Parsha Perspectives (Balak, 5782) - Seeing and Hearing

Good morning, Boca Tova. Welcome back to our Parsha Perspectives for today. As always, tremendous gratitude to our generous series sponsors for the year, Becky and Avi Katzin family, in memory of David Grossman, leilui nishmas Dovid ben Menachem Manish. I want to remind you, if you'd like to sponsor an individual shiur Parsha Perspectives in honor and memory, then you could do so easily on our shul website, brsonline.org/sponsor. Also, if you've not yet joined our one-on-one campaign, you are missing out on phenomenal one-minute divrei Torah every day. Dollar a day of stock a minute a day of learning, all in the merit of Esther Teela bas Sarah and Tzipora, Esther Mascots, and all those who are ill. And lastly, we started a weekly write-up of the Parsha Perspectives shiur, beautiful write-up of three points of the shiur, one to be shared at each meal over Shabbos. We're looking for people to sponsor that each week as well. Someone's writing it up for me, and there is a cost to doing so. Not looking to make any money, simply cover our cost. You can do that, and you can sign up for the newsletter to be able to get that write-up conveniently in your inbox, and be able to print it out and bring it to your Shabbos table. You can get that email by taking out your phone. All you have to do is text to the number 22828. 22828. If you text that number, you will sign up for the newsletter with the Parsha Perspectives notes. We have the privilege of reading and learning Parshas Balak, page 856 in the ArtScroll Stone Chumash. And I want to start even before we get into the Parsha itself. I mentioned to you, I recently got this fantastic sefer Otzar HaTorah, which is a collection of wonders of the Torah, and indeed it lives up to its name. The person who published this did a phenomenal job collecting really obscure, fascinating sources based on the Parsha. And here in our Parsha, Balak, begins with the following. The name of the Parsha, before we even get into the parsha, let's not even get past the name. The name of the parsha is Balak. Is Balak a good guy or bad guy, a hero or a villain? Okay, good. You're all If you didn't know the answer to that question, I would be very concerned. Balak's a bad guy, he's a villain of Jewish history. He tried to destroy the Jewish people. He failed when he recruited Bil'am, and he continued and was more successful when he understood how to uh get to the Jewish people, the end of our parsha, the beginning of next week's parsha. He's a terrible villain. So, how could it be that we have a parsha that's named for him? After all, the possuk says in Mishlei, the shame resha'im yirkav, and the chachamim, chazal in meseches Yoma daf nun vov ches tell us that one should not use the name of a rasha. We don't even engage. We have the habit of saying yimach shmo, may his name be erased. May the name be eradicated. We don't use that name. In fact, he has another section where he wonders that we have a Rishon. A Rishon is quoted by several whose name was Bil'am, the Rebbe Bil'am. How could it be someone was named after Bil'am? But here we go back to how could it be that our parsha is named for Balak? Balak's a rasha. Rashi writes there in Yoma, lo yikra adam l'vno shem adam rasha. Don't name your children after a wicked person. Don't even engage the name. Don't use the name of a wicked person. So, how could how could our parsha be named for a villain, for a wicked person? Now, many ask this. One of them is Rav Avraham Shapiro, the author of the Birkas Avraham, and he writes the following. B'chol nun gimmel parshiyos shebatorah, in all the 53 parshas of the Torah, does anyone know how many are named after people? 53 parshas, how many are named for people? Correct, the answer is five. Namely, Noach, Yisro, Korach, Balak, and Pinchas. Four of them is a great cover. Noah, Yitro, uh Pinchas, Bala Korach maybe the Benei Korach the chuva. But Balak's a rasha. Chayei Sarah, good point. Great. Good question. Chayei Sarah. It's not named Sarah. Chayei Sarah. Okay, good. Good. I guess you got you thinking over there. So, um so how could it be named for Balak who is a rasha? Very interesting question. So, the Bechor Shor answers based on the parsha itself. Parsha itself tells us that Balak does offer korbanos. Before engaging Hashem, before praying, prophecy, even an attempt to curse, sacrifices are offered. And in the merit of the fact that sacrifices were offered, there is an acknowledgement of the presence of the Almighty, a submission to him at least in the form of sacrifices. In that merit, Rashi already quotes the Chazal, Gemara Sanhedrin daf mem zayin, that in the merit of the 42 sacrifices Balak the king of Moab offered, who was yotzei mimenu? We have somebody from Moab, very prominent woman, is the progenitor of Mashiach. Yotzei mimenu Rus. So, yotzei mimenu HaMelech. If in the merit of those korbanos, he in fact became the progenitor of none other than Rus and all those who descend from her, so certainly having a parsha named for him is less than the distinction in the merit of being the mother, being the father rather of Rus and all who descend from her. That's his answer. That's his answer. Rebbe Meir Premishlan a great Rebbe has a different answer in his Divrei Meir. He says that as if a joke, we know Halacha BiYadua, we have a tradition that Esav Sonei Yaakov. Antisemitism is built into the fabric, it's existed since the beginning of the Jewish people. It is the world's oldest form of hatred. Halacha BiYadua, Chazal say it that it's a Halacha BiYadua, it is built into the fabric, the rules of history. Balak Ba Kayem Halacha Zu BiTachas HaShlemus. So, Rebbe Premishlan says, Balak is what's called an Erlach HaGoy. He followed his Halacha. And what was his Halacha? Esav Sonei Yaakov. Since he was an Erlach HaGoy, we have to do our part, he did his part, we follow our Halacha, he followed his Halacha, the Parsha's named after him. Tzitzit Chos It's a joke Yeah, he means it humorously. He doesn't mean it seriously, but humorously he at least says, Halacha BiYadua, he followed his Halacha as an Erlach HaGoy. This is just an example of of some of the obscure collections in this beautiful Sefer. He has another. Sefer HaChinuch points out our Parsha, Seder VaYare Balak Ein Bo Mitzvah. We have 613 Mitzvos. Some Parshas Kedoshim chock-full and others like our Parsha Balak has no Mitzvah in it. No Mitzvah. Not only Sefer HaChinuch but the Ramban, the Saadia Gaon and the Moreh Nevukhim, those who count and calculate, those who survey Torah in order to extract and find, identify the 613 point out, Parshas Balak no Mitzvah. No Mitzvah. Now, anyone know there are other Parshas that don't have a Mitzvah as well? Which other Parshas don't have a Mitzvah? Anyone know? Noach, VaYera, Chayei Sarah, Toldos, VaYeitzei, VaYishlach, Mikeitz, VaYigash Vayechi. Okay, all those are embrasures before the Torah is given. Shmos, Va'eira, Pekudei, Bamidbar, Haazinu, and Vezos Habracha, all are narratives with no mitzvah. Now, he brings this because he raises the question. The holy Kedushas Levi tells us in tough mem, "Gedolah talmud shemayim l'dei maaseh." The Torah was given for hora'ah. The Chizkuni points out that the whole idea of Torah is hora'ah. It's