Torah Insights 妥拉解析

Parshas Balak begins as the Jews were on their final march to Israel, the Torah tells us that the nation of Moav was terrifed of the incoming Jews. Balak, the interim king of Moav, approached Bilaam to enlist his aid to suppress the incoming Jewish nation. In his request, he asks Balaam to curse the Jewish people. Balak tells Bilaam that he enlisted his support because, “I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed.” 

The tenses of words used in this verse are curious. The verse reads, Balak tells Bilaam, “He whom you bless is mevorach.”  Literally, the word mevorach connotes one who is already blessed. Whereas when Balak mentions Bilaam’s ability to harm others, he says, “Whomever you curse yuar, will be cursed.” Meaning that the curse will take effect in the future.

The Sefas Emes (Balak, tuf reish lamed hei) has a creative interpretation of this verse. The verse in Mishlei (22,9) says, ki tov ayin yevorach, “He who has a generous eye will be blessed”, the Gemara (Sota 38b) explains we can read the verse to also mean “[Only] He who has a generous eye should bless others.” The power of blessing is therefore meant for those with a generous spirit, those with “a good eye.” A wicked person, a rasha though, does not have the power to bless others. It follows, when a rasha does bless someone, the blessing won’t be effective. If the blessing seems effective it is only because the one blessed was already worthy of the blessing. This is what Balak meant when he said to Bilaam, those you bless [are not blessed on account of your blessing, they] are blessed [already]. This is not the case with a curse. A rasha with an evil eye can inflict damage even to a worthy person. Therefore, Balak said, those you curse will be cursed, emphasizing the only real power Bilaam had, the power to destroy. 

We know that something which can take years to create can be destroyed in seconds. Similarly, the power to destroy by wishing evil on others is cheap and easy. The power to bless others is not as simple; it is a privilege which needs to be curated. I imagine the path to properly curating this power begins with enhancing our desire to lift and bless others and doing away with the forces within us that wish for the destruction of those we are threatened by.

A Good Look

Bamidbar 5784  

This week we begin reading the Book of Numbers, Sefer Bamidbar.  Bamidbar is referred to in the Talmud as Chumash HaPekudim, the section of counting.  It begins with an accounting of the Jewish people in the desert which was done by Moshe and Aharon. 

The Ramban cites a Midrash which states that Hashem told Moshe and Aharon to count the Jewish people with “Kavod and gedula, with honor and loftiness.” The Midrash explains that “with honor and loftiness” meant that they were to count each person individually. Meaning, they were not to ask the heads of the families how many members there were in their family.  Rather, each member of Klal Yirsroel passed before Moshe and Aharon and was counted separately. The Ramban adds that when each member of Israel was counted, they received a “[double] merit.”  These holy men,  Moshe and Aharon,  “placed” an Ayin Tovah, literally, a “good eye,” along with a prayer on their behalf, on every person they counted.

I saw an interesting insight in the sefer Mishulchan Rebi Eliyahu Boruch, from the table of R’ Eliyahu Boruch.  (R’ Eliyahu Boruch Finkel was a beloved teacher in the Mirrer Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He passed away suddenly at the age of 60 in 2008.  The book Mishulchan Rebi Eliyahu Boruch is a compilation of his teachings and writings.) 

R’ Eliyahu Boruch notes that the Ramban values Ayin Tovah of Moshe and Aron right alongside their blessings. An Ayin Tovah is simply a way of looking at another with a positive feeling, with a sincere wish for their good and success. We are keenly aware of the power of a blessing. We are taught (Megillah 15a) we should not take any blessing for granted even if that blessing is from a simpleton. Conversely, we are also aware of Ayin Hara, “Evil Eye”.  When someone looks at another in a negative way, with spite and jealousy, that is an Ayin Hara and is understood to be potentially dangerous. The Ramban introduces us to a new power, Ayin Tova. It was important for Moshe and Ahron to give an Ayin Tovah to every member of Israel. This power is somewhat self-evident for there is a rule, middah tovah meruba, good forces exceed negative forces.

When we look at someone in a positive light and wish them well, it is not merely a good practice for our own self-improvement. When one looks at another in a positive light, they bestow good upon them. There is a great power of Ayin Tovah, a power akin to the power of a blessing.