HaRav Chaim Zeitchik zt"l
This article was originally published 25 years ago, in 1996.
In the course of the Torah's account of Bilaam's
curses/blesses, we are told of Bilaam's request that Balak
build him seven altars and prepare seven bullocks and seven
rams. What harm did these sacrifices cause to the Jewish
people? We learn of this elsewhere, regarding the verse,
"And forty-two children were split off." This happened in
the time of Elisha. R' Chanina said: Because of the forty-
two sacrifices which Bilaam offered up, forty-two Jewish
children were split asunder from the Jewish people.
In his work, Ohr Haneffesh, R' Zeitchik dwells upon
the significance of the words of our Sages and on the
connection between Bilaam's offerings and the death of the
forty-two children in Elisha's time. For, indeed, the
offerings of the wicked has an ongoing effect filtering down
through the generations and a connection to "a root
producing bitter wormwood."
When the wicked find themselves in trouble, they pretend to
be like true servants of Hashem, and offer up fervent
prayers to Hashem. In their hearts they continue to scheme
their wicked plots while outwardly mouthing prayers that
show an element of spiritual arousal. The strange
amalgamation of both good and evil seethes inside them.
"With the little bit of beauty and glory on the outside,
they seek to obscure and overshadow the great ugliness in
their deeds."
*
People who are not blessed with fine discernment are liable
to err and consider the outward showiness of good in so-
called partnership with evil as a good thing. They look at
the ostentatious external and praise it for what it seems to
be. But the negative influence caused by these sinners is
liable to wreak havoc for generations to come. It can bring
about the situation where "they call what is evil, good, and
what is good, evil," in the words of the prophet.
This is also what Chazal hinted at, that the insidious
influence of mixed ritual service, of sacrificing both to
the Baal together with sacrifices to Hashem lehavdil,
was instrumental in "intoxicating and confusing a great
number of Jewish youth." This influence was discovered in
the times of Elisha, when forty-two Jewish children went off
the right path and were uprooted from the Jewish fold. This
was a long reaching effect of Bilaam's altars where he
sought to systematically combine worship to two separate
entities. This new form of idolatry later brought about that
the young folk ridiculed the demand of the prophet and
caused blemish in the holy sacrifices. "They mocked the
messengers of Hashem and despised His words."
From where did they derive such audacity and arrogance?
Under whose influence had these children come? It must have
been a result of that hypocritical G-dly service, that
fraudulent, defective combination of evil with good, like
the ritual service of Balak's forty-two sacrifices to
Hashem, G-d of Israel, which introduced the amalgamation of
G-d-fear together with evil thoughts of idolatry. This
merger of forces brought about the destruction of those
weak-minded, loose Jewish youths.
This systematic approach poisoned those youths to the point
that they abused a prophet, the very disciple of Eliyohu
Hanovi, who confronted Israel with the ideological question:
"How long will you continue to straddle both branches? If
you are for Hashem, follow me." Follow me in holiness and
purity, without any mixture or element of evil. But the
youths, who had already been poisoned by the evil, were
unable to bear truth in its pure form, and had to be split
asunder from the body of their people.
R' Zeitchik concludes:
"Such a merger does incredible harm to the purity of the
Jewish people. We cannot imagine the impact and scope of the
calamity that lurks to harm our people because of this
intermingling; there is no greater danger to the unity of
Hashem's name than straddling both sides, the good and the
evil... Let us not turn to [and be impressed by] their meal
offerings and sacrifices, which are not to Hashem's liking.
Let us not seek pleasure in their honey so that we will not
suffer from their sting which is liable to poison our coming
generations; thus we will not suffer the consequences of
causing a split off of our youth, as occurred in the
symbolic event in the time of Elisha.
"That occurrence must serve us as a warning for generations
to come, not to deceive ourselves into following those
frauds who imitate the way of Bilaam and Balak, of combining
and fusing [good with evil], for this wreaks the terrible
havoc of distorted philosophies."
R' Y. Binyamini
The Sign and Testimony of the Beginning of the
Redemption
"Now shall it be said to Yaakov and to Yisrael: What has G-d
wrought."
It is told in Pardes HaTorah of the terribly harsh
decrees instituted against the Jews in Russia in the times
of Alexander the Third. Baron Ginsburg invested great effort
in interceding on behalf of the Jews by the Minister of
Interior, merely to obtain an appointment for the rabbis and
Jewish leaders. The Minister agreed to an audience, but
insisted that the head of the opposition, their arch enemy,
Povidnovtsov, also be present. Upon that occasion, the
latter poured out his vitriolic wrath against the Jews. "Of
what use is the Jewish people?" he argued satanically. "Do
we not find purpose in each and every creation upon earth?
In the inanimate, vegetable and animate kingdoms, each
thing plays a role. But of what purpose is the Jewish
nation? They are like a leprous sore to our Russian nation.
It is altogether unclear why they were even created."
This evil slander directly entered the wicked minister's
heart to such a degree that all of the pleas and arguments
presented by the rabbis fell upon deaf ears and the harsh
decrees remained in effect.
Upon leaving the minister's presence in dejection, their
hearts aching with helpless frustration, the rabbis could
not help noticing a different expression upon the holy face
of R' Yitzchok Elchonon, the gaon from Kovno, who had been
present at this disastrous meeting. In contrast to their
gloomy faces, he was actually smiling, as if the minister's
abuse did not even touch him.
How could it be? they wondered. "What is the meaning of your
joy? How can you be in such good spirits when a sharp sword
is poised at the neck of your brethren?"
He replied in a happy tone. "I just understood the meaning
of the verse, `Now shall it be said to Yaakov and to
Yisrael: What has G-d wrought.' This is what gladdens me.
The time will come when it will be said to the Jewish
people: `Why did G-d create you? You are of no use in the
world. No one wants you.' But then the rest of the prophecy
will also be realized. `Lo, a nation rises up like a lion.'
The words of loathing will be our signal for the beginning
of the ultimate Redemption. Wherefore should I not rejoice
at such wonderful tidings?"
Mishel Ovos
"And make a safeguard for the Torah" (Ovos 1:1).
The underlying principle of fences and safeguards is to
distance oneself from sin.
In his commentary to the Torah, R' Yeruchom Levovitz
zt'l from Mir said: "We find the concept of fences and
safeguards in the Torah. Chazal provided each commandment
with safety barriers. See how many guards they instituted to
preserve Shabbos, alone! They originate with the
nozir, who, the Torah warns, must renounce wine and
all of its related forms. Chazal say: `You shall not
approach the vicinity of a vineyard but give it a wide
berth.' The purpose of a fence is to keep us far removed
from sin, distance upon distance, like the berth a person
keeps between himself and a raging fire. And even though he
will certainly not to draw near enough to touch it by any
means, he still wants to be safely beyond danger. If a
person is carrying explosives, he will be all the more
careful to keep away from fire.
"The nations of the world cannot understand our restriction
of yichud since they are not afraid of the sin it can
lead to. If a person fears sin like he does fire, he will
make safeguards and fences to protect himself from it, but
if does not consider sin so dangerous, he will not be so
cautious and wary. If one visualizes sin as red-hot, he is
terrified from it, like from actual fire, and will keep as
far away as possible, lest he be hurt. Precisely those who
are afraid and would not dream of drawing near, are the ones
who make these safeguards, like that of yichud etc.,
to keep all the further away.