teaching, it's lesson, lead to action, to legislate, to regulate our behavior. So, what's the significance of a parsha that doesn't have a mitzvah? Aren't the mitzvahs the whole essence? Aren't they central to why the Torah is given, what the Torah is really all about? So, what is the goal of a parsha that doesn't have a mitzvah? You could ask this about all those other parshas as well, but he asks it about parshas Balak. And the answer is there's much to extract from our parsha even even though it doesn't have a formal, technical, counted mitzvah. For example, what do we incorporate from our parsha into our daily living even though it's not formally a mitzvah? Mah tovu ohaleiha Yaakov beginning of our davening. Mah tovu ohaleiha Yaakov. Now, it's interesting, he also has in this way wonderful sefer, Otzar Plasa Torah, that not everybody did, not everybody incorporated it into their davening. The Maharshal, or Luria, began Mishk'nosaiha Yisrael Mah tovu ohaleiha Yaakov Mishk'nosaiha Yisrael. He refused used Mah tovu. He didn't begin his davening with Mah tovu. He would not incorporate the words of a the words of a rasha. Very interesting. Although the students of the Maharshal clearly do. But we do open up a siddur or stand in siddur universally Mah tovu ohaleiha Yaakov Mishk'nosaiha Yisrael. Our opening words come not only from a non-Jew, but from a very wicked a very uh a non-Jew who had a negative intent, who sought the destruction of the of the Jewish people. So, we do incorporate that and many other lessons, which is a good segue into our partial perspectives for today. What are some of those lessons from our parsha, even if there's no formal mitzvah, that we do incorporate many of Look at the size of this safer. See the thickness of this? And this is just Bamidbar. This is great fun stuff. If you like this kind of thing, really, really great stuff. So, uh let's get into it. Page 856 in your ArtScroll ArtScroll Stone Chumash. Vayar Balak ben Tzippor es kol asher asah Yisrael la'Emori. Balak, the son of Tzippor, saw all the Jewish people had done to Emori. Sichon, the king of Emori, when the Jewish people asked to pass through his land, said no. Not only did he say no, he refused the request, he was inhospitable, but vayilachem b'Yisrael. He didn't just say no, he went to war with the Jewish people, which turned out to be a really poor decision, because the Jewish people wiped the floor with him. We spoke last Shabbos, we didn't continue into Ammon, even though we were on a roll, because as g'vul b'nei Ammon, that boundary, that border was incredibly strong, it was fortified. What gave it its strength? Not a military superiority. Zacher Rashi last week's parsha, ki as g'vul b'nei Ammon, hasra also shel Hakadosh Baruch Hu. God said don't go in. If God says don't go in, that is the strongest border or boundary we have. It's a non-negotiable, it's a non-starter. Our attitude towards Hashem's rules, regulations, expectations for us have to not be that they're suggestions, and they're not points of negotiation. As g'vul, they're boundaries. And I mentioned last Shabbos morning, we're living in a time in a world increasingly blurred boundaries, disintegration, dissolving of boundaries. No boundaries between countries, no boundaries between people, no boundaries of basic biological definitions. We're seeing the end of boundaries. Whereas the Torah tells us as gavul, as gavul, our boundaries have to be strong and fortified, and what gives them their strength? Kadosh Baruchu. If he says jump, we say how high. If he says this is the truth, then we say that's what we believe. As gavul benei Ammon. So Sichon, the king of Emori, made this terrible mistake. Spoke in Chal Shudus last week. I wanted to do Balak Balak not Chukas, but Chal Shudus last week, we learn al kein, therefore, the who are the The Gemara learns those who are in the yetzer hara come bo cheshbon. Cheshbon not the name of a city, but a person has to make a cheshbon. To be mindful, to be present, conscientious, conscious in all that we do. Make a cheshbon. Why do we learn that from a wicked evil Sichon, king of Emori? There was no other pasuk in the Torah we could have derived the significance, the importance of mindfulness to defeat the yetzer hara from? So according to Chal Shudus last week, from the Rosh Yeshiva of Gur, Rav Shaul Alter, who gave a beautiful explanation. So here, we're not the only ones who read Parshas Chukas. We're not the only ones who followed the news that Sichon, the king of Emori, not only rejected our request, but then went to war and was wiped out. You know who else heard the story? You know who else read the headline? You know who else saw the news? Balak ben Tzippor. He saw all that it occurred, all that it happened. He saw everything. And the order of the pasuk is sort of strange. Cuz continue. Vayar Balak ben Tzippor, he saw all that the Jewish people did to Emori. And who is Balak ben Tzippor? Vayagar Moav mipnei Ammon od ki rav hu. And Moav became very frightened of the people, ki rav hu. What should it say grammatically? Not rav hu, it should say ki ravim heim. They were afraid of us cuz we in the plural were great. Kirav who means he's a rav. He's a rabbi. What do you mean Kirav who? Kiravim hem. Aileh yesmach Mosha points out that this was already foreboding foreshadowing the achdus, the unity of Klal Yisrael. When are we least vulnerable and fragile? When are we at our greatest strength? When are we not susceptible to the attack of a Balak and a Bilam? Kirav who? When we're unified. When we are united. When we are together. Kirav who? Vayaket Moav Bnei Yisrael and Moab Moab was uh disgusted in the face of the Jewish people. They woke up, they were disgusted, they were ready to confront. Vayomer Moab el Ziknei Midyan and so on. And then the end of pasuk dalid, uBalak ben Tzippor melech l'Moav ba'eisahu. Balak ben Tzippor was the king of Moab in that time. Now you may never have noticed this. You might have read this parsha many many times in your life. Does that seem like it's in order to you? Does that make sense to you? Balak is about to be identified. What is his CV or resume? I don't know who his shadchan was and whether they had included a picture or not, but what does it say on his resume? He's melech Moab? Balak ben Tzippor is melech l'Moav. For references call Bilam. For references call every other wicked person of the time. So he's the king of Moab. Shouldn't that be at the very beginning of the introduction? Vayar Balak ben Tzippor melech Moab all that had happened. First we see Balak saw what happened and the people were very frightened and they confronted, they were agitated, they were disgusted. So Moab said to Ziknei Midyan, we have to go protect ourselves. Oh by the way, oh by the way, the Balak that we mentioned three seconds ago at the beginning of by the way, he's the king of Moab, the people that I was just telling you were very frightened. Very disjointed, very out of order. What's going on? Says the altar of Kelm, Simcha Zissel Zev, Simcha Zissel Zev that the answer is in the passage itself. Why was Balak chosen? How did he become king? Because he had the power of sight. He had vision. Vayar, he saw. But why was that an impressive quality? The fact that he followed the