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1he sun was
already overhead.
1u b'ShvaL, Lhe "new ?ear's uay" for frulL
Lrees ln lsrael, would sLarL LhaL nlghL, and Lhe
resldenLs of !erusalem could feel Lhe fesuve aLmosphere
lnfuslng Lhelr famous Machane ?ehuda bazzar. 1he numerous
food sLands were all sLued wlLh colorful dlsplays of an asLonlshlng
varleLy of frulLs, and Lhe crowds of !ewlsh cusLomers were happlly buylng
Lhem ouL of love for Lhe frulLs of Lhe Poly Land and ln grauLude Lowards
Lhe CreaLor who bounufully provlded for Lhem.
ln Lhe shul of 8abbl Shlomo, Lhe 8ebbe of Zevhll, ln Lhe 8elL ?lsrael
nelghborhood of !erusalem, Lhe chasldlm were nlshlng Lhe preparauons
for Lhe fesuve meal LhaL evenlng. Cn Lhe crowded Lables were Lrays and
baskeLs lled wlLh every specles of frulL you could Lhlnk of. 1here was
even a speclal [am whose prlmary lngredlenL was cooked eLrog.
1he 8ebbe seuled lnLo hls chalr aL Lhe head of Lhe Lable ln deep
conLemplauon of Lhe frulLs. Pe LhoughL abouL Lhe naLure and symbollc
slgnlcance of each of Lhe specles of frulLs and nally, he chose a frulL,
reclLed Lhe blesslng wlLh lnLense concenLrauon, and chewed a small
plece. 1hen he had hls auendanLs dlsLrlbuLe mosL of Lhe vasL quanuLy of
frulL among Lhe large crowd assembled ln muluple rows round Lhe Lable.
ln Lhe mldsL of Lhe dlsLrlbuuon, a cuLe kld of abouL Len years old walked
ln. MosL of Lhe men ln Lhe shul recognlzed hlm, as he llved ln Lhe area. Pe
en[oyed specLaung aL Lhe colorful evenLs LhaL were Laklng place, and he
especlally en[oyed belng presenL when Lhe 8ebbe would hosL a "usch" - a
meal wlLh dellclous dlshes and lnsplrauon for all hls chasldlm.
1he 8ebbe looked Lowards Lhe boy and slgnaled hlm Lo come closer. ln
exclLemenL mlxed wlLh a blL of Lrepldauon, Lhe boy wenL over Lo Lhe
8ebbe's chalr. 1he 8ebbe smlled aL hlm and sald, "lLs 1u b'ShvaL. uld you
have any eLrog [am yeL?" 1he boy shook hls head, "no." 1he 8ebbe
dlpped a spoon lnLo Lhe dellcacy, presenLed lL Lo Lhe boy, and slgnaled
hlm Lo say Lhe blesslng before Lasung. Aer Lhe boy dld so, Lhe 8ebbe
sald Lo hlm, "uo you know LhaL lL ls of greaL beneL Lo eaL eLrog on 1u
b'ShvaL? Cn Lhls '8osh PaShana of lrulL 1rees,' all Lhe frulLs for Lhe year
Lo come are [udged, lncludlng Lhe eLrogs LhaL !ews wlll use on SukkoL.
We have a Lradluon LhaL we pray on 1u b'ShvaL LhaL Lhere wlll be
avallable excellenL quallLy eLrogs for Lhe mlLzvah on Lhls hollday of SukkoL
Lhls year."
WlLh LhaL, Lhe boy reLurned Lo hls place ln Lhe crowd. 8y Lhe followlng
nlghL, 1u b'ShvaL was over, and wlLhln a few days Lhe young boy had
already forgouen everyLhlng Lhe 8ebbe had sald Lo hlm.
