Chukas-Balak - Responsibility, Appreciation, Blessings

you're listening to the weekly partial podcast with Ari goldwag recorded with hashem's never running assistance in Romanticism of the 783 2023 this week in hutzler still be reading purchas and balak and we and rtcl will be reading projects Bullock Bullock is always an exciting time for me because it marks the completion of a round of partial podcasts which bar Hashem we hit 16 years every single week putting out a partial podcast for the last 16 years and once a year I put in a plug and I say please visit my site ourgoldback.com go there hit the Donate button and help make these podcasts continue to be possible uh don't ask for money usually but once a year we mention it that Lamay said this takes a lot of time and takes away from my work time and it is time that I'm glad to spend on sharing words of wisdom from artera with all of you so I encourage you to to get over to my site ourgoldback.com hit the Donate button which is on the left side of the screen okay so let's see this week's fire show I'm going to talk about precious bowler because obviously it's the pressure that we both have together and it's very interesting to look at the Parsha and look at Bullock and look at billum really billum is the main antagonist of our Parsha and we can look at the partial we could look at billum and he doesn't seem to be such a bad guy he says you know whatever God says whatever Hashem puts in my mouth that's what I'm going to do that's what I'm going to say but you know the terror expects us to to read between the lines and understand that although he says that he does go out with an intention to make some money on cursing the Jewish people so hazal see him in a very negative light they see him as someone who tries as best as he can to say negative things about cloudy strong just doesn't succeed ultimately he does succeed in giving advice to balak to cause the Jewish people to sin because that is the way to take them out of favor in the eyes of Hashem as it were but if we look at his words carefully we look at some of the things that he says and that which are common saying teach us about his words there's so much so much to learn I'd like to read to you peace in the madrish it's in parashah khaf s and we'll see how far in this really it's a very long piece we're not going to read the entire piece we'll see some parts of it and we'll see what we can take out of it there's lots of small lessons that we can learn you know billum says a lot of things about the Jewish people he says a lot of blessings he talks about the end of days he talks about what's going to happen he talks about a lot of things so let's see if we can pick out some interesting ideas from Arkansas from the majors and we'll see how they apply to us and what we can take home with us so this is towards the end of the power shop billum says the following he says he he raises up his his muscle he he keeps saying these um poetic lines about the Jewish people one of the most famous ones how beautiful are your tents oh Jacob Michigan Israel refers to the Jewish people as Jacob your first name is Israel right and he refers to so many different things but here minarama says Words which we need to know what they means literally from Aram which is the name of a place I was policed from Haram I was placed what does it mean so the magic says something about himself he's saying mean it's talking about himself he's saying from Aram I was placed the magician understands the word Aram Aram which means we're originally right the Jewish people are rude is from Aram we come from Aram avraham avinu is known as avaram he was the father he was the greatest person in the land of Aram he came down to the land of Israel originally we are from Iran but here the magician is saying the word Aram to mean the the root of the word is raised up and so so bilim is saying minhaisi I was in a very high place I was in a place where I spoke to Hashem I was in a speaker a place where I had Revelation where I had divine inspiration where I had nivu I had prophecy and what happened the word means the place to put down I was I was lowered as a result of my interactions with balak billum is recognizing that as a result of the fact that he came to curse the Jewish people he was lowered he was Lord now the word which means to be placed can also mean to be lowered we find that the word can be used this way because the letter has replacement with the letter hey so it could also begini which we find that that word hey means to bring down um speaking about Egypt says come down upon the masses of Egyptians and lower them so the word means to come down so billum is lamenting the fact that he came into a relationship with balak and as a result of this relationship with Bullock he causes the Jewish people to sin and ultimately he himself loses his life as a succulent next week's parisha will say he himself is killed in the battle of the Jewish people with Midian and what's interesting is so why is billum saying this Willem is recognizing how terrible okay like he's he blaming Bullock what is this lament what is this statement and I think that we can understand it in in light of that which are sages they just say that the wicked are always filled with regrets right what's the difference between a Sadiq and a Russia right it's the righteous individual so he falls he makes mistakes he trips he does wrong things he does a virus he sins but he gets up every time he does shuv every time he realizes he did something wrong he doesn't allow that to become he doesn't rationalize and say oh what I do is okay the Russia the difference between the United and Russia they do the same things really they make the same mistakes but that Sadiq gets up from his mistakes and keeps reminding himself that that's not what I want to do that's not who I want to be I won't Define myself as the action I took the wicked individual however he's always filled with regrets because in a sense it's not that he regrets it and stops doing it he always it's it's everything that he does is is wrong and he never does chuva over it he never reflects and says I shouldn't be doing this and try and he doesn't try not to do it he just this is how I am this is how this is the this is the reality of of who I am this he allows the Avera to become who he is and so billum you know we can look at