news? Fact that he followed what happened? Fact that he saw that the Jewish people defeated Amori? Everybody saw that. How much seichel do you need to read the news? The answer is today, a lot. To filter out the fake news from the real news, to know which news to turn to, you need a lot. You need a lot. Some of the news that gets delivered in print and otherwise is muktzah machmas meis. It's disgusting and repulsive and should be used uh to wrap the fish, I'll put it kindly. So, you need a little bit. But wonders, wonders the altar of Kelm, Vayar Balak, Balak saw, I saw, wow. He reacted, he responded, he followed the news, oh, so smart, so wise, such a sage. Big deal. Saw the headline. Ela It means not just to see literally, an animal and a human being can both observe the same thing. But the human being can draw conclusions, can analyze, can understand, can comprehend, can extract lessons, can predict, can anticipate. We see things and observe things all the time. Do we see them as human beings or as animals? Are they mere observations? Are we seeing simply superficially with our eyes? Or do we see in a way which moves us and jolts us? Do we see in a way that we see the depth and the profundity? Do we see in a way that we see the deeper understanding and meaning? Do we see in a way that moves us to take action, to react, to change? Everybody else just saw and they recoiled with fear. Wow. Wow, the Jewish people were mighty and strong. They defeated Amori. Oh boy, we can't touch them. We can't go near them. Balak said, "One second. Let's study them. Let's study them. Let's understand them. Who is their leader? Where did he come from? What makes him tick? What is their worthiness? And what did he find when he looked at it a little closer? What did he find when he analyzed a little more carefully? What did he find when he didn't simply accept what was on the surface, but he looked beneath the surface at the roots? Where was Moshe from? Where was Moshe raised, so to say? Not the palace, but Midian. He said, "Wow, if the Jewish people's secret sauce, if the Jewish people's leader comes from Midian, If he's from Midian, that's where his power derives from. What can offset him? How can I defeat him? Where can I find a loyal adversary for him? Where did Balak go? Midian. And he found Balaam. So, that is what he That is what he saw. The Medrash tells us on the words Vayar Balak, the Medrash says, Wicked people, it would have been better if they were blind. They would have been better off if they were blind. Because their eyes are what brings the negativity, and the destruction, and the evil to this world. So, what does that mean? That's not what brings the negativity. Where does their wickedness stem from? Their heart and their soul. Their brain. Not their eyes. So, why does the Medrash attribute the destruction and the wickedness of Balak from why to their eyes? So, the Shach that's how the Rashbi of Ponovezh says, all the Rishus so. It's true. It's true. Our goodness, our virtue, or our wickedness, it comes from our heart. Comes from our soul. Comes from our yearning and our longing, and our drive, and our temptation. But how it manifests and expresses itself, do we build or destroy? Do we elevate or do we lower? That comes from what we see with our eyes. Think about this war in Ukraine and Russia. Which everyone's forgotten. It lasted a month, a new cycle. Even though people continue to be murdered in cold blood every day. But it fell out of the front page. We moved on except for the people of Ukraine. But you think of that war which we still still should be concerned and focused on. Putin What was the source of this wicked war? Is it his heart? His brain? Yes, but it's his eyes, his appetite. He saw Ukraine and he wants it. What does he want next? And the same is true for so many of the challenges that we have. That's what tzitzit has come to atone for. The end of parsha shlach We look at the tzitzit and it should help us be more mindful of what we look at. Cuz the heart desires what the eye sees. The eye is the source of the appetite. Our eyes open wide. You have a big Never go shopping when you're hungry. You go to the supermarket when you're hungry, you'll buy all the foods you later wish you hadn't brought into your home. Why? What's the problem? It's your appetite, your stomach. But it's your eyes that then see and desire and want. Vayar Balak Vayar that opening word of our parsha is so pregnant with meaning. Vayar The beginning of the downfall of so much is what we see. What we choose to look at, what we choose to focus on is the appetite, the insatiable appetite and drive for that which is not ours. And that was true for Balak. Balak should have seen what happened to Emori and stayed in Moab and done his own business. But instead Vayar, he saw and that moved him and that drove him. Posuk Zion, moving right along. So what does he do? He sent messengers to Bilam ben Beor to go um appeal to him. Am Yisrael a nation left Egypt And now they're proliferating, they're covering the land. They are going curse them for me. Ki atzum hu mimeni cuz they're greater than I. Maybe we can curse them successfully and drive them from the land. You got that he's a sure to break the morale. The sure to or you are. Bilam, I know you've got a power. You're from the same land as Mosha. And we have a tradition that Bilam in fact was as great a prophet as Mosha. Lest the nations of the world be able to complain, if we had a leader, if we had someone with that capacity, we would have been the Jewish people, too. So Hashem says, "Okay, let's try it." Here's a Bilam. But instead of reaching that level, they used it for the opposite. So he tells Bilam, "I know whatever you say, if you give a bracha, there's a bracha. If you curse, there's a curse." Vayikchu ziknei Moav v'ziknei Midian u'ksamim b'yadam. Pasuk zayin. The elders of Moav went and the elders of Midian, and they went with their charm in their hand. Vayavo Bilam v'yedabru eilav divrei Balak. And they come to Bilam, and they deliver the words of Balak. Vayomer aleihem, "Linu po al laila." And he says, "Sleep here tonight v'ashim osi es kam davar ka'asher yedaber Hashem elai. I'll get back to you. I'll get back to you." Vayashuvu sarei Moav el Bilam. And they come and with Bilam. Vayavo Elohim el Bilam. God now visits Bilam. We've turned the page. Vayomer, and God says to Bilam, "Mi anashim elei moch?" "Where you going? Who are these people? What's with the entourage? Who are you walking with? Who are these people?" Says Rashi, "La atah sobo." Rashi says, "Lama yishal Hashem al poshi k'ishal bom?" "Omer, pa'amim she'ein hakol galui lefanav, ein da'ato shavah lav. Af ani er'eh ish she'uchal lekalel v'lo ya'avin." So Rashi comes along, and says Rashi, "Mhm." Says Rashi, that he came to fool. He came to trick. Came to trick. So how could it be? How could it be? Did Bilam think he was going to fool God? What answer did he give? Vayomer Bilam Balak sent for me. There was a nation that left Egypt. They're covering the land. He wants me to drive them out. So, Balak sent for me. So, did Balaam think he was going to pull the wool over God's eyes? What did he think? What did he think? So, the Alter of Kelm, second Alter of Kelm for today, in a letter to his son, he