Parshat Balak 5786: Prophetic Premonitions and Presidential Pronouncements | Rabbi Sam Shor, 6.23.26

During these past few weeks, I think all of us have really found ourselves grappling with a lot of confusion and uncertainty. Um certainly the headlines about these agreements and negotiations and quote understandings are very unnerving and leaves us wondering you know what the future holds for all of us. And um I really want to suggest that our center this week actually is going to offer us if we take a deep dive as we're going to together this afternoon offers us perspective to perhaps begin to make sense of this roller coaster of emotions that we've all been experiencing and to navigate the confusion that we all feel during these trying times. So with that as our introduction, we're now going to jump right into our source sheets. Take a look at source number one. Source number one is going to bring us all the way back to the beginning where everything starts from, everything stems from. And that's the very first we're we're going to learn from a safer called Oh Yakov. Oh, yakov is the collection of the beautiful teachings of the Rebi of Hiata and the Adore of Hiat and Rabbi Yakov Friedman from Hiatan Rebi who made aliyah to Tel Aviv in 1938 and his he's lovingly referred to as the Adorei as the religious Zion Zionist Admir uh which means master because Kamat every single one of his teachings either speaks positively about the enterprise to build Medina Israel and everything that's unfolding as the state is being built or at the very least gives us a glimpse into what's going on during that Kufa Jewish history. We talk about a very challenging period in Jewish history. You talk about the the the years of the Shawah followed by simultaneously the the battle both diplomatically as well as in warfare to establish the the the state of Israel as well as the early years of the state of Israel which were you know we think of the state of Israel today as a leader in technology all of us walk around with a traveling office in our pockets right but in those days people were still living in tent cities here in Israel we were many many refugees but from Europe, from the of all over North Africa and and the the Arab and the Arab countries as well. And so we're talking about a very very challenging time in Jewish history. And the Rebi Hassatan often gives us a gl a glimpse into what's going on there and perspective in terms of understanding the challenges that we're facing. So he's actually we're going to take text number one on our sheets. The rebi begins is the by way the very first teaching in the safer oh the very beginning of that s and he goes all the way back back to the very beginning of the very first rashi insh that's where we're going to start see where it says rashi all of us know this rashi taught us this did not really need to start from any other place except from where the first mitzah given to the Jewish people as we are about to depart mit and that is what the mitzvah of kdesh was at the basically what rash is saying if the Torah is a book of mitzvot of laws okay then the first mitzah that's really specifically given to am collectively and implicitly is what so why didn't the begin there so what what's the reason it has to begin with the early stories of the early generations of of humanity and of the Jewish Okay. And what's the reason why it begins with now Rash's answer is the following. Because Hashem wanted to reveal his power to his people to give them an inheritance amongst the nations of the world. that if the nations of the world would say to the Jewish people, you are thieves that you conquered and took away the land of the seven nations. They would they could answer them what the entire land belongs to whom? No, he created it and he gave it gives it to who he who he sees fit in his eyes. Originally he allowed the other nations to live here and it was his desire and will what? To take it away from them and give it to us. That's the first rashi. Okay. So, now comes the the the he says this well-known teaching is actually very very problematic and troubling. Why? If the nations of the world don't believe in what's written in the Torah. Okay. So, what what does this answer accomplish? Okay. if they don't believe in the Torah. So for us to say, "Oh, Hashem who gave us the Torah promise promised to us in his Torah that this this land is going to be long to the Jewish people. So if I don't believe in the Torah, I don't believe in so what good is that answer?" And if they do believe, okay, even more troubling and problematic is this answer. Why? because they could say that after the Jewish people came and conquered the land and dwelled there. But now after they were exiled from the land and other nations came to live there and then we came with claims. What is your claim based upon? And we'll answer this land belongs to not and they could say what it was his desire to give it to you. It was also his desire that for whatever reason you were going to go in exile and he was going to take the land away from you and allow us to come here. They could answer the same way. Yeah. If e either they don't believe in the Torah and therefore this this answer Hashem gave us the land so that's meaningless. or even if they do believe in the Torah, okay, they could throw that claim back at us and say hash the land belongs to Hashem. Okay, he he orchestrated you're going to go into Gah. So now look what he answers. He says the answer okay that this the statement that Hashem wanted to state that this land belongs to him and he gives it to who he who he deems is deserving of the land that's an answer not for the other nations of the world but rather it's an answer to give us okay the what is what what needs to be the perspective that we have in terms of why we're deserving to be here in this land not because of any historical fact but solely Because