A.
As the bënei Yisra’él round the border of Edom and near the eastern border of Mo’av, that country’s Midyani king, Balaq ben Tzippor, well aware of all that has gone before, views their approach with rising panic. He turns to the most celebrated prophet, magician, and necromancer of his day, Bil‘am ben Bë‘or of the city of Pëthor (which has been identified with the tell Deir ‘Alla in western Jordan, about 8 km east of the Jordan River and 1 km north of the Yabboq).
That Balaq understands fully the nature of Bil‘am’s capabilities is revealed by what he has his emissaries tell the great man: ועתה לכה נא ארה לי את העם הזה כו' כי ידעתי את אשר תברך מברך ואשר תאר יואר (“And now, curse for me this people...f or I know fully that whom you bless has been blessed, and whom you curse will be cursed”; XXII,6). The verb tëvaréch (‘you will bless”) is followed by a passive participle mëvorach (“has been blessed”), indicating that Bil‘am’s blessings were useless; but the verb ta’or (“you will curse”) is followed by the imperfective passive yu’ar (“he will be cursed”), suggesting that Bil‘am’s curses were truly efficacious. That was what Balaq sought.
Bil‘am, for all his character flaws, was a true prophet, who understood the source of his power. Hence, he had to ask G-d whether he would be permitted to curse Israel, and was unequivocally told לא תלך עמהם לא תאר את העם כי ברוך הוא (“You will not go with them [‘immahem], you will not curse the people for it is blessed”; ibid., 12), so Bil‘am refuses to accompany them.
In a paroxysm of fear, Balaq sends even more esteemed and illustrious ambassadors to remonstrate with the prophet. Bil‘am is persuaded to ask again, and this time is told: אם לקרא לך באו האנשים קום לך אתם ואך את הדבר אשר אדבר אליך אתו תעשה (“If the mean have come to call you, arise, go with them [ittam], but only the thing which I shall speak to you shall you do”; ibid., 20). The last phrase of our verse and the alternation in prepositions (éth vs. ‘im) both show that G-d had not changed His mind; the Ha‘améq Davar notes דלשון אתם משמעו שלא בהשתוות והתרועעות כו' והרשע לא עבר על זה בפועל ממש כו' אבל מכ"מ במחשבתו הלך בדעתם ומש"ה כתיב "וילך עם שרי מואב" ולא כתיב "את שרי מואב" וגו' (“for the term ittam means not together and in comradeship with them... and the rasha‘ did not violate this explicitly... but nonetheless in his thoughts went according to their opinion, and for this reason it is written ‘and he went with [‘im] the ministers of Mo’av’ [v. 21] and not éth sarei Mo’av....”).
Though he knew the effort was futile, Bil‘am made three attempts to curse Israel in Balaq’s behalf (recorded in XXIII, 7-12; 18-26; XXIV, 3-9). In the last of the three prophetic episodes, Bil‘am declares: מה טבו אהליך יעקב משכנותך ישראל (“How good are your tents, Ya‘aqov, your dwellings, Israel”; XXIV, 5). Those of us who regularly attend synagogues or battei midrashoth will recognize these as the words one utters as one enters the sanctuary.
There are many beautiful lines in Tanach composed by holy and pious prophets and poets which would seem to be suitable for this purpose. Consider, for instance, Ya‘aqov Avinu’s exclamation, מה נורא המקום הזה אין זה כי אם בית אלקים וזה שער שמים (“How awesome is this place; this is none other than the house of G-d, and this is the gate of Heaven”; Genesis XXVIII, 17), or King David’s שמחתי באמרים לי בית ד' נלך (“I rejoice utterly in those who say to me, Let us go to Ha-Shem’s house”; Psalms CXXII, 1). Why, then, did Hazal pick the words of a rasha‘ like Bil‘am to accompany our entry to public prayer or study?
B.