LlghL monLhs laLer, Lhe !ewlsh monLh of 1lshrel arrlved. ln Lhe
followlng four days beLween ?om klppur and SukkoL, Lhe markeL places
and sLreeLs of !erusalem were packed wlLh people looklng Lo buy Lhe
lour Specles for SukkoL. vendors were hawklng Lhelr wares aL Lhe Lop of
Lhelr volces, nearly everyone was sorung Lhrough Lhe lour Specles,
hoplng Lo nd a beauuful seL. 1he young boy whom Lhe Zevhll 8ebbe had
befrlended was also presenL, and he found hlmself becomlng
overwhelmed wlLh Lhe deslre Lo possess a superlor quallLy, ne-looklng
eLrog of hls own. Lvery prevlous year, he had reclLed Lhe blesslngs over
hls faLher's seL of Lhe lour Specles. Pe well undersLood Lhe llmlLauons of
hls faLher's lncome and how lL was dlmculL for hlm Lo aord even Lhe
slmplesL eLrog LhaL was kosher for Lhe mlLzvah. neverLheless, hls longlng
became sLronger and sLronger, unul nally he could noL hold hlmself
back, and he revealed hls deslre Lo hls faLher. 1he faLher llsLened
carefully. Pe was Lhrllled LhaL Lhe passlon LhaL lled hls young son's hearL
was Lo be able Lo fulll a commandmenL ln Lhe nesL posslble way.
AlLhough
he couldn'L posslbly aord Lo
purchase a hlgh quallLy eLrog, he gave
hlm some colns and a few small bllls, and
prayed LhaL wlLh Peaven's help lL would Lurn
ouL Lo hls son's sausfacuon. AL leasL he would be able
Lo have hls own kosher eLrog.
1he boy passlonaLely Lhanked hls faLher, and Lhen ran o
exclLedly Lo Lhe well-known eLrog sLore of 8eb Zalman. 1he shop was
busy, buL when Lhere was a pause beLween cusLomers, 8eb Zalman
Lurned Lo Lhe young boy and pleasanLly asked, "So, whaL can l do for
you?"
"l wanL Lo buy an excellenL eLrog."
"8eally? Pow much money do you have?" 1he boy exLended hls hand
Lo allow Lhe seller Lo counL hls meager sLash. 8eb Zalman kepL a sLralghL
face and sald pauenLly, "Cood. Co over Lo LhaL corner of Lhe shop. 1here
you can nd a nlce eLrog for yourself. 8uL please, make sure noL Lo poke
ln any of Lhe oLher eLrog craLes. undersLand?" 1he boy nodded hls head
ln amrmauon and sLrode qulckly Lo Lhe corner of Lhe sLore LhaL 8eb
Zalman had lndlcaLed. Pe plcked up Lhe rsL eLrog he saw, examlned lL,
Lhen reLurned lL Lo lLs place and lled up a dlerenL one. 8uL he qulckly
found aws ln lL so he placed LhaL one down Loo. And so lL wenL wlLh
anoLher dozen or so samples. 1hen, suddenly, he found hlmself sLarlng
wlLh a rush of emouon aL Lhe eLrog ln hls hand LhaL he had [usL plucked
from much deeper wlLhln Lhe carLon LhaL had been deslgnaLed Lo hlm. lL
seemed Lop noLch. Pls hearL beaL fasLer as he roLaLed lL slowly ln hls
hand and scruunlzed lL mlnuLely. noL a slngle blemlsh!
Pe Lroued Lo Lhe fronL of Lhe sLore and exclLedly showed hls nd Lo
8eb Zalman. 1he owner looked carefully aL Lhe eLrog and began Lo shouL
aL Lhe sLarLled boy. "uldn'L l warn you noL Lo Louch any eLrog ln Lhe
oLher craLes? uld you really Lhlnk l would sell you such a superlor eLrog
for Lhe money you gave me? Why, Lhe prlce of Lhls eLrog ls aL leasL 200
umes LhaL!" 1he boy qulckly auempLed Lo [usufy hlmself Lo Lhe
shopkeeper, explalnlng LhaL he had dlscovered lL ln one of Lhe boxes ln
Lhe corner LhaL had been lndlcaLed Lo hlm, buL 8eb Zalman dldn'L
belleve hlm.