what we believe in and has promised this land to us this answer is not for the other nations. It's for us. That is to say that the other nations of the world say to you, "You're thieves. You stole this land." Don't let that discourage us. Okay? We shouldn't become depressed by this or or emotionally traumatized by this and we shouldn't give even consider it give it any credence whatsoever because the land belongs to Hashem and he fills it up. He's the one who created the land and created everything. So the very first rashi insh gives us for all generations and that is what that no matter what is going on in the world. No matter who says what in the world okay we have to believe wholeheartedly in our depths and and with every fiber of our being that we are deserving of this land. Why? Because of kadeshbar who promised it to us. So the next text we're going to look at is a safer called birk birkas shalom. The birkash shalom is this is collection of teachings of rabbi barak shalom ashlag the son of the great rabbi ashlag who wrote a monumental commentary on on the on the zor known as the theam. So this is the son of the bala and he he we're just going to read a couple lines from his beautiful which kind of reiterates the same idea. So commentating the shall be when you enter into the land that Hashem is given to you as a an inheritance in order that you shall dwell there. Okay. And they ask, "Why does the got to specify that this is the land that Hashem gave to you?" We know, just look at history. The Jewish people have conquered this land over and over again through wars, through battles that we fought. Why do we need to be reminded that this is the land that Hashem gave to you? The answer is because a person has to know in their heart, okay? That it's not through their own strength and their own efforts that they're deserving to inherit the land, but rather it's a gift from Hashem. And it's Hashem who said that Hashem has given this to land to you as an inheritance. about and it's not through the strength of my hand and my options that we are worthy to live here. So this is our introduction. We're now going to take a look just a a brief look at our sedra this week. Okay. I just I I I share these two ideas kind of give us context in terms of understanding looking at the story of the story we're all familiar with of of Ba Balak the the the the the melik sending ambassadors to speak to to Bamarash okay to basically cast a curse upon to bring forth a a mystical curse upon the Jewish people and the pro tells us that they sent these ambassadors to a place called okay which sat on the river of his people to call him and to engage him to curse the Jewish people. So if you take a look at a very famous rashi on this the word Torah. Okay. So we when we first read it actually Rashi brings two different opinions in terms of what this word ptora means. The second opinion that he brings is that what the name of the place where he was dwelling was what ptora. But rashi brings another another idea first. Okay. And it's idea it's based on the zoresh. Okay. And what is the first idea? Okay. that he sat was a name a word for the mystical table where he sat like a money changer that just as a money changer sits at a table and they people bring before them their coins and place on the table to exchange it for other currency. So to all the kings would bring their request to him and place it on this table and from this table and from this exchange of requests there there would come all the deonation all the the the the the magic and mystical power of bam will come forth from the exchanges that occurred at this table and that says Rashi quoting the zor kadesh is the word ptora the word ptora refers to this special shan which we're where Dylan would sit and all his mystical magical prophetic power would come from. Okay. So, Rabbi Mosha Wilson in his beautiful Rabbi Mosha Wilson one of the great teachers of in our generation uh who passed away just a few years ago. He was for decades or five decades the Mashkani of Tarvadas in Brooklyn. He also was a little bit of a he wouldn't call himself an admir but he was a little bit of a reba figure. He had a shafaling both in Burough Park, Brooklyn. His community was known as Amuna Cis. Both in Boro Park, Brooklyn as well as he has here in Betar Elite. There's a community of Amuna as well. And Rabbi Wilson in his beautiful safer ams mystical table of of bum. This is text number five. we read today or he's talking about on obviously gave this address on a on a shabas right our right and the the tells us that was what like we spoke about it and he says brings the same idea. Bam had a specific table that he used as misbeh to offer up um and it's from this table that he got his mystical power. that he was able to see the future and all the advice and and prophetic visions that he would he would you know um declare that all came through what that came forth from this this impure table okay that all the power came from his that he was engaged in okay that's that's the zores. That's the end of the the the zor that that's the what our means when they when they sent mim to representatives to that is talking about he was sitting at that that okay now here comes Wilson we know that what that a good me a measure of goodness outweighs what every measure of wickedness If the Jewish people conduct themselves appropriately as they're meant to when they're sitting at their tables and most specifically at our shabas tables and most specifically when during okay because if we're in the right headsp space if we're conducting ourselves as we're meant to on Shabas, whether it be having guests at our table, whether it be sharing different Torah, whether it be singing, okay? Whether it be just spending time with family that sometimes we don't do all week long, okay? Whatever it may be, if we create the right environment at our shabish table, then