biliman and we can see the exact opposite of the way that we should be the exact opposite we'll see this as a continuing the mentioned as well in a few different aspects of him but the way that he is is how we shouldn't be billum says look he recognizes you know I was on a very high level I got drawn down by getting involved with trying to curse the Jewish people but it's it's kind of his fault he doesn't recognize hey I'm the one who went to curse yeah Bullock invited me right he could have said no I should have said no right I should have said no I should have used my intuition to say this is not the right way to go so what do we see we see that billum is somebody who sees that he's done wrong and won't take responsibility for his action he will blame it on a Bullock and he'll say ah he brought me down instead of realizing I shouldn't have done this let me stop now before it's too late let me do chuva now before it's too late no men are running well you see I was on a very high levels he brought me down to the lowest place it doesn't matter another explanation minarom another way of understanding um I was very I was very uh honorable I was very close to Hashem it's a similar idea as I was in conversation with god and now Bullock brought me down says the magician analogy it's comparable to somebody who is Walking with the King he's traveling with the King Rod listing and as this person is traveling with the King he sees a group of robbers he sees a group of low lives not such good people he was drawn towards them so so he goes and he sees the rowers and he starts to talk to them hang out with them you know he accompanies them for a while then he wants to go back to the king foreign he says the king says go back I saw you who you were hanging out with you were hanging out with that with that low life we were hanging out with a degraded person you can't come back to me now you can't continue on with me billum and this is an issue that's discussed by The reshinen Who discussed by the ramban Etc was he just the magician this message says villain was somebody who had kadish he was on a very high level what happens in the end is that he just goes back to being a magician he was a magician he got raised up he was like arami was raised up he was walking with the King he was hearing the voice of Hashem but then he went along with Bullock and he tried to curse the Jewish people he just ended up back at the low level that he was in the first place we find in reference to bilum that he's referred to as the magician later on it's in Yoshua Chapter 13 Verse 22. Le figures there's a similar idea I was so high and I was lowered by Bullock again he doesn't take responsibility for himself he's he doesn't realize that it was because of the fact that he chose to leave the king to leave the presence of Hashem himself as it were and hang out with someone who is a very low person Hashem says I'm not interested in you anymore now imagine someone says something very very interesting is what happened here was something very deep and problematic on the part of bilam and balak as would be the case of many enemies of the Jewish people throughout the generations Haman comes to mind they didn't recognize that their very existence was a result of the kindness of the Jewish people for Haman it was the fact that he came from agag and Shola Melech had been the one to allow agag to live and therefore how much existed and here he is trying to destroy the very people who brought about his existence [Music] but this is true of of the of all evil people the evil people would if we could look at if we could Point our finger to amida to a character trait which which is typified by these types of people foreign of the good that was done for them they wouldn't exist if not for the people who they're trying they're out to get if not forever mavino there wouldn't be a balak should remember whose bug he was the king of mayav who is Maya who who are the people who he was the king over where was this nation from he was from they were from lot why did Lorde exist why did lot have the ability to have a child named Moab it was because he was saved he was saved from destruction in the Merit of avraham of Abraham Lincoln this message holds their bollock himself was from the great great grandchildren of lot why did he exist balak he wants to destroy the Jewish people the Jewish people are why you exist foreign if not for Jacob their forefather I wouldn't be in the world bill um Russia in this statement there was a certain recognition and once again we see that the recognition doesn't help them to change but there was a recognition of the fact that why was he in the world it was only because of yaakov their forefather what does that means the message tells us an awesome secret billum who was he where did he come from billum was actually a son or a grandson of love and harami so he was a cousin of the Jewish people and he was coming to curse out the Jewish people why do you exist you're a grandson of loved one that your very existence is because of Yakov avinu of Jacob would not have existed because Lovin didn't have any sons before yaakov arrived at his house the fact that he had sons was his own was the Merit of Jacob not his own not lovan's own the Posse tells us that Rachel was the one who was shepherding the Sheep if 11 had any sons how could he have made his daughter a Shepherd clearly the fact that he didn't the fact that Rocco was a shepherd shepherdist was because of the fact that he didn't have any sons and we know that he did have sons at a certain point because years later the sons of Lavan were speaking negatively about yaakov [Music] himself admits that how did he have the blessings in his home which include having Sons it was because of the blessings of yaakovina was because of Jacob's arrival yaakov came yaakov was the one who who brought blessings into the home of Love on a multiplication of his assets and a multiplicity of sons come from he comes from those Sons are oh one more that's I think that's the next that's the next point but what's the bottom line here of this point in the measures the bottom line is that there was a recognition I don't have a right billum says even though he tries his best to curse the Jewish people and indeed he causes them to sin later as we mentioned uh billum billum is a coffee toy if he admits his Fiesta if he admits