BALAK
Micha 5:6–6:8

Hashem’s Boundless Love for His People
This week’s Haftarah presents the true perspective of Hashem’s constant view of His precious children. It helps us realize that, in a relative sense, all the Jewish people’s faults do not begin to reduce in Hashem’s eyes their supremacy over world nations.

Summoned to A Debate
Micha Hanavi began his message by comparing the Jewish nation’s future strength to that of a lion amongst all other beasts. This analogy depicts the Jewish people’s future state of spiritual perfection. In the era of Mashiach they will find no reason to turn to other nations for military assistance because during that era they will place their full trust in Him and will recognize Him as their true source of salvation.

Suddenly, Micha digressed and summoned the Jewish people to a serious debate. Hashem instructed Micha to tell them, “Arise and debate in front of the mountains and project your voice before the hills… for Hashem is calling His people to a debate and is challenging Israel.” (6:1-2) Hashem began the debate and demanded from His people, “My nation, what have I done to you and how have I exhausted you?… I liberated you from Egypt… and sent [to stand] at your front, Moshe, Aharon and Miriam. My nation, remember what Balak, the king of Moav, advised and what Bilaam, the son of Beor, responded. [I protected you] from Shitim to Gilgal for [you] to know Hashem’s benevolence.” (6:3-5)

The thrust of these verses expresses the Jewish nation’s unfair response to all Hashem’s favors. Hashem, after recalling select favors that He did for His people, reprimanded them for not responding in kind. Yet, instead of demanding from them full reciprocity or criticizing them for their behavior, Hashem softly reminded them of His expectations and then concluded, “Has He [Hashem] not told you, man, what is good and what Hashem seeks from you, [namely] to engage in justice and loving kindness and to walk modestly with your Hashem.” (6:8) Anyone who follows this debate is shocked by its outcome. Where is all the admonition and reprimand? Why didn’t Hashem denounce His people for all their wrongdoings? Wasn’t that the trial’s original intent?

Genuine Assessment of Jewish Wrongdoings
Chazal raise these questions and share with us an enlightening perspective. They cite three incidents when a prophet envisioned Hashem calling His people to trial. Each time, world nations got wind of the trial and gleefully awaited its devastating outcome. They believed that their coveted moment arrived, and that Hashem would finally deliver His rebellious children their well-deserved consequences. They reasoned, who could possibly stand up to Hashem’s accusations and wrath!? Chazal continue and explain that when Hashem saw those responses, He immediately transformed His sharp accusations into soft words of encouragement.

Chazal explain this sudden reversal with the following analogy. A troubled mother once approached the judge to complain about her son’s mischievous behavior. When she neared the judge, she discovered that he was preoccupied in rendering heavy death sentences. Fearing the judge’s harsh reaction to her son’s moderate behavior, she quickly shifted gears. When the judge asked her to state her complaint she mentioned an offense of innocent nature, and she was immediately dismissed.

Chazal’s words place Hashem’s debate with His people in proper perspective. Their message is, that although there are times when Hashem severely faults His children for their wrongdoings, those offenses are only regarded severe based on Hashem’s high expectations from His children. In truth, the Jewish people’s heaviest offenses against Hashem do not even begin to resemble the general atrocious, immoral conduct of world nations. In comparison to them, the Jewish people are close to perfect.

Chazal explain this and state succinctly, “Even a spiritually bankrupt Jewish person is full of [as many] mitzvah merits (613) as can be found in a pomegranate.” (Shir Hashirim Rabba 6:7) My Rebbe, Telshe Rosh Yeshiva, Harav Avrohom Chaim Levin zt”l often expressed this message through a homiletic interpretation of Moshe’s parting words with his beloved people. “Fortunate are you, Yisrael… your enemies will conceal their true identity [from you] and you will step on their high places.” (Devarim 33:29) Harav Levin exclaimed that the Jewish people’s lowest level of meritorious acts, symbolized by the stepping of their foot, towers over the highest meritorious acts (the high places) of the non-Jews. He cited charity for example and showed that the most acclaimed non-Jewish philanthropist never donates five percent of his profitable income to charity, whereas practically every observant Jewish person donates ten percent, and the Jewish philanthropist often exceeds the fifty-percent mark!