The Talmud elucidates the passage in which our verse occurs: א"ר יוחנן מברכתו של אותו רשע אתה למד מה הי' בלבו ביקש לומר שלא יהיו להם בתי כנסיות ובתי מדרשות "מה טובו אהליך יעקב". לא תשרה שכינה עליהם "ומשכנותיך ישראל". לא תהא מלכותן נמשכת "כנחלים נטיו". לא יהא להם זיתים וכרמים "כגנות עלי נהר". לא יהא ריחן נודף "באהלים נטע ד'". לא יהו להם מלכים בעלי קומה "כארזים עלי מים". לא יהי' להם מלך בן מלך "יזל מים מדליו". לא תהא מלכותן שולטת באומות "וזרעו במים רבים". לא תהא עזה מלכותן "וירם מאגג מלכו". לא תהא אימת מלכותן "ותנשא מלכותו". אמר רבי אבא בר כהנא כולם חזרו לקללה חוץ מבתי כנסיות ובתי מדרשות שנאמר "ויהפוך ד' אלקיך לך את הקללה לברכה כי אהבך ד' אלקיך" קללה ולא קללות (“Said Rabbi Yohanan, 'From that rasha‘’s blessing you learn what was in his heart. He sought to say that they should have no synagogues or battei midrashoth, ‘How good are your tents, Ya‘aqov’; theat they not be saturated with the Shëchina ['Divine Presence’], ‘and your dwellings [u-mishkënothecha, from the same root as Shëchina] Israel’; that their kingdom not endure, ‘like streams they stretch out’; that they not have olives and vineyards, ‘like gardens on the river’; that their aroma [their reputation for doing mitzvoth; Rashi ad loc.] not be wafted, ‘in tents Ha-Shem has planted’; that they not have kings of stature, ‘like cedars on [the] water’; that they not have a king son of a king, ‘water will flow from its sources’; that their kingdom not be ruling over the nations, ‘and his seed in many waters’; that their kingdom not be strong, ‘and more exalted than Agag is its king’; that their kingdom not be respected, ‘and his kingdom will be exalted’. Said Rabbi Abba bar Kahana, 'All of them returned to curse[s] save [what was said about] synagogues and battei midrashoth, as it is said, ‘And Ha-Shem your G-d overturned for you the curse into a blessing for Ha-Shem your G-d loves you’ [Deuteronomy XXIII, 6]; curse, not curses”; סנהדרין ק"ה:).
In other words, from every positive thing said by Bil‘am one can learn the negative thing he had wished to say. In the end, says Rabbi Abba bar Kahana, it is not Jewish statehood or kingship or military might which last, but only battei kënessiyoth and battei midrashoth, שלא יפסיקו מישראל לעולם, clarifies Rashi; “that they never cease from Israel forever.”
C.
The Bë’ér Moshe finds another, deep allusion in our passage relevant to our chosen theme. He first calls our attention to a midrash: וכי מה טיבן של נחלים אצל בתי כנסיות ובתי מדרשות שאומר "כנחלים נטיו" אצל "מה טובו אהליך יעקב" אלא לומר לך מה נחלים מעלין את האדם מן הטומאה לטהרה כך בתי כנסיות ובתי מדרשות מעלין את האדם מן הטומאה לטהרה כיצד? אלא מביאין את האדם מחובה לזכות לכך נאמר "כנחלים נטיו" (“And so what has the quality of streams to do with battei kënessiyoth and battei midrashoth, such that He says ‘they stretch like streams’ beside ‘how good are your tents, Ya‘aqov?’ But it is to tell you that just as streams elevate a person from tum’a to tahara [since he can immerse himself in them], so do battei kënessiyoth and battei midrashoth elevate a person from tum’a to tahara; how? They bring a person from conviction to acquittal”; תנא דבי אלי' רבה פכ"א).