writes, he said the following. He said if you have a bad heart, an evil heart, a wicked heart, if your heart's not in the right place, no matter how smart, no matter your IQ, no matter your intellect, you're going to have misguided thinking. You're going to have poor judgment. Balaam made the wrong decisions time after time here. And Balaam so poorly thought he could trick and fool God, the Almighty. And what led Balaam to all those horrible conclusions and to this ignoble end was not he was brilliant. How many people have we seen in the world in our lifetime who have incredible brilliance and charisma and genius, but if their heart's in the wrong place, if it's not pure, if not purely motivated, then it doesn't matter where the head is, doesn't matter how good or impressive the head is. If a person has a poor, a corrupt, a misguided heart, that is the that is the downfall. That is the downfall. So, Balaam answers God and he says, "Balak sent for me." You know, Balaam is like a what we call today passive-aggressive. He just throws a little zinger in there to God. God says, "Who are these people? Where are you going?" He says, "Oh, Balak sent for me. I got a job. I got a gig. You know, I make a living by cursing and blessing. He sent some men for me. I got a gig. I went God, I know you don't think much of me, but Balak does. I know that you're not impressed, but Balak is. I know you have no use for me, but I got hired by the king of Moab. That's what Bilam tells the Almighty. Rashi, I'm not making this up. Rashi, "Even though I may not be impressive in your eyes, even though I may not be impressive in your eyes, Balak's pretty impressed with me. Right? This is like a a husband and wife where there's some tension or friction, a little passive-aggressiveness. Okay, you may not come to my shear, but there are plenty others who do. That's hypothetical. So, so uh again, what in the world is Bilam thinking? What is Bilam thinking? He's telling the infinite almighty omnipotent God, you may not you, the creator of the universe, the source of all, you may not be impressed, but that lowly pathetic ice far of bosom of a dumb flesh and blood Balak, he he is impressed with me. Is God going to be impressed now with that? What is he thinking? If we didn't see this in the Torah, we wouldn't believe it. How you talking to your mother or to your friend? Could you imagine a person says to their friend, "You may not be so impressed with me, but my cat loves me. Right? You may not have have no use for me, but the dog snuggles up with me. At least the dog loves me." What do you think the friend your dog or your cat's impre- The cat's impressed with you? Maybe I should take another look. Bilam's telling God, "You may not be impressed with me, but Balak is." As if that's going to change Hashem's mind, the omnipotent infinite Hashem. Sort of Eliezer Lopian, the Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Emes in London, he says the following. We see here the hashpa'ah of midos rose. Again, this is consistent with the last idea we saw a moment ago. No matter how impressive, no matter how brilliant, no matter how charismatic, no matter what your IQ, no matter what your intellect, if you have a bad heart, if you have poor intent, if you're drawn and you have a drive to the wrong thing, it will confuse and cloud all your judgment. You'll be so misguided, you're so miscalculated. You'll be able to so irrationally view and justify and defend in such a negative and and fruitless attitude. It's all When there's a question, when there's an issue, where we have a bias, because we have a drive, no matter how smart you think you are, turn to someone else, even if they have a lower IQ, they're less life experience, they're not nearly as smart, because when we are biased, when we're a lover, we can't think clearly. We will say irrational things, we'll come to irrational conclusions. And then we'll double down in our misguided, poor outlook, poor judgment. And that's entirely the story you see here of Bilam. Bilam Hashem created as Moshe's equal. He was just as smart, as great a prophet. How could he come to such foolish conclusions? Not in the text itself, but the entire Medrish, the subtext of our entire parsha, is exposing Bilam as a fool over and over and over again. But is that not what we've seen from world leaders and great athletes, from brilliant men and women, who you wonder, what what could they possibly have been telling themselves that led them to act in that way? Didn't they know what they were going to give up? How humiliated they'd become? How they would sabotage their own success? We have to see that no matter how smart or brilliant, the moment that we are connected in Nogaya, so easily we can be brought down. So, how does build how does Hashem react? God the almighty, the omnipotent is telling you directly, you don't have to decipher, there's no code, you don't have to wait for a sign, he's in direct communication, he says to you directly, don't go. This is not the place for you, it's not where you're meant to be. It's not what you're meant to do, this is a blessed people. Don't curse them, it's not going to work out. Go home. to go. They come and they say Balaam refused to come. Again, the subtext here is, why did Balaam send them home? Not because indeed God said no, but he wanted more covered. You didn't have a big enough parade and not enough fanfare, you didn't send a large enough entourage, you got me business class or first class, I want a private plane. Not good enough. Balak understood. Why did Balak understand? Why did he understand not what Balaam was saying with his words, but between his words? Why did he understand? Because he was cut from the same cloth. Because if you derive, if you desire the same honor and glory, if you have the same temptation, then you understand the person who's with whom you have kinship. So, he sends more. Balak refused to take no for an answer. There is no expense that's too great. He'll give you the greatest honor in the world by on Balaam and he said, You can give me everything in the world, I can't go unless God tells me. Whether it's great or small, I can't go. So, Bilam says immediately to Balak's agents, I can't violate the word of Hashem. Lo Ukhal La'avor Es Pi Hashem. This parsha, I point this out every year cuz I experience this when I read it every year. Maybe you similarly. When you read the words itself, you say, "Bilam doesn't seem like such a terrible guy." Right? He keeps He keeps hesitating here. He keeps invoking Hashem. He keeps saying, "I can't do it without his permission, his consent." He keeps making it that it's really all about God. But if you read more finely, if you read with a more critical eye, you'll see again beneath the surface that Bilam is not at all loyal to Hashem. And here's one example. Third altar of kelam for the day. He says, "Lo Ukhal La'avor Es Pi Hashem." I can't. What should he have said? I won't. I don't want. If Hashem doesn't want, I don't want. This is not what's meant for me. This is not what I'm meant to do. If this is not my mission, I'm not doing it not because I can't. I'm not doing it because I don't want. Because I don't want. Lo Ukhal La'avor Es Pi Hashem Ki Keil Olam Hu She'metzi'ani U'khalaso. In other words, what