The Objective of the Trial
We can now explain Chazal’s message in the following manner. From the standpoint of Hashem’s expectations, the Jewish people deserve severe retribution for their shortcomings. Their supreme world mission calls for high standards of ethical conduct and most of the time, they fall short of the mark. However, if Hashem would send them their deserved retribution, it would defeat His world purpose for them. Since world nations have a very different code of ethics, they would interpret the Jewish people’s punishment as a reflection of immoral behavior, akin to world nations’ ethical mode. This would ultimately neutralize the Jewish people and give an impression of unworthiness in the eyes of their Heavenly Father.

Therefore, Hashem sends His prophets to convey to His precious children His true degree of disturbance over their behavior and how He should truly respond. But then He immediately follows and displays His compassion on them and inspires them to return to their supreme status in which He always views them.

Never Dwelling on His Children’s Faults
The above insight helps us appreciate the remainder of Micha’s trial. Hashem, in addition to citing His all-encompassing kindliness by liberating His people from Egypt, He isolated one more experience to display His goodness, namely, His response to Balak’s plot against the Jewish people. Why did Hashem choose this specific favor to serve as a prime example of His kindliness to His people?

Based on what we learned, Micha’s message becomes clear. First, let’s search for the Torah’s message in this week’s Parsha. Parshas Balak revolves around Balak and Bilaam’s futile attempts to curse the Jewish people. The infamous sorcerer Bilaam, persistently and unsuccessfully, attempted to pronounce words of curse on the Jewish people. Hashem miraculously transformed all Bilaam’s words of criticism to beautiful expressions of praise. To the untrained eye, the entire scene appears comical. A wicked, immoral person insists on harming Hashem’s cherished people and refuses to accept that Hashem will not consent! What special lesson can we learn from this?

Chazal teach us that Bilaam’s objective was to neutralize Hashem’s relationship with His people. Bilaam reasoned that although the Jewish people stem from the sound spiritual roots of their patriarchs replete with lifetime commitment and devotion, this should not preclude Hashem’s close relationship with other nations. He therefore attempted to act as their patriarch and eagerly presented his defense to Hashem. (Bamidbar Rabba 20:18)

After carefully examining Bilaam’s words we discover their concealed, yet direct focus on the Jewish nation’s faults. Each curse reflected one of the Jewish nation’s faults. Bilaam was endowed with an inner perception of world experiences and had an accurate reading of all Jewish shortcomings. Armed with this knowledge, he focused on their shameful acts and awaited Hashem’s harsh response to their inexcusable behavior. He believed that Hashem would undoubtedly respond by reducing His close relationship with His rebellious children, thereby opening the doors for a parallel relationship with other nations. (Targum to Bamidbar 24:1 and K’li Yakar on 22:41, 23:1, 14, and 24:1)

Hashem will Never Exchange His People
The Torah recounts that Hashem was not impressed by Bilaam’s words. He instead responded and transformed Bilaam’s harsh words to warm words of blessing to His cherished people. Eventually, even Bilaam admitted to this and profoundly expressed, “He [Hashem] did not gaze at Yaakov’s iniquity and did not see Yisrael’s sinful practices.” (23:21) Bilaam’s message is quite clear. The principle here is that Hashem is never interested in faulting His people. Although their conduct may not always be perfect, Hashem will never exchange them for any other nation or reduce His relationship with them. Indeed, Chazal teach us that once Hashem rested His Divine Presence amongst His people, He never totally removed It from them. Even during their years of exile, Hashem’s concealed Divine Presence remains with them. (Mechilta Shemos) Accordingly from a world perspective, Hashem considers His nation close to perfect; one whose moral conduct begins where every other nation’s ends.

We now appreciate why Hashem isolated the episode of Bilaam to demonstrate His benevolence to His people. In truth, Hashem’s review in Micha’s times of His response to Bilaam reflected the full tone of His debate. His unequivocal message to His people was that no nation will ever get between Him and them. Even if Hashem finds serious fault in their behavior, it will never diminish His love for them. Although their actions, at times, deserve serious degree of reprimand, Hashem’s people will always remain His cherished nation.

The reality will always remain that even with all our faults, our lowest standard of morality far surpasses the highest of world nations. The conclusive message is that Hashem’s debates have one purpose to them, to inspire His beloved children to rectify their ways and to thereby deserve the fullest benefit of His benevolent ways.