Balak בלק

My Musing
In honor of Dov's a"h 20th Hebrew Birthday
Give a person enough rope and they will hang themselves with it. The midrash seems to imply that normally we are given direction to stay away from sin. But it is not so- if you want to sin, you are led right to it, you might even feel encouraged to do so. Every step in life is a journey- and the message of of the midrash is watch where you are walking.

מדרש תנחומא )ורשא( פרשת בלק סימן ז
(במדבר כב:כ) "וַיָּבֹא אֱלֹקִים אֶל בִּלְעָם לַיְלָה וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אִם לִקְרֹא לְךָ בָּאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים קוּם לֵךְ אִתָּם וְאַךְ אֶת הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אֲדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ אֹתוֹ תַעֲשֶׂה"

And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him: 'If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.'

זה שאמר הכתוב, (איוב לג:טו-יח) "בַּחֲלוֹם חֶזְיוֹן לַיְלָה בִּנְפֹל תַּרְדֵּמָה עַל אֲנָשִׁים בִּתְנוּמוֹת עֲלֵי מִשְׁכָּב. אָז יִגְלֶה אֹזֶן אֲנָשִׁים וּבְמֹסָרָם יַחְתֹּם. לְהָסִיר אָדָם מַעֲשֶׂה וְגֵוָה מִגֶּבֶר יְכַסֶּה. יַחְשֹׂךְ נַפְשׁוֹ מִנִּי שָׁחַת וְחַיָּתוֹ מֵעֲבֹר בַּשָּׁלַח "

This is what the scriptures said, " In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then He openeth the ears of men, and by their chastisement sealeth the decree; That men may put away their purpose, and that He may hide pride from man; That He may keep back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword."

מהן "מִגֶּבֶר יְכַסֶּה"?
העלים הקדוש ברוך הוא ממנו שהליכתו מאבדתו מן העולם ומוליכתו לבאר שחת. להשיב נפשו מני שחת לאור באור החיים שיאבד נפשו מן העולם בהליכתו. שבשעה שהולך אדם לחטוא, השטן מרקד לפניו עד שהוא עומד לגמור את העבירה. כיון שעברו חוזר ומודיעו. וכן הוא אומר (משלי ז:כב-כג) "הוֹלֵךְ אַחֲרֶיהָ פִּתְאֹם כְּשׁוֹר אֶל טֶבַח יָבוֹא וּכְעֶכֶס אֶל מוּסַר אֱוִיל. עַד יְפַלַּח חֵץ כְּבֵדוֹ כְּמַהֵר צִפּוֹר אֶל פָּח וְלֹא יָדַע כִּי בְנַפְשׁוֹ הוּא"

What is "hide pride from man;"
God hid from him that his journey was going to cause him to be lost from the world and was guiding him to the depths of the abyss. To return his " his soul from the pit" to light, in the light of life, but he was losing his soul from the world in his journey. At the time a person goes to sin, the Satan encourages him until he is about to commit the sin. Once he transgresses, he is informed of his sin. And so it is said, " He goeth after her straightway, as an ox that goeth to the slaughter, or as one in fetters to the correction of the fool; Till an arrow strike through his liver; as a bird hasteneth to the snare,and knoweth not that it is at the cost of his life.

כך העלים הקדוש ברוך הוא מבלעם עד שהלך ואבד את נפשו, משיצא מכבודו והלך ואבד את נפשו וידע במה שהוא בו התחיל
לבקש על נפשו לומר (במדבר כג:י) "מִי מָנָה עֲפַר יַעֲקֹב וּמִסְפָּר אֶת רֹבַע יִשְׂרָאֵל תָּמֹת נַפְשִׁי מוֹת יְשָׁרִים וּתְהִי אַחֲרִיתִי כָּמֹהוּ "

Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, hid this from Bilam until he went and lost his soul. Once

he set out from his honor, and lost his soul, and knew what had happened, he began to plead for it saying' "Who hath counted the dust of Jacob, or numbered the stock of Israel? Let me die the
death of the righteous, and let mine end be like his!"

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