lorLunaLely for Lhe boy, some of Lhe oLher shoppers had Laken noLe
of hlm. 1hey en[oyed waLchlng such a young fellow examlnlng Lhe
eLrogs wlLh so much care and pauence. 1hey Lesued Lo Lhe sLoreowner
LhaL Lhe boy was lndeed Lelllng Lhe LruLh. 8eb Zalman felL ashamed and
regreuul LhaL he had suspecLed Lhe boy unfalrly and hls sLern face
Lransformed wlLh a warm smlle as he sald, "lL appears LhaL lL was meanL
for you Lo possess a magnlcenL eLrog Lhls year. Slnce l recognlze now
LhaL you came upon lL honesLly, lL ls yours. ?ou deserve lL. l'll sell lL Lo
you for Lhe sum of money ln your hand." Pe wrapped and packaged Lhe
eLrog securely and handed lL Lo hls llule cusLomer. 1he boy accepLed lL
ln boLh hands wlLh pure [oy. Pe wanLed Lo geL home as fasL as he could
Lo show lL Lo hls faLher and relaLe Lo hlm all LhaL had happened.
Cnly aer he reached Lhe house and calmed down somewhaL dld he
recall suddenly and clearly whaL had Laken place on 1u b'ShvaL elghL
monLhs before and Lhe words of Lhe Lzadlk of Zevhll: LhaL eaung eLrog
preserves on 1u b'ShvaL and praylng for a good eLrog ls a segula for
obLalnlng a beauuful eLrog Lo fulll Lhe mlLzvah on SukkoL.
1hls boy wanLed wlLh all hls hearL Lo fulll Lhe mlLzvah Lo Lhe besL of
hls ablllLy. May we all merlL havlng such loy lnLenuons when fullllng
Lhe mlLzvoL! 8egardless of whaL Lhey are, may we sLrlve Lo fulll Lhem
llke Lhls llule boy-wlLh every ber of our belng!
8S
Carefu|! ou're G|v|ng 1oo Much 1o our k|ds!
Whoever heard of such a Lhlng? Can Lhere serlously be such
a Lhlng as Loo much glvlng Lo one's chlld? lf anyLhlng, we see Lhe
exoct opposlLe ln Loday's world. eople are so busy, LhaL quallLy
ume spenL wlLh chlldren ls someLhlng LhaL happens qulLe rarely!
1he LruLh, ls LhaL Lhe uLle ls a blL mlsleadlng, because
ulumaLely, lL's noL glvlng pet se LhaL's Lhe lssue, buL raLher Lhe
type of qlvloq LhaL can be problemauc. And lf a parenL ls glvlng
Lo Lhelr chlld ln Lhe wrong way, Lhe repercusslons can be really
scary-especlally lf Lhey're glvlng Loo much.
LeLs analyze Lhls sLep-by-sLep.
llrsL Lhlngs rsL, we need Lo recognlze an uncomforLable
LruLh: many of us are so busy wlLh our own llves LhaL we nd lL
really dlmculL Lo seL aslde quallLy ume for our chlldren. uon'L
geL me wrong. l'm noL saylng LhaL we don'L love Lhem, C-d
forbld. 1here's [usL work, Lhe morLgage blll, lnsurance paymenLs,
frlends, weddlngs, evenLs, Lhls and LhaL and Lhls and LhaL..
1here's so much golng on LhaL our chlldren nd Lhemselves
gemng pushed Lo Lhe slde more oen Lhan noL.
Agaln, we're noL lgnorlng Lhem because we dlsllke Lhem.
ueveloplng a real relauonshlp Lakes o lot of ume Lhough, and
someumes we use our auLhorlLy over Lhem and say-laLer, l'm
busy now."
noL never, [usL laLer.