He then turns our attention to another midrash, this one concerning Genesis I, 2: ורוח אלקים מרחפת על פני המים (“And the spirit of G-d [was] hovering on the face of the water”): זהו רוחו של מלך המשיח היאך מה דאת אמר "ונחה עליו רוח ד'" באיזה זכות משמשת ובאה? בזכות התשובה שנמשלה כמים שנאמר "שפכי כמים לבך נכח פני ד'" (“This is the spirit of the Anointed King [melech ha-mashiach], how? Just as you say, ‘And the spirit of Ha-Shem rested upon him’ [Isaiah XI, 2], in what merit does it feel its way and come? In the merit of tëshuva which is compared to water, as it is said, ‘Pour out your heart like water before Ha-Shem’ [Lamentations II, 19]”בראשית רבה פ"ב סי' ה' עיי"ש שהגירסא קצת שונה מגירסת הרבי ז"ל ). This is juxtaposed to yet another ma’amar Hazal: אין מים אלא תורה (“Water is none other than Torah”; בבא קמא י"ז.). Both are the same, says the Rebbe, for it is the Torah studied in the battei kënessiyoth and battei midrashoth which leads one to do tëshuva.
וכעת נבא להבין את מאמרם הנ"ל מה נחלים מעלים את האדם מן הטומאה לטהרה כך בתי כנסיות ובתי מדרשות וכו' מביאין את האדם מחובה לזכות, שבאמצעות התורה הנלמדת בבתי כנסיות ובבתי מדרשות מתעורר האדם לתשובה וממילא מביאין אותו מחובה לזכות בכחה של תשובה (“And now we come to understand their ma’amar above, ‘just as streams elevate a person from tum’a to tahara, so do battei kënessiyoth and battei midrashoth... bring a person from conviction to acquittal, for by means of the Torah which is learnt in the battei kënessiyoth and battei midrashoth a person is awakened to tëshuva and automatically they bring him from conviction to acquittal through the power of tëshuva”).
D.
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana’s reading of Moshe’s recapitulation of the Bil‘am story in Deuteronomy, that only one of the involuntary blessings born of his earnest desire to curse Israel remained a blessing, sounds a bit bleak, but in light of the Rebbe’s comment above, it can be seen as much less so, If we now go back and re-read the passage in question, we see that virtually every prediction made by Bil‘am involves streams, or rivers, or water. These things constitute an inescapable theme, and lead us to a shattering conclusion: That the permanence of Jewish statehood, and kingship, and military might are, in fact, dependent upon the battei kënessiyoth and the battei midrashoth, and the Torah which is learnt in them. Maintaining and attending battei kënessiyoth and battei midrashoth, davening and learning in them, are the secret to keeping Israel strong and respected in the world, and the way to control anti-Semitism.
This secret weapon of këlal Yisra’él finds mention repeatedly in Torah sources. For example, in Genesis XLVIII, 22 Ya‘aqov refers to שכם כו' אשר לקחתי מיד האמרי בחרבי ובקשתי (“Shëchem... which I took from the Emori with my sword and my bow”), which the Talmud compares to King David’s pronouncement; כי לא ב'שתי אבטח וחרבי לא תושיעני (“for it is not in my bow that I trust, and my sword will not save me”; Psalms XLIV, 7) and determines that Ya‘aqov is referring to prayer and supplication (בבא בתרא קכ"ג. וע"ע תרגום אונקלוס ורש"י עה"פ, רש"י דורש בחכמתי היינו תורתי ותפלתי), or again, commenting on Genesis XXVII,22, we learn: אין לך תפלה שמועילה שאין בה מזרעו של יעקב כו' אין לך מלחמה שנוצחת שאין בה מזרעו של עשו (“You have no successful prayer which does not have something of Ya ‘aqov’s progeny in it... You have no successful war which does not have something of ‘Esav’s progeny in it”; גיטין נ"ז:).
Why did Hazal choose the words of Bil‘am ha-rasha‘ to grace out entrance to engage in prayer or study? Because from his day to ours, the goal of Israel’s enemies has been to do away with the battei kënessiyoth and battei midrashoth. The Nazis, ימש"ו, collected vast numbers of tashmishei qëdusha, sifrei Torah and their accoutrements, cups for qiddush, mënoroth, bësamim boxes, and the like, to be displayed in museums after the war, a monument to the vanished Jewish culture.
If we want revenge on the Nazis, if we want to strengthen Israel, whether by that we mean the part of our nation resident in the Holy Land or those of us resident in the Exile, frequent the battei kënessiyoth and battei midrashoth, and contribute to the aggregate amount of Torah learnt in them.
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