he realized was, "I can't. I want to dunk the basketball, but I can't. I want to go curse. I want all the honor and glory. I want to be escorted on a private plane, but it's going to go down." Uh Lo Ukhal. It we we won't take off. But Lo Shina Es Retzono Shel Hashem. It didn't change his ratzon. Bilam is a rasha not because of what he did, but because what he wanted to do. Because of his will. Because of his motivation, his desire. He only wanted to go along with God because he thought he had no other choice. Lo Ukhal. But really our mission in life mission in pirkei avos is but our ratzon and may ratzon no. The goal is not only to make our actions compliant and consistent with what Hashem asks, but it's to make our desires, our wants, and our wishes, our ambition, and our drive should conform to what Hashem wants. It's not that you know, I desperately wish I want to live in a country club like a non-Jew, like a non-observant Jew. That's where my heart is. But, lo hal. I'm afraid lightning will strike. What could I do? I've got to do the shabbos kashrus thing. Got to pay for the day school thing. Lo hal, I can't not. I'll shame my family, lightning will strike, I'll have no entrance into the world to come. So, really my desire, my drive, my will, my wish, my ambition, really my heart is I want to live like the rest of the world. I hate this life and this lifestyle. I don't want to below hal. Says the author of kelm, that's not what it means to be a yid. To be a Jew, an airlicha Jew is not just to do the right things, but to work, to want the right things. To mold and shape our heart and our soul to make our drive and our ambition conform with what Hashem wants from us. And so, you see that here in the subtext that when Bilam rejects Balak and his agents, he doesn't say, "Listen, I want what God wants. And if God doesn't want this, I don't want this." Instead, he says, "Lo hal, lo hal." We should work to fashion our wants, our ratzon. Make our ratzon. Don't ask God to conform his ratzon to yours. Conform your ratzon to his. What's at the root of the word ratzon? Ratz. What's the ratz? To run. Ratzon, ratz. Because what we're motivated, what we have drive, we run to go do. We run to go do. When you run, what happens? You get there faster. The distance remains the same. From here to there is whatever objective distance. I can walk or I can run. If I run, I get there faster if I walk. When I have ratzone, I'm rats. The ratzone gets me there faster. When I run after something, I do it with joy and with excitement. When I run after something, I don't even feel as if I'm running cuz I want to be there already. That's a serazone but a ratzone there is no. A ratzone should conform. So, Bil'am says lo chal. Can't? Want to curse? Want to go with you, Balak? The only reason I'm not is lo u chal. Should have been lo rotzeh? I don't want to. Because I want my ratzone to conform to his. Eventually, he beats Hashem down. He asks over and over till Hashem says, "Okay, look. What can I tell you? This is what you want? Go." Bil'am wakes up in the morning. And he saddles his And he now goes with the saray Moab. What do we see from here? He wakes up. The Torah goes out of its way to tell us that he wakes up early in the morning. Should be reminiscent. He's not the first to wake up early to saddle the donkey. Like Rashi. He saddles the donkey. He saddles it by himself. You see the power of hatred. Because Bil'am is a person of covet. He's a covet seeker. So, normally, he doesn't carry his own bags. He doesn't saddle his own donkey. Are you kidding? He doesn't drive himself to the airport. He doesn't check himself in. Are you kidding me? He doesn't put his own things in the overhead. And yet, here he wakes up early in the morning. His servants and his slaves, his stewards, they're all fast asleep. And he's busy packing his luggage, loading the car, driving himself to the airport. Why? Because sin makes a killer sister devil. Because you see, hatred is so powerful, it'll push someone to do things they would never normally do. You think you're the ever the first one to wake up early in the morning cuz you're running? You're running to go do something? You love to hate? You love to curse? You're so eager to destroy? You think you're the first to wake up early? You think you're the first to wake up early cuz you're so excited? My mother could tell you the story better. What grade was I in when I was the Shabbos Abba? Nursery school. She likes to tell the story. I was the Shabbos Abba. So, you know, before you go to sleep, you're so excited to finally your turn to be the Shabbos Abba. You light your special clothing, you'll be the Shabbos Abba, wear your Shabbos clothing to school the next day. So, I woke her up and I said, "Nu, let's go. Nursery, I'm ready." I was so excited that Friday morning. And she looked at the clock and it was 3:00 a.m. I was all excited. It's going to be the Shabbos Abba, so I put on my Shabbos clothing and I woke her at 3:00 a.m. I thought it was time to go. Why? So, I was excited to be the Shabbos Abba. Balaam was excited to destroy the Jewish people. So, Hashem says, "You're the first one to wake up at 3:00 in the morning?" Avram was the Shabbos Abba. Avram woke up cuz Hashem said the Akedah. He ran to go do the Akedah. So, I don't understand. You want to invoke Avram's alacrity and zeal? You want to invoke Avram's obedience and compliance? You want to invoke Avram's faithful loyalty, unquestioning. So, talk about the fact that Avram woke up to go do the Akedah. What are you talking about? Avram also packed his luggage. Avram also loaded the trunk. Avram also drove himself. Avram went to go do the Akedah. That's the much, much, much more impressive thing. Esther Steiman, Zatzal, and in his Shachar, Akedah Akedah's Yitzchak is much greater than he loaded the donkey. So, when you're going to try to respond to Bilam, you don't tell Bilam, you think you're the first one to go try to run to do something. Avram ran to do the most impossible test of all time, to offer his son. Instead of that, you say, "Avram also ran to do something. You know what he did? He loaded his own donkey." That's impressive. That's impressive. Answers of Steiman, Akedah's Yitzchak was at Tzivui Hashem. The way he woke up and the way he ran to do it, that was extra. Avram's impressiveness was not what was asked of him. Of course, that's super impressive given what was asked, but it was asked explicitly. It's what we're not asked explicitly, but we volunteer to do, that's what's really impressive. So, that was Tosafos. Lo Yachsan Uma B'Mitzvah Atzma. The mitzvah would have been perfect. If someone else drove the donkey, someone else loaded the car, if someone else woke him up, if he slept in a little bit, went to the late minyan before Akedah's Yitzchak, Akedah's Yitzchak would have been equally as impressive. What Avram's greatness was was not only listening to Hashem with the Akedah, but the way he did it. The way he did it. Okay, you cleaned for Pesach, but you did it with a smile? With joy? With excitement? Or did you do it with a krechts? With a moan? With misery? You could do the right thing, but if you do it in a miserable way, Avram Avinu didn't only do the right thing, he did it the right way. And that's what