An Enemy Doomed to Fail

I wrote this several hours before the word come out that the 3 kidnapped teenagers, Naftali Frankel, Eyal Yifrach and Gilad Sha'ar, had been murdered almost immediately after being kidnapped, and that their bodies had been found. The point is still relevant - though I've included a postscript below...

Parshat Balak

by Rabbi Avi Billet

The story of Balak and Bilaam is so fascinating because it is indicative of an obsession that hasn’t waned in the history of Mankind since the time of Avraham our forefather.

                

It is what Hitler called the Jewish Question. It is what Haman referred to as “A single nation spread all around your kingdom.” (Esther 3:8)

                

The thought process goes something like this: "There is a nation that is unlike us, whose very existence is troubling us. Even if they leave us alone. The fact that they are there, that they exist, is enough to make us sick to our stomachs, until the problem is resolved because they are removed from where we are."

                

Even today, the Jewish State – Israel – faces similar sentiments from some of its indigent (or is it indignant?) population, who will not be happy until Israel is Judenrein. Thank God, Israel encounters this challenge from a position of strength, and we continue to support that strength, as we hope and pray that Israel will be around as a Jewish State until the end of time.

                

The Torah tells us that Bilaam told Balak to build 7 mizbeachs (altars) on three different hilltops. The first time he did this was at the beginning of Chapter 23, at which point he brought a bull and a ram as an offering, perhaps one pair of animals for each mizbeach.

                

Bilaam expresses his confidence that God will “Happen upon him” and sure enough, God does. In Bilaam’s pride over what has been done, he explains to God, “I’ve arranged these 7 mizbeachs and I brought the bull and the ram on the mizbeach.” That he leaves Balak out of his depiction of what took place just proves what we’ve known about Bilaam all along. He only thinks of himself and what makes him look good.

                

But does he really need to explain to God what he did – as if God, the all-seeing and all-knowing didn’t see and doesn’t know?

                

Midrash and commentaries explain that from Bilaam’s view there was tremendous depth to this move of creating 7 mizbeachs. Compare my 7 to the Children of Israel’s 1. Seven is far more than one. (Midrash Aggadah) 7 people had built a personal mizbeach – Adam, Kayin, Hevel, Noach, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov – and Bilaam was coming to outrank them through building seven to counter their seven. (Tanchuma)

                

The arrogance of Bilaam’s thought process neglected to remind him that if indeed he was trying to impress God, he was failing simply because he violated Bal Tosif – the prohibition against adding in one’s mitzvah observance. Now Bilaam could hardly be counted as a mitzvah observer – he was in the midst of violating God’s instructions not to join Balak and try to curse the Children of Israel. But he fancied himself as being connected to God in a special way – as he told Balak’s men several times – “I can’t violate the word of the Lord, my God.” (22:18, 24:13)

                

Rashi points out what might come to destroy Bilaam’s logic as defined until now, because Rashi says Bilaam was coming to counter the 7 mizbeachs built by Avraham (4), Yitzchak (1), and Yaakov (2). If he was indeed coming to counter the personal mizbeachs built before, he is 4 shy – when we count those the Tanchuma mentioned and the multiple mizbeachs of Avraham and Yaakov. His bringing a bull and ram was to outdo Avraham who only brought a ram. Bilaam, as we might surmise, can hardly outdo Avraham (see Avot 5:19)

                

Despite it all, God told Bilaam to return to Balak, and “Koh t’daber” – and say the following. Rabbi Chaim Paltiel points out that the reference with the word “Koh” was to the promise made by God to Avraham, “Koh yihyeh zarakha” – so will your children be. In other words, in the first pronouncement regarding the Israelites that Bilaam was to say in front of Balak, he was to remind him that this venture, irrespective of the person (Bilaam) and the trimmings (the mizbeachs), was doomed to fail. Because of a promise made long ago to Avraham Avinu.

                

There are anti-Semites and there are anti-Semites who mask as being Jew lovers. It is our hope that the philo-Semites of the world will be able to see that whether anti-Semites are open about their feelings or wear a smiling mask that hides their true colors, those who harbor a hatred for the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and who think Jews living in Israel is an obstacle to peace, these beliefs are the real obstacles to peace. And like Bilaam, who got it but didn’t really want to get it, they too should be doomed to fail in their efforts to harm the Jewish people.

post script: The tragedy of the deaths of Eyal, Naftali and Gilad is so devastating because it was so senseless. What was gained? Unity and prayer amongst the Jewish people. What was lost? Three young men. And the lives of their families changed forever. 

The Palestinians or Hamas got nothing out of this - no prisoner exchange, no respect. And even condemnation from Mahmoud Abbas.

הקב"ה ינחם אתכם ואתנו בתוך שאר אבלי ציוון וירושלים

We continue to pray for the day when an equitable solution can come to the State of Israel, when stories like this are only in the past because they no longer take place in a land whose inhabitants work for the betterment of all people who dwell in it.