him pray ‎on his behalf that Hashem should help him. However, when Balak is in trouble, he doesn't go to get a blessing for himself, rather he goes to get his enemy cursed. 

The Ohr Hachaim points out that Balak knew that a blessing from Bilam would work, for the Midrash tells us that it was Bilam's blessing that helped ‎Balak become king to begin with. Balak knew that the blessing would work & yet he still asked that the Jews be cursed instead of having his nation blessed. 

Why would he not ask that his nation ‎be blessed? That would have a much better chance of success, for even if the Jews were cursed, there is still no guarantee that that would mean success for him; however, if he were blessed, all his adversaries would fall away.

The Beis Ramah explains that this is typical of the anti - Semitism that's displayed throughout our history. The gentile nations are more interested in our demise then their own success. The persecution of the Jew is a goal in itself. As we see throughout history, the curse boomerangs & they become its victims. 

In 1945, the situation of the German troops in Russia was desperate. The Russian winter ‎was wreaking havoc on the German army. Hitler, y"s, was nevertheless unwilling to divert the trains from transporting Jews to Auschwitz to save his own troops. 

The Chafetz Chaim told a story that drove home this point. Once, in a small village, there was an argument between the village supervisor & his neighbor. The neighbor threatened to report the supervisor’s shady dealings to the authorities. His wife begged him not to, reminding him it was the supervisor that arranged for our son to be absolved from military duty. If he is arrested, he will do everything in his power to have us arrested for draft dodging! The man, in his anger, shouted " it's worthwhile for you, me & our son to sit in jail as long as the supervisor is stripped of his power & goes down with us!"    

‎So blinding is strife, that even at the cost of our own success we need to see the failure of others. This was why Balak wanted the Jews cursed instead of his nation blessed, for his hatred was so strong, even to his detriment he wanted the Jews cursed. 

Perhaps the lesson we can take from this, is how Rav Shlomo Freifeld explained the verse "Who wants life‎? Guard your tongue from evil". Why is refraining from slander the key to life? He explained based on the Maharal, spring water is referred to in the Torah as מים חיים ,live water for the definition of life is independence. The spring is its own source of water & does not need to draw water from elsewhere. So, too, a person can build his self-image by focusing on his own intrinsic virtues or by focusing on the flaws of others. The Posuk is teaching us that if one wants to be really alive & independent, one must avoid at all costs bad mouthing others.   Focus instead on your own good points. Don't be like Balak, who only wanted to curse. Rather take the Chafetz Chaims's advice; don't be blinded by strife & only look to see the good!