B’SD
CHOCHMAS NASHIM: BALAK: WHO SHALL I ADMIRE?
By: Suri Davis
I was in Le Chocolat this morning imbibing, when two lovely women approached me and told me they read the newsletter, they were gracious and charming and lovely, and I wished I had more time to get to know them before I rushed out. They asked me about my two names, Lenore and Suri and asked who they should admire? I answered incorrectly, so let me correct my answer here, admire G-d who created all creatures and people for His own plan and pleasure, I am merely attempting to take what G-d has given me and share it with my family and friends, clients, readers and new acquaintances.
When we listen to music or see a painting, while we enjoy the art, it has not come into being ex nihilo, there is some artist behind this work, and G-d who provided the artist with his creativity.
While we admire people, I might add that, as Bilam says to Balak, I can’t curse those whom G-d does not want cursed, man cannot create, unless he has G-d’s permission to do so. This is the crux of the parshah, that good or bad, nothing will be said or done without G-d’s acquiescence. So to the lovely ladies I met today, admire G-d who creates those who are our role models and inspire us like Rebbetzin Tehila Jaeger and her father ZTL, Rabbi Freifeld, and the many others we are fortunate to have in our community who teach and inspire us.
In this week’s torah portion, Balak, the Moab king was frightened at the growing Jewish population, so he asked Balaam to curse the Jews. Balaam said he needed some time to answer, and in that time Balaam asked G-d what he should do, and G-d told him not to curse the Jews.
Balak tried over and over again to convince Balaam to curse the Jews, and Balaam replied that he cannot curse those whom G-d does not want to curse.
Sanhedrin 105b:7 sets forth the terms under which Balaam would have succeeded in cursing the Jews, and that is if he had found some anger in G-d towards the Jews, this would have made the Jews open and vulnerable to being cursed.
It is surprising that after so many incidents of Jews sinning and rebelling against G-d in the desert, so oft G-d had wanted to destroy the entire nation, but for Moshe’s intervention, yet there was no remnant of anger by G-d for all the sins the Jews had committed. This is a foundation of the 13 attributes of mercy G-d has for the Jews, among them Erech apayim/G-d has forbearance and permits one to repent.
Next Tuesday, July 23, is the 17th of Tamuz, on which day we fast to commemorate the beginning of the three-week period of the destruction of the holy temple in Jerusalem.
During this three-week period, we are vulnerable. As we remember the destruction of the temple, G-d remembers our acts which forced G-d to destroy the temple. It is a time of tikkun/spiritual repair, a time to bend over backward to contemplate our relationship with G-d and reflect on our relationship with each other. We don’t want to give G-d any reason to punish us further with extended periods of exile. When we sin, especially against others, we open the gates of anger, which permit other nations to curse us and bring evil upon us.
As we know, after the temple was destroyed, all gates of heaven were sealed off to man, all except the gate of tears, of sincere repentance.
Our job during this period of time is to find favor in G-d’s eyes, and to open the flood gates of G-d with sincere repentance, in hopes that G-d prevents other nations from harming us, and we find enough favor in G-d’s eyes that he bring the complete redemption quickly in our time.
Shabbat shalom.
Easy fast.
-Suri
Lenore has been practicing Trust and estate/elder law for 30 years. She has her LLM masters in Taxation, and has offices in New York and New Jersey. You can contact her via telephone at (516)569-4671 or by email at Ldavis@lenoredavis.com.