Should Bilaam Go?
In this week’s Torah reading, King Balak sent messengers to summon Bilaam the prophet to curse the Jews, who were camping out in the desert nearby. When Bilaam asked God if he should go along, God responded, unsurprisingly, that he should not go. Balak then sent a second group of ministers to persuade Bilaam to come. Once again, Bilaam asked God for permission to go, and this time God said that he could go, on condition that he only say that which God tells him to say.
The Angels Lead Him
Our Sages learn from here a fundamental principle in life (Tractate Makkot 10b), “In the way that a person wishes to go, they lead him accordingly.” Although Bil’am was already advised that he should not go to Balak, because of his persistence he was granted permission to go.
The Maharsha takes note of the fact that the passage uses a plural form, “they lead him,” as opposed to just saying, “God leads him.” Says the Maharsha, God Himself does not intervene with Man’s free will. However, any time a person talks or thinks about doing a deed, good or bad, he creates angels who encourage him to see the action through. These angels, who are the product of his free will, are the ones who lead him on the path which he has chosen to take and prod him further in that direction.
Drunkard in the Cemetery
The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 12:1) tells a tale of a drunkard who began selling off his belongings in order to sustain his addiction. His children got concerned about the situation and drew up a plan to teach their father a lesson. After he was completely drunk, they brought him to the cemetery and left him there with the hope that the shock he will get when he wakes up will make an impression on him.
In the interim, a bunch of wine merchants were passing by that cemetery when they heard sounds of violence coming from town, and decided to leave their wine in the cemetery. When the drunkard awoke from his slumber, he saw the wine right in front of him. Without further ado, he placed the wine right near his head and let the wine pour directly into his mouth. Three days passed and the children decided to check up on their father. To their dismay, lo and behold, there was their father, continuing with his drinking habits.
One Small Step – But the Angels will Carry On
This is an example which demonstrates just how far a person can be prodded along the path he chooses to take. This principle should not be taken lightly. Our thoughts carry a lot of weight in determining where we will end up in life. One small step in a certain direction goes far beyond that little footstep. With one small step we create momentum, an entourage of angels prodding us along towards the next step of the direction we set ourselves in.
Sometimes we find ourselves in a rut. We try to get out of it, and we don’t understand why it’s so difficult to change. It’s not just the challenge of breaking a habit we need to deal with. We have the added challenge of going against a spiritual component; the angels we created who are resisting the change.
At times, we find ourselves inclined to pursue a deed we know we shouldn’t, and we can’t figure out why we are even going after such a thing. This can be very well be coming from an angel we created as a result of having previous thoughts in this direction. Even one small thought already sets the ball in motion and can create an angel who will come back to haunt us later to continue in pursuit of the intention we originally had.
One Small Step – A Leap Towards Greatness
By the same token, this concept can be harnessed to our advantage in acquiring greatness. A mere thought alone can already create an escort of angels who are eagerly out to help us reach further. At times, we can be inspired to pursue a good deed or change for the better, but on second thought we begin to get overwhelmed with the challenge. It is very empowering to remember that we are not alone in facing the challenge.
Parshat Balak by Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber (torah4every1@gmail.com)
