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    27 Jun BALAK: HASHEM’S MESSAGES

    Posted at 18:48h in by
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    The Meor Einayin
    (Likutim) writes,
    “Sometimes a rasha
    wants to commit an
    aveirah, but
    something comes up
    that prevents him
    from doing so. This is
    also from Hashem.
    Hashem conceals
    Himself in those
    obstacles, hoping the
    person will repent.
    But, nevertheless,
    man has free will.”
    This happened to
    Bilaam. When
    Bilaam went to curse the Jewish nation, he
    was prevented time and again. His donkey
    walked off the road, crushed Bilaam’s foot
    into a wall, and then sat down in the middle
    of the road, refusing to budge. The Vilna
    Gaon zt’l notes that the words malach
    Hashem are written ten times in these
    pesukim because the angel tried to stop
    Bilaam ten times. Rashi (22:22) writes, “It
    was a malach of compassion, sent to prevent
    Bilaam from sinning.” Bilaam should have
    realized that Hashem was stopping him, but
    he didn’t get the message until Hashem
    opened his eyes and he saw the malach with
    its sword drawn.
    Bilaam said (22:34), “I have sinned for I
    didn’t know that you were standing opposite
    me on the road.”
    Why did Bilaam say that he sinned?
    Wouldn’t everyone beat their donkey when
    it stops for seemingly no reason? As the
    Sefer Chassidim (153) asks, “There is
    nothing wrong with hitting a donkey. When
    the donkey crushed Bilaam’s foot against
    the wall, why should he have refrained from
    hitting the donkey?”
    The Sefer Chassidim replies, “Bilaam
    should have understood that Hakadosh
    Baruch Hu doesn’t want him to curse the
    Yidden.” The disturbances on the road
    should have prompted him to reconsider his
    path.
    The Shlah elaborates, “When a person
    should know, he is guilty if he doesn’t know.
    Hashem gave intelligence to mankind for
    this purpose – so he should know and
    understand. Bilaam should have understood
    that his donkey wasn’t acting that way
    without cause.”
    Similarly, the Kedushas Levi writes, “
    When something surprising happens to
    those who fear Hashem, they understand
    that Hashem is telling them how they should
    proceed. If they are in the middle of doing
    something and suddenly something unusual

    occurs, they realize that Hashem is telling
    them to stop. When Bilaam encountered
    something unusual —his donkey sitting
    down on the road, which is something it
    never did before – he should have stopped to

    think. Had he done so, he would have
    realized Hashem wants him to return.”
    Bilaam thus acknowledged “I have sinned.”
    He should have understood that Hashem
    doesn’t want him to curse the Jewish nation.