8uL whaL happens laLer? usually, more of Lhe same.
ln an eorL Lo make amends, some parenLs go ahead and
buy all sorLs of games and gls for Lhelr chlldren. 1hey feel as
Lhough lf Lhey buy tbloqs for Lhelr kld, Lhe chlld won'L feel so
bad LhaL mom or dad don'L have enough ume Lo spend wlLh
Lhem.
lL sounds scary, and l daresay very few wlll admlL Lo lL, buL
Lhere ote umes where we're all somewhaL gullLy of Lhls.
uld you know LhaL Lhere's a well-known Loy company called
8oby lloys-Oolloe 1oy keotol LhaL Lhrlves because of parenLs
who can'L spend enough ume wlLh Lhelr klds? 1hls 3-year old
company makes Lhe followlng sales plLch: Why would you
boLher buylng Loys for your chlld when you koow Lhey're golng
Lo ouLgrow or geL bored of Lhem wlLhln a monLh or Lwo? lnsLead
of belng sLuck wlLh Lhe same old Loys-consLanLly renL new
ones!"
lor a fee, 8oby lloys wlll send you dlerenL age-
approprlaLe Loys for your klds every slngle monLh. AL Lhe end of
Lhe monLh, you slmply reLurn Lhe old Loys and Lhey send you
brand new dlerenL ones! 1hls cycle repeaLs lLself as long as
you're wllllng Lo pay for lL. 1hls way, your chlld ls guaranLeed Lo
never geL bored.
So, how does Lhls sound Lo you? reuy amazlng? reuy
awesome? 1he answer Lo all your prayers? ?ou'll be Lhe coolesL
parenL ln Lhe world, won'L you?
Cr wlll you?
1hls seLup cerLalnly appeals Lo parenLs who don'L have
enough ume Lo spend wlLh Lhelr chlldren, buL wanL Lo show LhaL
Lhey care abouL Lhem. 8uL you know whaL? 1here's someLhlng
Lroubllng abouL Lhls sysLem...
1hlnk abouL whaL Lhls chlld ls learnlng by allowlng Lhem Lo
have new Loys every slngle monLh. 1hey're learnlng LhaL good
Lhlngs come wlLhouL worklng for Lhem, Lhere's no need for
pauence, Lhere's no need for lnvesLmenL of ume or eorL, and
who cares lf l break Lhls one? l'm gemng someLhlng new nexL
monLh anyway!"
LeL me ask you anoLher quesuon LhaL seems unrelaLed, buL
LhaL's really anoLher plece of Lhe same puzzle.
WhaL's Lhe polnL of glvlng?
8eally, have you ever sLopped and asked yourself LhaL
quesuon? wby ote yoo qlvloq to yoot cbllJ? 1he answer here
lsn'L, because l love Lhem." 1haL's obvlous. lL goes deeper Lhan
[usL love. Why do parenLs glve and glve and glve Lo Lhelr klds?
1he answer may surprlse you, buL our sages Leach LhaL we
glve and glve and glve-ln order Lo sLop glvlng.
?es, you read correcLly. 1he ulumaLe goal ls Lo keep glvlng
Lo our chlldren ooul tbeyte oble to qlve to tbemselves. 1hls ls
vlLally lmporLanL, because once Lhey've reached a polnL ln Lhelr
developmenL where Lhey're able Lo glve Lo Lhemselves, tbeyve
olso teocbeJ o polot wbete tbey ote teoJy to Jevelop
telouoosblps wltb otbets. lL's falrly slmple, lf a person has
exLreme dependency lssues, Lhere's no way Lhey can develop
healLhy relauonshlps wlLh oLher people. Now, the fact that
these two are |ntertw|ned |s !""!#$%& because our capac|ty to
deve|op a re|anonsh|p w|th G-d |s '()!*+&, re|ated to our
capac|ty to deve|op re|anonsh|ps w|th peop|e.
