23 Jun BALAK – VALUES BEFORE RESOURCES

If only I had more…
It is troubling to think
that Hashem could
have ever conferred
His presence on
Bilam, who, as the narrative makes clear,
was of deplorable character. His greed,
stubbornness, and negativity are all
overwhelmingly featured as he deceives
Balak and tries to outwit Hashem. Why did
Hashem select such a reprehensible person to
be a navi?
Rashi (Bamidbar 22:5) explains that Hashem
was concerned with a potential complaint
from the nations of the world. At the
end of days, when taken to task for their
immoral behavior and corrupt societies, the
nations could claim that they never had an
opportunity for self-improvement. Had they
been provided with a prophet who could
connect them with Hashem, perhaps they
would have become great people.
In order to preempt this defense, Hashem
did, indeed, provide them with a navi:
Bilam. However, instead of self-reflection
and repentance, the nations misused Bilam’s

abilities to further their sinful behavior. They
sought his services to become wealthier,
undermine their enemies, and fulfill their
desires. In doing so, they forfeited any future
excuse.
Yet a difficulty remains. Did Hashem truly
give the nations a fair opportunity? Of all
people, He chose Bilam – the man whom
Chazal describe as the embodiment of
jealousy, arrogance, and self-indulgence
(Avos 5:19). How could such a person inspire
others toward spiritual growth?
Rav Moshe Shternbuch shlita offers a
fascinating answer in Ta’am VaDa’as. If
Hashem selected Bilam to serve as the
nations’ opportunity for self-improvement,
then Bilam must initially have been worthy
of that role. At the time he was chosen, he
possessed the potential to guide people
toward Hashem. However, the nations
themselves corrupted that opportunity.
Rather than seeking inspiration and moral
refinement, they viewed their prophet as
another resource to be exploited for their
own interests. They wanted blessings, power,
wealth, and gratification – not growth.

After years of being used in this manner,
Bilam himself deteriorated into the jealous,
arrogant, and self-indulgent figure we
encounter in our parashah.
The lesson is profound. We often imagine
that our shortcomings are primarily a matter
of resources. If only we had more money,
more time, more knowledge, or more
opportunities, we would become the people
we aspire to be.
The story of Bilam suggests otherwise.
Resources do not determine our priorities;
they reveal them. The nations were given
access to prophecy, yet instead of using that
gift to pursue truth and spiritual growth,
they used it to advance the very values they
already held. The problem was never a lack of
opportunity. It was a lack of direction.
The same is often true in our own lives.
More money does not automatically make
a person generous. More free time does
not automatically make a person devoted
to family or Torah. More talent does not
automatically make a person greater. More
often than not, additional resources simply
enable us to do more of what we were already

inclined to do.
That is why the first step in growth is not
acquiring more resources, but clarifying our
priorities. When a person genuinely values
Torah, chessed, and avodas Hashem, even
limited resources can be used meaningfully.
And when greater opportunities eventually
arrive, they become powerful tools for
further growth.
Bilam’s tragedy was not that he lacked
opportunity; few people in history possessed
greater spiritual gifts. His tragedy was that
those gifts became tools of distorted values.
Our task is to ensure that our values shape
the way we use our resources, rather than
allowing our resources to shape our values.