what? Then from that experience, we gain clarity and spiritual clarity and things that we can take forth into the rest of our week. And most specifically the biggest time of day of day on Shabas where that energy kind of kind of kind of flows is at shalash at the third Shabbat meali etc. That's why there's a custom to say the the 23rd psalm, okay, at every also that many of the practice to say it, it's not one time but what three times. Okay. Now, if you skip down to the about eight lines to the end of the line, we're we're on line 16. We're going to he just quotes a whole bunch of reasons for this, but we're going to go to to line 24 at the end of the line where it says the last three words on the line. Why do we say three times those that do that? Why? because it contains the negative that I set before you a table what against all my enemies that is to say Hashem who gives us whatever bestow we're able to put out whatever she we're able to put out on Shabas okay Hashem gives us to everything that we're able to put on our table he gives it to as why that from that experience is sitting together on the shabas table. What we should be able to glean okay be strengthened okay in our relationship to our capacity to serve against our enemies to you. Okay. that are the good the good that we are able to pull forth from the experience of the Shabas table and sitting at Shabbat. Okay, that will what that will stand up against all our enemies and any no matter how he appears to us. Okay, that what we do at our before God. Okay. that what we do at our shabas tables, okay, gives us the strength to face down and overcome every single bum in our generation that sits at his table, okay, his proverbial table to plot to do us harm in all circumstances. our shabas table says red Mosha Wilson in this incredibly strong and beautiful teaching okay is the greatest shmeir we have against any bum who sits around a table to plot to do us harm okay so now I know that golden just a few minutes ago spoke about the the of right and if we know that when bilam ultimately is about to curse the Jewish people who Allah said to make this declaration how beautiful are your tents of Jacob the dwelling place of Israel and the gared that I saw the golden also quoted in his source even though he didn't spend a lot of time on this but I'm going to spend a little bit more time on this together so if you take a look text number seven the brings that famous gar the same gar you learned a few moments ago the golden with this bra that bum ends up declaring right the we it's revealed what was really in his heart Hashem comes caused the bra to come out but really it's revealed by the words if we unpack the words that come out of his mouth it's revealed what was really in his heart what he really intended to do His desire was the to what to suggest and to curse that we would not have synagogues and we would not have study halls. Right? So what happens caused him to say how beautiful are your tents. Okay. And he intended that what? To decree that God would abandon them Israel and your dwelling places Israel. It's a referral to what? The places we learn Torah and the places where we gather to come close to Hashem, the synagogue. So Bam intended what? To curse us. That Hashem would abandon us. that we wouldn't be able to gather together in synagogues and feel close to Hashem and that his Torah would would cease to exist amongst and be learned amongst the Jewish people that that that the the B midrash of the Jewish people the oame of the Jewish people would be taken away and ultimately ultimately causes him to say the opposite. Because Hashem orchestras, he says the opposite. What do we what can we glean from this? Says the gar we can glean that really his intention even though he said nice things really his intention was what was the opposite to do us harm. So we're going to learn now from the kajnit. The kajnit is another great master who made aliyah to Israel in 1928. Rabbi the avotess Alazar of Kajnitz. Okay. His name is Rabbi Israel Alazar um Hopstein of Kajnitz who came in ali 1928. He's one of threebas who were involved in founding a a failed effort to f found a kidic farming village near known still today as faridim. Okay. And there were threebies that were involved in building up that or attempting to build up that that initiative to bring to Israel to literally work the land, okay, and fulfill the mitzvos to be mim all the the agricultural agrarian mitzvah of the Torah. Sadly, that enterprise failed probably for a few different reasons. Number one, they ran out of money. Number two, they also faced a plague of malaria. And number three, Kasi Shiva Bakr really just didn't know any very much about about farming. And so ultimately ultimately they're bailed out by the poi misrai the the the religious Zionist workers who come and kind of rebuild and reestablish the village even though it's still named today. There are very few that live in today. But this ends up staying in Israel. He ends up settling in downtown Tel Aviv. You can actually go visit his there is still an active Kashitzer in Tel Aviv today. His grandson who splits his time, I guess you could call him a cosmopolitan because he splits his time between downtown Tel Aviv and the upper west side of Manhattan. And um his grandson is the Rebi today. And so we're going to learn this safer. By the way, he is the brother-in-law of the Kesh the Pets, the Rebi, the Rebi, the ghetto. The safer is not as well known as it should be. I'll just tell you how I how I came to find the safer. Um about 18 years ago, no it's more than that. About 20 years ago, I spent Sukkot with my sister and her family in uh in Toronto in Thornhill and we go we go on on the first night because I go to Schul my brother-in-law and I'm sitting in Schul. I have my s Kesh. sitting and learning a piece for the psy and I see there's an elderly gentleman like