1hls, Loo, ls slmple loglc. As humans, we are nlLe belngs
LhaL can only use our bomoo capablllues Lo lnLeracL wlLh llfe. As
such, even when auempung Lo connecL wlLh Lhe lofolte C-J, all
we can use are our dally human experlences-aer all, LhaL's all
we have. As such, we need Lo ask ourselves, whaL ls Lhe mosL
obvlous Lool we can use Lo develop a healLhy relauonshlp wlLh
C-d? Common sense dlcLaLes Lhe only way we can even sLarL
Lhlnklng abouL healLhy relauonshlps wlLh C-d ls lf we have
healLhy funcuonlng relauonshlps wltb people.
LeL's brlng Lhls full clrcle: lf parenLs aren'L glvlng Lo Lhelr
chlldren ln a manner LhaL Leaches self-sumclency, Lhey're
maklng lL LhaL much harder for Lhelr chlldren Lo become healLhy
adulLs wlLh Lhe capaclLy for relauonshlps wlLh oLhers. lf Lhese
chlldren lack Lhe ablllLy Lo develop relauonshlps wlLh otbet
people, developlng a relauonshlp wlLh Lhe Cne Above ls golng Lo
be LhaL much harder.
arenLs, Lherefore, need Lo ask Lhemselves Lhe followlng
lmporLanL quesuon: Why am l glvlng Lo my chlldren? ls lL Lo
replace quallLy ume spenL wlLh Lhem, or ls lL Lo Leach Lhem
healLhy self-sumclency, a vlLal componenL for fuLure
relauonshlps wlLh oLher people and C-d.
Clve Lo your klds-buL glve properly and for Lhe rlghL
reasons. ShabbaL Shalom | Chanan 1zlonov
ULS1ICNS? LLASL CALL CnANAN A1 917-373-8090 Ck DANI A1 212-94S-87SS | LSCDC1.nACLAMQGMAIL.CCM
! Lesson From "e Past "at Wi# Change Your Futur$
ln Mlshlel chapLer 6, Shelomo Pamelech beglns by sLaung
Lhe lmporLance of helplng a fellow human. 1owards Lhe end,
however, Shelomo wrlLes:
1bete ote slx tbloqs tbot tbe lotJ botes, ooJ tbe seveotb ls
oo obomloouoo of nls sool, booqbty eyes, o lyloq tooqoe, ooJ
booJs tbot sbeJ loooceot blooJ, o beott tbot tbloks tbooqbts of
vloleoce, feet tbot bosteo to too to evll, ooe wbo speoks lles wltb
folse tesumooy ooJ locltes poottels omooq btotbets. (Mlshlel
6:16-19)
8aslcally Shelomo Pamelech Leaches LhaL Lhere are seven
LralLs humans have LhaL C-d haLes, and Lhe sevenLh, Lhe worsL of
Lhem all, ls a person who lnclLes Lwo or more people Lo ghL
agalnsL each oLher-or as we pollLely call lL ln 8ukharlan,
!anganozl."
LeL me ask you, Lhe rsL slx abomlnauons LhaL Shelomo
Pamelech menuons, such as lylng, kllllng, and cheaung, seem Lo
be far worse Lhan lnclung quarrels. WhaL's Lhe blg deal lf l go
ahead and Lell someone LhaL a person ls saylng or plannlng on
dolng someLhlng bad Lo Lhem? ln facL, lsn'L lL beuer lf l warn my
frlend abouL all Lhe nasLy rumors LhaL Lhe oLher person ls
spreadlng? WhaL klnd of a frlend would l be l lf [usL slL Lhere
quleLly whlle Mr. x ranLs lles abouL my dear frlend Mr. ??
My frlends, lf we look closely, we can clearly see LhaL
lnclung quarrels ls far worse Lhan all slx comblned. Pow so?