Hashem is telling Bilam, that my loyal Avraham would do the Akedah cuz I asked? That's a davar pashut. Of course Avraham did. But not only did he do the Akedah, look at the way he did it. Look at the unquestioning, faithful, with no with no hesitation, with joy, with excitement, waking up early, the way that he the way that he did it, the way that he did it. Rav Yitzchak Levinstein, the Mashgiach, also notes, the Medrash says, "Vayakam Bilam ba'boker." He goes, Sorry, before we get to this next Kotsker. So, a great Kotsker. We'll get to the next pasuk. Listen to this Kotsker. It's worth you coming today just for this Kotsker. Just for this Kotsker. Emes Ve'Emunah, collection of the Kotsker's teachings. "Vayakam Bilam va'yachavosh es asono." Rashi says, "Sinah mekalkeles es hashurah." You see the power of hate? It gets people to do things they normally would never do. That he himself saddled his own donkey. Kadosh Baruchu said, "You think you're blessing me? Avraham saddled his own donkey." Wonders the Kotsker, "Mah tzarich l'dames l'Avraham Avinu Avraham Avinu she'eino she'eino neged meisa Bilam ha'rasha?" What is Hashem after even feeling he has to make a comparison? Why does Hashem have to even invoke Avraham and what he did? What's the point? What's the point? V'niro b'parsha d'Bilam. Says the Kotsker, "Let me explain to you the comparison." "Ki ma'aseh rasha umah Yisrael is b'feiv." What was Bilam's end game? What was his goal? What did he go to set out to do? To destroy the Jewish people. And on that, Kadosh Baruchu says, "K'far k'damah Avraham Avinu." Avraham was already willing to go destroy the Jewish people. "Ki ilu asah nigmeres es reishah shel Avraham Avinu k'da'ito, hayah gam ne'ekeres umah Yisrael." You know, we know the way the story of the Akedah ends. We know that Avraham raises his hand, the axe, sword, the knife. The Malach says, "Stop! Don't do it." Now from exhales, Yitzchak exhales, and he puts the knife down, and he sees the the ram. We know the way the story ends, and we exhale. But Avraham Avinu didn't in real time. When he woke up that morning to go do the unthinkable, when he woke up that morning to go do the unthinkable, unthinkable. And I think there's an interpretation of the Akedah, this is not our parsha. I I alluded to it recently in another context, and I'd like to elaborate on it, figure out the opportunity. But we're living in a time of multiple identities. Intersectionality, identity, identity crisis, identity priorities. We have multiple identities. We have a professional identity, a personal identity, a gender and orientation, a religion, an ethnicity, a culture. We have all kinds of identity. A parent, a child, spouse. These are all different layers and components of identity. And what Yiddishkeit is asking us ultimately, and the story of the Akedah ultimately is, that the identity as an Eved Hashem has to supersede, has to be the top identity of any other, even of a parent. Now, ultimately, Hashem doesn't want to put us in that conflict. But Hashem says to Avraham Avinu, setting the precedent for all time, that your identity, your core identity, your most central identity, must always be as an Eved Hashem. What it means to have a relationship with me, what it means to be a religious personality, is the other identities, some which will fit neatly and conveniently and comfortably, and others which will be in conflict and tension, you need to sometimes be willing to suppress or push further down the list one identity from another. But coming back to the story. So, we know the way it ends, but Avram has to live it in real time. And when Avram wakes up that morning and he thinks he's going to fulfill this most impossible task that Hashem says, "Slaughter your son." Does he delay? Does he hesitate? Does he slash his own tire so he's a flat tire? Does he run out of gas intentionally so he can't get there? Does he forget the keys, lose the combination? No, he wakes up and with zeal and alacrity and enthusiasm, he runs to fulfill the will of Hashem, even though the will of Hashem was to destroy all that he had been building. Even though the will of Hashem as he understood it at the time was to destroy his continuity for his life and legacy to come to an abrupt end. This Kotsker is an entire reinterpretation of this Rashi. We've all learned this Rashi our whole lives. That's why I said this Kotsker was worth coming for today. We've all learned that our entire life that namely what? Bilam, you think you're impressing me? You woke up? Your hatred drives you to do what you normally don't do. You woke up early and you packed the car yourself? Avram already did that. And we all it's cute. Avram woke up and packed the car. Bilam woke up and cooked the par. Kotsker says it's much deeper. You woke up with such zeal as an enemy. Avram woke up as a loyal faithful servant towards that same ends. And he he didn't have any less of the same zeal and enthusiasm. That's what it means to be loyal to me. That's what it means to make your rats on conform to mine. That's what it means is to not only go through the motions of the action of what I command, but for you to make your will conform to my will means that Avram, even though it was going to be the same result of what you're trying to do, and he is on the other end of it, he had the same enthusiasm you had because he made his will conform to mine. Is that a cutsker? What a cutsker. What a cutsker. Beautiful. Let's keep going. But like I mentioned in the book of Bilam, Pasuk Chaval, Bilam wakes up in the morning and goes with the officers of Moab. God gets very angry. So God sends an angel to stand and block the way. The Satan law says the Medrish, who is this Malach? The The Malach Shel Rachamim Haya. Was this a wicked, evil, negative angel? Medrish says no. This was a compassionate, kind, and a loving angel. Va'yar et Bilam da Malach Ha'Kait. Shelo Yakhtave Yovad. What made him an angel of compassion and kindness? Why was he blocking the way? Cuz he was trying to help Bilam. He was trying to get Bilam to pivot. He was trying to get him to redirect. To redirect. Says Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein, the Mashgiach Yechezkel, he writes, you see from here Hashem's boundless and endless kindness, generosity, magnanimity. Even Bilam Ha'Rasha, Hashem should have given up on him. But even to a Bilam Ha'Rasha, he sends an angel of Rachamim to give him another chance to reconsider, to read the writing on the wall, to read the room and decide to go about it a different way, to change location, to change location. I said in the one minute you subscribe to the one and one campaign, I said yesterday, Sunday, recently, Sforno points out in a moment we'll read that you know, Bilam hits the donkey and then he sees the angel and he says to the angel, "Chatosi, I sinned. I sinned. Chatosi." So, the Sforno wonders, "Chatosi, what hate did you do? You didn't see the angel. Why does he react and tell the angel, "Chatosi?" Chatosi. Go to Where is this? When the angel finally appears to Bilam, he turns to the angel and he says, "Chatosi. I've sinned. Sorry, I didn't see you. I sinned." So, the Sforno wonders, "Where's the sin? He didn't see him. He wasn't visible. He only then became visible. So, why was it considered