that where do I come from where does my existence come from it's from Aram husseinu is Aram jakov avinu is a ram they came from Aram loving harami I come from Aram I came from Laban who was the arami I exist billum exists how could why do I have the ability with my mouth to speak and to curse the Jewish people or to think that I can curse them ultimately really to bless them what where does that thought come from that thought comes from the mistake of clear Strife of not recognizing not recognizing the good that others have done for me not recognizing that my very existence is only because of these people these people who I would like to curse I only exist because of them and the last point which I think is connected so I was told by Bullock to to curse themes are now this is a general principle this is also specifically true about those who haven't forbid come to court to curse the Jews those who curse generally are themselves cursed we spoke previously we spoke about iron Akai and the priests we spoke about the fact that those who come to bless right the blessings come through them when the priests put out their hands and they blessed the Jewish people they are becoming a vehicle for blessing and the blessing passes through them so there's also a concept that those who come to curse heaven forbid those who would like to draw down negative energy upon others they themselves the the curse passes through them it's like pulling down like a destructive energy through a person it destroys them as well right that negativity we find we find that that promises and this is connected promises Abraham that those who bless you will be blessed those who curse you will be cursed that negativity that that Darkness that desire to come and curse I would say it's connected to the fias Tafe the Creator is a lack of appreciation for the fact that his entire existence came as a result of these people you know a person who curses and it doesn't have to be a curse it could be just looking negatively at others it could be looking negatively at others judging people negatively when when if I look around and I send my curses heaven forbid send my negative view my negative judgment around to other people it shows first of all it draws into me heaven forbid I don't want to speak about myself a person who looks at others in a negative wage wasn't himself negativity negativity and ends up judging themselves often a person who's negative about others is negative about them themselves and that made us such a terrible meter it's a meter of bilma Russia the closed eye the negative eye the eye in raw the one who sees everything negatively who's compared to to the Sadiq of Israel who saw things in a positive way were able to see blessings right a person who sees the world in a negative way was looking to cause others harm perhaps to bring himself up save myself from them right that's why Bullock is hiring him to try to protect himself but someone who sees others negatively ultimately they they destroy themselves through that negativity that's the lesson person who's cuffy type person who doesn't recognize the good that others have done can come and try to curse those people who have done him good that type of person is self-destructive is destroying himself in the process and that type of person blames others blames others for all of their problems blames the Jewish people blames Bullock he's the one who brought me down when it was Willem himself who chose to be drawn into the plan of Bullock and who chose to try to curse the Jewish people so I think that the bottom line the the the takeaway the main takeaway here is the is that we're looking for the opposite whatever billum is we need to be the opposite we need to look for blessings we need to look to bless others to find the good in others to to wish positivity upon other people and by doing so we draw positivity to ourselves we need to look at others as and be mock your Tafe right how does somebody be such a coffee type has somebody want to destroy the very people who are the reason why he exists it comes from a negative General negative look but it also comes from that taking stock properly of the blessings that I have all of the good things that I do have if I'm jealous of others it's often because I'm not looking at all the good things that I have I want something more I'm not halki right so the lesson from billum is to be maker taiva to appreciate and express appreciation and do good for others to bless others who have done us good one of the classic ways that if you sell cilante the the father of the Muslim movement he would suggest to people who are jealous of others was or upset and others having done them wrong with to intentionally do favors for those who have done us wrong to intentionally do favors to those we're jealous of to go out of our way to be positive that takes away the negativity that infuses within ourselves a positivity and finally back to the first point taking responsibility for our own actions being like the sadik who recognizes if we've Fallen it's our responsibility to get up and not look and say hey that person caused me the forward to reckon no I chose to follow that person it's that recognition that responsibility that helps us to be like the decided because Chevy people suddenly become he gets up he takes responsibility for his actions and tries to be better I want to bless you and ask you to bless me Hashem should help us to learn all of the lessons to see the indeed the blessings Hashem took all of what billum was and he turned around the negativity and showed a posit the positive side of every single negative thing that bill tried to do we need to also assume should help us to take a lesson from those who are wicked the negativity that they have let's use the negativity and and turn it around for ourselves and be able to use it in a positive way to recognize our mistakes take responsibility to be mock your time to recognize the good of others and to bless others and to encourage ourselves and those around us to have a positive look and a an iron table a positive blessing an approach to all those around us of positivity thank you so much for listening have a wonderful Shabbos this podcast was made possible through the gracious donations of listeners like you for more podcasts like this please visit www.regoldwag.com or search on iTunes Ari goldwag foreign