8y lnclung quarrels, whaL we are dolng ls brlnglng ouL
Lhose very slx LralLs LhaL Pashem haLes! 1hlnk abouL lL, when
Lwo people geL lnLo an argumenL, lL rsL beglns wlLh someone's
prlde belng hurL, Lhen Lhe lles follow, and lf C-d forbld Lhe
slLuauon geLs ouL of conLrol, lL can lead Lo blood sheddlng,
vlolence eLc. WhaL emerges ls LhaL a person who lnclLes
quarrels acLually commlued Lhe seven worsL slns ln one shoL!
lf we Lhlnk LhaL we are belng good frlends" by lemng
frlends or famlly know whaL Lhe oLher person ls saylng abouL
Lhem, we need Lo Lhlnk agaln. Cn Lhe conLrary, lL's Lhe worsL
Lhlng a person can posslbly do for Lhelr frlend. 1he Shechlna
(ulvlne resence) loves Lo dwell ln places where Lhere's peace,
LranqulllLy, sLablllLy and love. When Lhere's an argumenL
beLween Lwo or more people, Lhe Shechlna deparLs, allowlng Lhe
desLrucuve forces Lo lnLervene and add more re Lo Lhe fuel.
l'm noL saylng LhaL you should leL Lhe slLuauon geL ouL of
hand by lemng Lhe oLher fellow conunue hls senseless ranL. 1he
besL Lhlng Lo do ls Lo approach Lhe oLher person and Lell Lhem
Lhe gravlLy of Lhe sln Lhey're commlmng by spreadlng lashon
hara (slanderous speech). ulumaLely, Lhe hlghesL level would be
Lo follow Lhe ways of Aharon Pakohen and make peace beLween
Lwo people who are argulng.
Aharon Pakohen passed away ln Lhe !ewlsh monLh of 8osh
Chodesh Av, whlch we all know as Lhe monLh when Lhe Lwo
1emples ln !erusalem were desLroyed. WhaL ls Lhe connecuon
beLween Lhe facL LhaL boLh Aharon's passlng and Lhe desLrucuon
of Lhe 8elL Pamlkdash occurred ln Lhe same monLh? 1he 8abbls
Leach LhaL lL was pteclsely because of quarrels and baseless
haLred amongsL Lhe !ews durlng Lhe Second 1emple perlod LhaL
Lhe 8eLel MlkdashoL were desLroyed. 1he passlng of Aharon
Pakohen ln Lhe monLh of Av comes Lo Leach LhaL only Lhrough
peace, unlLy, and love amongsL ourselves wlll we merlL brlnglng
Lhe Mashlach and rebulldlng !erusalem Lo lLs former glory. ln
facL, a person who sLrlves Lo make peace beLween people ls
consldered Lo be ooe of tbe bollJets of Lhe 8elL Pamlkdash!
lf Lhe blggesL curse for a parenL ls Lo see Lhelr chlldren
quarrellng amongsL Lhemselves, how much more so does lL paln
our laLher ln Peaven who sees Pls chlldren ghung amongsL
Lhemselves? Look aL whaL ls golng on ln lsrael Loday, we have
one of Lhe besL armles and economles ln Lhe world, and yeL Lhe
world ls pushlng lsrael Lo glve Caza and Lhe WesL 8ank-
lncludlng Last Ierusa|em-Lo a people LhaL never exlsLed as a
nauon, and LhaL, wlLhouL quesuon, dreams abouL expelllng and
murderlng every !ew all across lsrael. no army or nauon can save
us, Lhe only Lhlng LhaL can help ls for us Lo puL our dlerences
aslde, sLarL lovlng each oLher, and make peace wlLh one anoLher.
8abbl vaknln gave a frlghLenlng, yeL lnsplrlng lnslghL lnLo
Lhe kabala. Accordlng Lhe Zohar, Lhe angels have an argumenL
wlLh C-d and say:
lo oot 1otob oo teocb tbot o motbet qoot ooJ lts
cbllJ sboolJot be kllleJ lo tbe some spot, ooJ yet,
tbtooqboot Iewlsb blstoty, eoute fomllles wete kllleJ lo tbe
some toom. oo teocb lo tbe 1otob tbot wbeo ooe
slooqbtets oo oolmol, tbey most covet lts blooJ wltb eottb,
yet so mooy wete slooqbteteJ metcllessly ooJ oo ooe eveo
botbeteJ botyloq tbe JeoJ? now ls lt tbot tbe Aotbot of
tbe 1otob qoes oqolost nls owo wotJ?