to be a sin?" So, the Sforno says something remarkable. He says, "Sometimes we fail to see what's right in front of us cuz we're not looking. Cuz we're not reading. We're not trying to understand which doors Hashem is opening and which doors he's closing. All for our good." It is a hate. It's a terrible mistake to not read and to not watch, to not look, to not try to understand. People live life. This is really the theme of our living with Emunah Wednesday mornings. Sometimes a door closes and we wonder, "Where is Hashem? And why Hashem?" And only with the benefit of time do we understand that he closed that door for our own our own good, our well-being. Maybe if we would have gotten that job, maybe if we would have married that person, maybe if we would have been able to buy that house, we don't know how negative that would have been. And when he closed that door, that's the angel, the malach of rachamim. What feels like the satan, what sometimes feels like it's an angel of destruction or an angel of death, it's an angel of negativity, is a malach of rachamim. Hashem, I don't know why you're closing this door. Hashem, I don't know why you've made this a dead end, but I know that it's for a good reason. I know that it's out of rachamim. I know that it's for me. And when we don't see that and understand that, when we don't live that, chotasi, it's a cheit. It's a mistake. It's a mistake to not accept and read when a door closes and look for the door that opens. He is the ultimate navigation system. He is the ultimate Waze. And he redirects us and reroutes us, and he gets us to where we're meant to be on the best route. It's not always the most direct route, but it's the best route for us. So, stop trying to defeat and go around. You'll get stuck in traffic or behind an accident or pulled over by a cop, by a policeman. Listen to how Hashem is speaking to us, through which doors he opens and through which ones he chooses to close. Perek kaf beis, pasuk kaf ches. Turn the page. Story continues. Vayiftach Hashem es pi ha'ason. Now this donkey speaks. Vayomer leBilam, "Mah asisi lach ki kisani zeh shalosh regalim?" What did I ever do to you that you're hitting me three times? Right, the donkey sees the angel and stops. It's a very narrow passageway. Bilam's leg is caught. He kicks, hits the donkey. The donkey finally, after the third time, now speaks. The donkey says, "What I ever do to you?" By the way, the Sefer My New Favorite Sefer Otzar Haplusat Torah wonders, what language did the donkey speak in? Did the donkey literally speak? The Rambam writes, "No. This was a dream. This was a prophecy. We're not meant to understand it literally. Prophetically, Bilam had an experience, a dream, as if the donkey was speaking. Meaning, a message was communicated, transmitted to him ke'ilu it came from the donkey, but the donkey didn't speak." Others write, "No, we're meant to understand it quite literally. He spoke. It's one of the miracles of nature. This mouth of the donkey is one of the things that was created during bein hashmashos, during the six days of creation, during creation itself. So, if you understand he literally spoke, what language? What language did he speak? What do you think? The Rama, by the way, in the safer Torah shalom, the Rama, he paskins like writes, the donkey spoke literally. So, what language did he speak? So, the Moshav Zekanim ba'alei Tosafos writes in safer Breishis, "Vayikol ha'aretz safah achas." We know that before the uh the rebellion of the Tower of Babel, the world universally spoke one language. The punishment for the Migdal Babel was the United Nations, the UN. We continue to suffer that punishment till today. 70 languages, 70 cultures, 70 sets of laws, and the miscommunication because of that. So, the Moshav Zekanim ba'alei Tosafos says, based on this, "Vayomer ha'nachash." When the snake spoke to Chava, what language did the same question could be asked, by the way. Did the snake speak literally or figuratively, metaphorically? Same debate. But, for those who understand the snake spoke literally, what language? So, the Da'as Zekanim ba'alei Tosafos says, Hebrew. Cuz the safah achas, the singular language the whole world spoke before the Dispersal was Lashon Hakodesh. Ivrit, Hebrew. Hebrew. That was the punishment of the nachash. Had to go to Ivrit class the rest of his life. Just joking to every Ivrit teacher I ever had. Just joking. Just joking. So, he spoke Hebrew. So, based on that, he says in the safer that there are those who say, "When was this asson, when was this donkey created?" We just mentioned. Bein hashmashos of creation Arab Shabbos finish mash of creation So before Migdal Babel So that's when he was created before the story of Migdal Migdal Babel what language did he speak to Balaam in? Hebrew That's the Das Kinnah Balaiah Tosos the donkey spoke Hebrew Hebrew literally the possible we have why do you keep hitting me three times spoke Hebrew Rebbi Yonasan Eibeschutz in his Tiferes Yonasan disagrees and he says he spoke the colloquial language he spoke whatever was the vernacular of the time whatever language she spoke in Midian Midyani's that's what he spoke because that's what Balaam spoke and that was the familiar language of the time he has evidence for that he has a whole essay about this that's what I told you these kinds of obscure questions you'd never ask or you'd never think anyone wrote about things like what language did the donkey speak he writes about very very interesting that's what he wrote about It's interesting I've pointed out before that there's a I find a tremendous irony the rationalists who always take the Torah quite literally and to are offended by drush and medrish and drushes of rabbis and they say you have to stick with the pshuto shel mikra stick with the little translation they all jump to say of course this donkey didn't speak it's just metaphoric and the people who always are darshining and drush and medrish and they're darshining up the whole Torah when it comes to this pasuk you have to take it literally says he spoke of course he spoke it's a fantastic irony when it comes to this pasuk So Sforno points out Vayiftach Hashem es pi ha'ason God opened the mouth of the donkey nasan bakoch ledaber he gave the power to speak just like just like what would you finish the sentence? just like the snake spoke just like some other wicked person spoke. How does this form of finish? Nas on the double Hashem gave this the donkey the power to speak just like Hashem Tiftach. Just like the beginning of the Amidah. Give me a sham man a sham gamble the built in Mulholland. Hashem gives you the power to speak even when you're not ready to speak. Strange. Strange ends of the sentence, right? Says the Roberts. Says the Yurochum. You know what you see from here? Sometimes you take your three steps forward to Davin. We're about to hit the Amidah and sitter snippets. If you've not yet joined sitter snippets, now is the perfect time. You can have a more meaningful Davin in the rest of your life for 6 minutes a day. 6 minutes a day sitter snippets delivered right to your WhatsApp or you can listen on any podcast player. 