fixated on me. He's like staring at me from across the room to the point that like it's making me very uncomfortable. He's like literally fixated on me. And finally he walks over to me and says I see you like I said yes. He says he says how is your Hebrew? I said it's pretty good. He says it good enough to read an article from an itone from a Hebrew ma Hebrew newspaper. and he says, "Well, maybe you'd like to read a father an article about my father." So once he throws that in, there's no no one with a with with a pulse would have the audacity say, "No, I'm not interested in reading about your your father blessed memory." Like so I said, "Of course, sure. Uh, sure. I'd be happy to I'd be happy to read the article." So he brings me over the article and it's basically a story about this this man, Mr. Gutman, who was sitting in Shaw. His father had been a a Talmid of the Pets Rebi in Europe. And the pests when he saw what was the machinations were happening in in Poland to to start occupying Poland he sent a small group of mostly teenagers to to to Paris where his brother-in-law the had already escaped and they went first to Paris to be with the brother-in-law and then he eventually made his way to um probably illegally at the time um without without proper visas and They reestablished together with this rebid of Kashnitz in Tel Aviv. And this this man's father, this gentleman's father, the gentleman had been staring at me, grew up, even though he was just a teenager at the time, grows up to be the Nasi, the president of all the most kits here in Israel. Becomes the right-hand man of the kit of rebiotazar and helps him rebuild the uh the kit here init. and his the family posumously published this the the the teachings of the Reba in memory of their father. So that's the article. So afterwards I read the article I go and I said thank you for sharing the story with me. So he walks over to the bookshelf where like the farm in the back of the of the of the of the shaw and he pulls off pulls a safer off the off the shelf and said maybe you want to take a borrow this take a look at this safer for the next few days. And it's the safer alazar. And I I had it with me the whole circus. I couldn't put it down. It was beautiful Torah after beautiful Torah after beautiful Torah. And um at the end on on on sus Torah, I went over to him and said, "I'm going to be in Israel in a few weeks, you know, let me know where I can buy the safeair." He says, "Just take that copy. I'll bring another one to the sh." And sure enough, if you look up the safe of my house, if you're ever in my house, I'll show you that. It says on the inside, you know, deafer is donated to congregation in Lation in Thorn Hill, Ontario because I have that same that that copy. Anyways, >> well, he's the he's the grand he's the son of the the the Reb. Okay, it's not the Reba, but even so, it's a beautiful beautiful sa and we're going to learn a very very powerful teaching. Okay. Uh based on this on this famous gamarra in Sanhedrin speaking about the matvu. So this is text number eight. Okay. We learn we we could say that there is a practical message for us in our generation most specifically in regards to our interactions with the nation other nations. Listen to the Reb's words that he said probably 75 years ago that often okay it appears to us that the nations are saying nice things and they're expressing lofty just ideas. It appears to us that what that they are seeking our well-being. But the reality is becomes revealed. What reveals the opposite would say go and look. He says how the all the nations of the world conducted themselves. All the nations of the world, just about all the nations of the world conduct themselves, even the enlightened ones during the days of rage and the okay and the hatred for the Jewish people, the lack of love and concern of the Jewish people was equal. He says, okay, amongst from one end of the earth to the other. And even those who appear to praise us for our achievements and accomplishments as time passed passes. Okay. What comes to be revealed? Their true face is revealed. Okay? and that we should never what rely on bam even in those moments when he's giving a blessing because in his heart okay all he really wants to do is curse us god forbid and therefore we should never pin our hopes to the the the the promises that are sure to be broken by the nations of the world because they don't bring us close to them unless what they need something from us and we the tells us that their their their mouths speak falsehoods and their right arm and the deeds they do okay are are false deeds as well. The only person, the only thing we can rely on, the only one we are to rely on is our father in heaven. There's only one power that we have in this world that through it that the other nations of the world can never take away from us. And that's the power of the Torah we learn and the we utter and through this and this is what our kazal teach us in the the garra we just learned about about bum bum tried to curse us his intent in intention was to take away the this the study halls and synagogues but ultimately what the fact that his words come out the opposite it teaches us What that Hashem is saying what's going to protect us against the bams okay the Torah we learn and the us and it's through these two things that we have to put all our energy into channel all our energy the source of our of our protection against all the words that are being expressed by every proverbial bum in the world okay whether they're one hand being two-faced and saying things positive about us and then the next minute their their true colors are revealed. Everything this Rebi said 75 years ago. Okay. The greatest shme against this is the Torah we learn and the we utter. Okay. Just to bring this all together, we're now going to learn one last very very strong piece. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. It's unbelievable. Right. I saw this the other day. I said I said this is my sh for this week. is un unbelievable. There's nothing more not only that it falls falls out during this sedra. So it's already timely, but that that it's that it mirrors that it mirrors our reality so powerfully. Yeah. Unbelievable. So now we're going to learn one more piece that you is going to leave you saying the same thing. Okay. We're going to learn from Rabbi Abram Shaw who's a great teacher of in the world today. His his he's he's the son of Rabbi Gadaleshaw who was a great rasha also a great teacher of kasidut. Okay. Okay, Rabbi Yadal Shaw was the Russian Shiva of Yeshiva Tarvadas. He died in 1979. His famous farmer called Oridal Yahu. It's Rabbi Abram Shaw this who we're going to learn from in a moment who or who published that safer after Rabbi Gdal Shaw passed away and Rabbi Vamshaw's farmer called and we're going to learn an incredibly beautiful piece not there levim their great sadikim I'm not either um and Rabshaw but his gonna see why they're just gold okay Ramshaw is going to first bring a an idea from the Rebi of Gisk. The Rebi Grisk is a half this particular Rebi Gisk is a half nephew of the PS the Rebi that we spoke about a few minutes ago. Okay. and um he survived the shawah both the this rabbi the binat Israel of gisk his son is buried he the b is actually perished in sorry he perished in ashitz he in trebinka I'm sorry he perished in trebinka his son who succeeded as rabbi made it survived and made it to Isel and his son is actually buried in the sanhedria cemetery right next to yaza so we're learning that that it's not the same family, extended family um the Torah in this first piece. Anyways, so teaches in the Gar in the days leading up to Msiah the meaning what? Brazeness, arrogance will become >> rampant. Okay, good. Okay. And what based on what we spoke about earlier? That's the Rebesque. Okay. Explained. What is the the Gamarra? What is the intention of this lesson about the the the spread of okay? It's a reference to what? That in the days leading up before Msiah, the the brazeness, the arrogance of the nations of the world towards the Jewish people will become rampant. Okay. Because when it's when Hashem determines that it's we're getting close to the time of redemption if God forbid we're not really deserving that Hashem should eliminate all the enemies of the Jewish people. Okay. Then what will happen? Hashem's still going to orchestrate what that Mashia is gonna come if the time is right. The time is right. Even if we're not ready. Okay? Even Even if we're not worthy. Okay? But what's going to happen in if that's the circumstance? If we're not worthy, then the of the other nations is going to become stronger and stronger and really become prolific. And from all their brazeness and arrogance, it's going to become clear that what they need to be taken out of the world even if we didn't realize it beforehand. Okay? He says this is based on the words of the says that through first the being revealed in the nations having that arrogance and brazeness towards the Jewish people we will realize what it's time for us to to eliminate and obliterate that that wickedness in the world and that will hasten the time of redemption. Okay, that's all based on the kadushi. Fine. So now he's going to quote his father. Listen to this. This is going to blow you away. I heard from my father, our master, our teacher, bless me that he said once in one of his in the yeshiva. The reason why Hashem orchestrated that the United Nations would be created during this time period simultaneously to what the whole experience of the conclusion of the Shawah and the building of the state of the the the the battle to build the state of Israel. Okay? Because it'll become clear when it's time to judge all the nations of the world. All them will say what? Oh, we we had no we had no we had nothing bad to say about the Jewish people. We love the Jewish people. They all say they all they all claim they they have nothing bad to say about us in the in the farflung corners of the world. We've never seen a Jew in our lives and therefore said and that's why orchestrated to invite all the nations of the world to one address the United Nations that all of them will be able to express what's really in their hearts all their complaints about the Jewish And it become clear to every to all the we all know that hates. He says it'll become clear to every single one of us that there's not a single nation in the world that really has our best interests at heart. that there's not some aspect of sah of hatred towards the Jewish people and all of them will serve their purpose in clarifying this for every single one of us bismanu okay so that's now brings us all together in our times when it's become so clear the hatred that the other nations have for the Jewish people And through the the great brazeness and arrogance that they all have, Hashem will help us and help us what? Eliminate them completely from the world. And Hashem will eliminate that from the world. and will merit speedily quickly in the same way that when we went forth the days that we went forth from our reuot and we will be z to see miracles my friends as we prepare to read paras the shabas during these unprecedent during these unprecedented times really the unprecedented times in terms of the the the the brazeness everything that we learned in each one of these pieces speaks so vividly ly to our experience and every single one of these pieces should be us to know that is orchestrating everything. Okay. And we have to rise above all the noise and put our full trust and energy in the sham and know with certainty that he is the one orchestrating everything and that he will speedily bring us to the gulma. May we be z in the days ahead to see that with our own eyes to experience it together. Shabbat shalom.