Pashem answers Lhe angels: -./ +1!)! (" #2 &23! %#'
4#(+, %52#6"+ 7, *1(&')!#8 +1!# 7, 29# :2)%1 ("
5!%#(#6&!"";<
8emember, by lnclung quarrels you aren'L [usL brlnglng
harm Lo Lhe people who are argulng, buL Lo Lhe enure nauon as
well. 1hrough love and unlLy we can bulld so much more Lhan
whaL we are currenLly dolng. C-d wllllng may we merlL seelng
Lhe comlng of Lhe Moshlach soon and may all of lsrael's enemles
be exungulshed.
ShabbaL Shalom- 8en[amln kha
%ishlei Ch. 6 - To Quarrel Is Worse "an Any&in'
ULS1ICNS? LLASL CALL CnANAN A1 917-373-8090 Ck DANI A1 212-94S-87SS | LSCDC1.nACLAMQGMAIL.CCM
Aer a successful mlllLary counLer-auack agalnsL Lhe nauon
of Amalek, Lhe 1orah ln Lhls week's parasha, arshaL ?lLro,
beglns wlLh speaklng Lhe pralses of Moshe 8abbelnu's faLher-ln-
law, ?lLro. ?lLro was Lhe former hlgh prlesL for Lhe nauon of
Mldyan, and a man of very hlgh sLaLure who le hls ldolaLrous
ways Lo [oln Lhe nauon of lsrael. 1he 1orah records Lhe [oy wlLh
whlch ?lLro expressed pralse upon hearlng all Lhe wondrous
mlracles LhaL Pashem performed for Lhe !ewlsh nauon lncludlng
how Pe'd declmaLed Lhe Lgypuans. Cne of Lhe greaLesL pralses
Lo ?lLro was Lhe facL LhaL he had worshlpped every slngle ldol ln
exlsLence and upon hearlng of Pashem's greaLness, chose Lo
leave lL all behlnd. ln essence, he used hls ablllLy of percepuon
and hearlng ln a posluve way Lo help Lhe !ewlsh nauon, as Lhe
1orah sLaLes:
AoJ ltto 1!%)'.ltto tejolceJ ovet oll tbe qooJoess tbot
nosbem boJ Jooe fot lstoel, tbot ne tescoeJ tbem ftom tbe
booJ of qypt. (5bemot 18.1-9)
Cn Lhe oLher hand, we learn laLer on ln Lhe 1orah LhaL 8alak,
klng of Moav, who was puL ln a very slmllar clrcumsLance as
?lLro, chose Lhe exacL opposlLe acuon when hearlng of Pashem's
greaLness. Pe used hls ablllLy of percepuon and seelng ln a
negauve way, and hlred 8llaam Lo curse Lhe !ews and make
Lhem sln. 1hls, seemlngly, ls Lhe exacL opposlLe of ?lLro. As Lhe
1orah sLaLes:
8olok, soo of 2lppot, "%9 oll tbot lstoel boJ Jooe to tbe
Amotlte.ne seot messeoqets to 8lloom soo of 8eot.(soyloq)
pleose come ooJ lovoke o cotse opoo tbls people fot
me. (8omlJbot 22.2-6)
1he obvlous quesuon regardlng Lhe above scenarlo ls whaL
exacLly separaLed ?lLro and 8alak, when, upon percelvlng Lhe
greaLness of C-d each chose a separaLe paLh, one for Lhe good
and one for Lhe bad?