6 minutes a day. We're up to we're about to hit the Amidah. And there's a lot to say in Tiftach. I love Tiftach. There's a lot to say. The introduction to the Amidah. So this Yurochum I'm giving you a little four spice. I'm giving you a little bit a taste of sitter snippets. Yurochum says sometimes you take the three steps forward and you say Hashem I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I can't concentrate. I have nothing to say. Or I've been so rebellious. I've been so distanced. I've been so absentee. I have not followed what you wanted. I don't even know where to start. I don't know what to say. Or Hashem I'm so angry at you. I'm so upset of what you've done to me or people I love. I can't speak to you. Sometimes you find yourself with that sitting on your hands. You've taken those three steps forward, but you're at a loss for words. But don't worry. Keep going. Because just like Hashem put the words in the mouth of the donkey, he'll put the words in your mouth, too. Not in a disparaging negative way that you're just a lowly donkey. But with the ability and power to put the words in the mouth of those who feel they have nothing to say. A donkey doesn't speak. A donkey can't speak. And even when we feel I can't speak, I have nothing to say, Kishbarho will put the words in our mouth. Not only in our conversation with him, but someone you have to have a difficult conversation with, you have to confront, you have to deliver news to, and you don't know what you're going to say. Hashem Sifasai Tiftach. Kishbarho will put the words, he'll move our lips. Ufi'a Giti Lasacha, he'll give us the words, he'll move our lips. Rav Yerucham says, you see from this far now, that even in the moment that we feel like a donkey, unable, incapable of speaking, have faith, keep going, cuz Hashem will put those words in our mouth. Oi, give me a couple more minutes. I got a few fantastic things left to say. I've got many, many things that we're not going to say, but a few fantastic things left to say. Left to say. The Kotsker also, Rashi says, why Shalosh Regalim? Vayiftach Pisha, the donkey speaks, finally speaks, and what does the donkey say? Nu, what did you hit me three times for? And Rashi says on Shalosh Regalim, what does Rashi say? Remez Lo, Atah Mevakesh Rako Uma Achu Gegi Shalosh Regalim Bashana. You're trying to destroy a nation who's going to observe the Shalosh Regalim. That's what the donkey was alluding to. Why'd you hit me three times? Three Regalim means three times. But using that language of Regalim means, why are you hitting me? Why are you trying to go destroy the nation who'll observe the three Regalim? Why did the donkey engage, employ that mitzvah? Why not Why are you going to destroy the people who are going to keep Shabbos? Who are going to keep kosher? Come up with some other mitzvah. Why specifically the mitzvah of Shalosh Regalim? Says the Kotsker, you know why? What bracha do we make? What is the kiddush, and what is the Shmoneh Esrei of the Shalosh Regalim? Baruch Atah Hashem, Mekadesh Yisrael V'hazmanim. She Israel Mikadesh v'azmanim. She Israel him al mayl v'azmanim. V'echa Yochal lishlot b'am she al mayl v'azman? V'ata tachas azman. Shalosh regalim. Who determines the calendar? Who decides when the holidays falls? The Jewish people. Because we are al mayl v'azman. We are above time. The donkey was saying this nation that you're going to curse, they're above time. They're above mazal. And you think that you you mere mortal and who knew the mortality of the of Bilam better than the donkey? Cuz let's just say they had a very intimate relationship. So the donkey's telling Bilam, you lowlife who has this intimate relationship with me, a donkey, you think you're going to take on a people who are al mayl v'azman, who are Mikadesh Israel v'azmanim? Get out of your mind. Turn around. Turn away. It's not happening. It can't happen. It can't happen. The Maggid Yosef, I'll end with the Maggid Yosef from Seretsk. Quote the Zohar. About this donkey that was created on Erev Shabbos. Bilam says, "Ki es al od l'hi ayalah shluach sh'at ha'emetis?" What happens? Right? The the donkey says, "Why you hit me?" And Bilam says, "Well, you're blocking the way." The donkey says, "What what What have I ever done to you?" So what should the donkey have said? The donkey reaction says, "Ow! What have I ever done to you?" What should he have said? "Why are you hitting me? There's an angel! Angels stop willy-nilly. I didn't stop for no reason. I I stop cuz I'm lazy. I stopped cuz there's an angel. What are you hitting me? There's an angel. Donkey doesn't say that. What does the donkey say? What have I done to you? Have I not served you loyally and faithfully? And says the mega Joseph what you see from here, what you learn from here is the power of gratitude. What the donkey was really saying is Mishima Kansa Vash Makem love of the time is copy Bilbo. Madula Donis Asom of close. I don't have to get into what was blocking me, why it was blocking me, what I couldn't get around. The bottom line is why didn't you judge me favorably? Why'd you hit me? Why didn't you ask me why I'm not moving? Have I not served you loyally and faithfully all these years? So the first time I break down you smack me, assuming the worst? Where's your gratitude? Where's your loyalty? Where are you to reciprocate that loyalty? And you see from here a powerful lesson from a donkey. The donkey is teaching this powerful lesson that when someone's been loyal to us, don't jump to the wrong conclusion. What should gratitude cause us to do? Judge favorably. Gratitude should make us seek to understand, to ask questions, to judge favorably, to not jump to conclusions. That's what the donkey was giving Musser. Didn't answer there's an angel blocking, answered, "Hey, don't I deserve to be judged favorably? Aren't you grateful? Haven't I always served you? Haven't I always served you faithfully? Haven't I served you faithfully? I wouldn't even get into what Bilbo said when he tried to curse and he turned it into a bracha. How was it a bracha? I'll leave you with the question, a question of the Kotsker. One more Kotsker, I'll leave you with the question, I won't tell you the answer. Eranu below ata. One of the bracha that Bilbo ends up giving is that he sees the end of time. He sees Messiah's going to come. He sees the Jewish people's worthiness. He sees He sees how the book the movie's going to end. Kotsker wonders, why didn't he convert? Why didn't he join the team, the winning team? Why didn't he become a fair-weather fan? You see he got the best pick in the draft. You see who's lining up the best team on the field. You see who's gone who's gone uh what are the Yankees now? 62 uh whatever their record is, insane. Jump aboard. Why didn't when when Balak when Bilam sees how it's going to end jump aboard. Why didn't he convert? Yisro saw what was going on. What did he do? He joined the winning team. Va'yishma Yisro, va'yar Balak. What is it about Yisro? Va'yishma Yisro, he joined the team. Va'yar Balak, Balak didn't join the team, he opposed the team. And Bilam, even though at an of a lot of even though Bilam sees how it's going to end he doesn't convert. Why not? Why not? Till next time. Tomorrow morning, 10 minutes of Mesillas Yesharim. Living with Emunah behind the Bima, you know the drill. Sign up for the newsletter, pressure perspectives and one on one.