8efore answerlng Lhls quesuon, we sLaLed LhaL Lhere were
slmllarlues ln Lhe llves of ?lLro and 8alak. ln order Lo clarlfy Lhe
quesuon and sweeLen Lhe answer, leL's delve lnLo Lhese
slmllarlues. 1o sLarL, boLh ?lLro and 8alak were men of very hlgh
sLaLure and leaders of nauons. 8oLh made Lhelr declslon ln
regards Lo Lhe !ews aer a mlllLary conquesL, ?lLro aer Lhe
baule wlLh Amalek and 8alak aer Lhe baule wlLh Slchon and
Cg. 8oLh have a parasha named aer Lhem, Lhere are only 3
people who've recelved such a merlL: noach, ?lLro, korach,
8alak and lnchas. llnally, boLh were connecLed Lo a propheL,
?lLro Lo Moshe 8abbelnu and 8alak Lo 8llaam.
Cnce Lhls ls undersLood, we come back Lhe quesuon-where
dld Lhelr paLhs separaLe? 1he answer ls slmple, yeL bears a loL of
meanlng. 1he Noom llmelecb, Parav Lllmelech from Llzenk,
sLaLes LhaL when a person slns hls enure llfe, he creaLes a barrler
around hls hearL LhaL prevenLs hlm from recognlzlng Lhe
greaLness of C-d, even lf many mlracles are performed, of whlch
he beots. 1he only way for Lhls person Lo have feellngs of
1esbovo, tepeotooce, ls by seeloq Lhe acuons of a 1zaddlk and
how he llves hls llfe for Lhe sole purpose of dolng Lhe wlll of
Pashem. 8y seelng Lhls devouon, hls hearL surs wlLh LhoughLs of
1eshuva, and he repenLs. 8oLh ?lLro and 8alak worshlpped ldols
Lhelr enure llves. 1be molo Jl[eteoce betweeo ltto ooJ 8olok
wos Mosbe kobbeloo. 1he ume LhaL ?lLro spenL wlLh Lhe
rlghLeous Moshe 8abbelnu before he reLurned Lo LgypL had an
lmmense lmpacL on hlm, whlch aecLed hls very soul and began
Lhe process of breaklng Lhe barrler around hls hearL. 8ecause of
Lhls, when ?lLro heard of Lhe wonders LhaL Pashem had
performed, he already had an lnfuslon of hollness from Moshe
8abbelnu and Lhe concepL of 1esbovo had already been
lmplanLed wlLhln hlm. 8alak made a declslon as well, buL LhaL
was Lo connecL Lo Lhe wlcked 8llaam, who lnfused hlm wlLh
more lmpurlLy and negauve lnuence.
lrom here we learn how lmporLanL lL ls for us Lo surround
ourselves noL only wlLh posluve lnuences, buL also wlLh
rlghLeous 1orah scholars. We furLher learn Lhe lmporLance of
dlsLanclng ourselves from negauve lnuences LhaL can lead a
person asLray. We see Lwo very slmllar people ln ?lLro and 8alak,
yeL one declslon made a world of dlerence ln Lhe paLhs Lhey
chose. ?lLro chose 1orah and llfe, whlle 8alak chose haLe, whlch
ulumaLely led Lo hls demlse. May we be zoche Lo open our
hearLs Lo 1esbovo and Lo see Lhe comlng of Mashlach 1zldkelnu
8lmhera 8eyamelnu. Amen! ShabbaL Shalom.
WLLkL AkSnA INSIGn1S
Molshe and Mlrlam were shopplng aL Lhe mall. Suddenly
Mlrlam looked around and Molshe was gone. Mlrlam was qulLe
upseL because Lhey had a loL of shopplng Lo do. She searched
for a whlle before she declded Lo call Molshe on hls cell phone
Lo ask hlm where he was.
ln a quleL volce he sald, uo you remember Lhe [ewelry sLore
we wenL Lo abouL ve years ago, when you fell ln love wlLh LhaL
dlamond necklace and l Lold you one day l would geL lL for
you?"
Mlrlam choked up and was lled wlLh exclLemenL. ?es l
remember LhaL sLore!"
Cood," replled Molshe, 8ecause l'm aL Lhe lce cream sLore
nexL door."
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