민수기 31:61의 Musar

וימסרו מאלפי ישראל . "Thousands of Israelites were handed over, etc." (31,5); Rashi comments that "the Torah here informs you how beloved Israel's leaders were by their charges. As long as Israel had not heard that their leader Moses was about to die, they themselves sometimes assumed such a threatening posture that Moses said to G–d: "They are close to stoning me!" (Exodus 17,4) Now that they had been told that Moses was to die after the punitive expedition against Midian, they refused to undertake that expedition and had to be forced." Why does Rashi include the former statement of Moses "they are about to stone me!," as part of the praise Israel is entitled to?

ויקצוף משה על פקודי החיל . "Moses was angry at the commanders of the army" (31,14). How could Moses be angry at these commanders seeing he had not commanded them to kill the women? There was no need to issue such a command since common sense should have told the commanders that the women who had been the chief seducers were to be the targets of that expedition. We find that even a Bileam acknowledges guilt when confronted by an angel whose presence he had not been aware of, and he says: חטאתי כי לא ידעתי, "I have sinned though I was unaware" (Numbers 22,34). Failure to use one's common sense is culpable. I have elaborated on this in my commentary on the last chapter of tractate Sanhedrin.

Now we shall explain the greatness of the merit of one who guards his mouth and his tongue from speaking forbidden things. First, he amends and sanctifies thereby the distinctive "tool" of the Jew, which is speech. So that all the words that he speaks thereafter in Torah and in prayer ascend to the source of its root on high. For not in vain did Chazal compare this [faculty] in many places to a "tool of the trade" [see Rashi, Bamidbar 31:8], to teach us that just as a tool is necessary for the making of new, beautiful vessels, [so is it with the "tool" of speech]. Even if one be the king's craftsman, the greatest of all the artists, whose intellect is extremely subtle, and who can conceive of the finest way of fashioning vessels, still, he cannot make them without tools. And, more than this, even if he has the tools, but they are defective and damaged, and he is "pressured" to make some vessels, there will be recognized through them the defect and the imperfection of the tools, inside and outside, because he will not be able to smooth them [the vessels] out correctly and they will remain like formless blocks of wood, unfit for use even by commoners; how much more so, for a king. But that craftsman whose tools are polished and shined as they should be — the vessel that he fashions with them will emerge perfect and beautiful. It is exactly the same with the faculty of speech given to the Jew for the service of the awesome King (blessed be His name) for Torah and prayer, and for blessing, glorifying, praising, and exalting Him. For it [(this faculty)] is the great tool whereby the complete man can build heaven and earth, as it is written (Isaiah 51:6): "And I have placed My words in your mouth to plant the heavens and to lay the foundations of the earth." And this is to be understood literally. For with the words of holiness that a man speaks here in this world before the blessed L-rd, there are created on high holy worlds and angels, who will afterwards be protagonists for and defenders of his soul. And the quality of the worlds and the angels created through his Torah and mitzvoth depend on several factors: 1) his mind-set at the time. That is, his having readied himself at that time with all his powers to fulfill his task according to the Torah, in all of its requisite parts and details. 2) his tools, by which his Torah is fashioned. That is, the tools of speech (and, likewise, in respect to the mitzvah, the tools required to execute it.) For if they are beautiful and elegant, being used always for the good, and the power of their sanctity being thereby strengthened, they will have the power to draw down the higher sanctity and great light on whatever he is doing. But if he renders defective and unclean, G-d forbid, his faculty of speech through lashon hara, rechiluth, levity, and falsity, and the like, and he does not repent, and then he speaks with his mouth words of Torah and prayer, what power will they have to draw down on that Torah and prayer the higher sanctity after his "tools of utterance" have been rendered defective and unclean in and of themselves?

Anger leads to mistakes. Who is a greater man than Moses, our teacher? Moses, upon him be peace, was angry in three places, and he made what would generally be termed "mistakes". As it is said : "And he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar" (Lev. 10:16), and it is written : "Why did you not eat the sin-offering in the sacred area?" (Lev. 10:17). And it is said : "Listen, you rebels" (Num. 20:10) and it is said : "And he struck the rock" (Ib. : 11). And it is said : "Moses became angry with the commanders of the army" (Num. 31:14), and it is written : "And Eleazar the priest said to the troops who had taken part in the fighting This is the ritual law' " (Num. 31:21). Which teaches that Moses forgot the law (while angry) (Leviticus Rabbah 13:1). And so, you can understand that if these things happened to Moses peace be upon him, when he was angry, what can happen to fools who are angry! And therefore Solomon said, "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry" (Eccl. 7:9).

Anger leads to mistakes. Who is a greater man than Moses, our teacher? Moses, upon him be peace, was angry in three places, and he made what would generally be termed "mistakes". As it is said : "And he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar" (Lev. 10:16), and it is written : "Why did you not eat the sin-offering in the sacred area?" (Lev. 10:17). And it is said : "Listen, you rebels" (Num. 20:10) and it is said : "And he struck the rock" (Ib. : 11). And it is said : "Moses became angry with the commanders of the army" (Num. 31:14), and it is written : "And Eleazar the priest said to the troops who had taken part in the fighting This is the ritual law' " (Num. 31:21). Which teaches that Moses forgot the law (while angry) (Leviticus Rabbah 13:1). And so, you can understand that if these things happened to Moses peace be upon him, when he was angry, what can happen to fools who are angry! And therefore Solomon said, "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry" (Eccl. 7:9).

The words Alah, i.e. "curse," and the word Eyleh i.e. "these," contain the same letters in the same order, only the vowel pattern is different. The message of the Torah is that once the curses of both Leviticus chapter 27, and Deuteronomy chapter 29, have come to pass, the return of Israel to its roots will be signalled by conversion of the אלה, curse to אלה דברי הברית, "these are the words of the covenant," that the guilt of Israel will be at an end, that there will no longer be a need for exile and dispersion. Lamentations 4,22 refers to these sins of Zion having come to an end. All this is the direct result of expulsion, exile, dispersion. The author refers to his commentary on מסכת תענית, in which he has elaborated on this subject.

Moses is known by seven different names, (Shemot Rabbah 40,4). Rabbi Yitzchak Luria writes that Moses used the 42-lettered Name of G–d when he killed the Egyptian in order to elevate that person's נפש. It is well known that the 42-lettered name incorporates seven different names. Yitro also had seven names (Shemot Rabbah 27,7). At that time, Yitro converted to monotheism and abandoned idol worship. Moses had not wanted to kill Bileam by using the 42-lettered name of G–d, but he had wanted him to die by the sword which is the symbol of defilement, טומאה. This is why Bileam did not die the מות ישרים, the "death of the righteous." He had not said אמות מות ישרים, I want to die the death of the righteous, but had said only "my soul will die the death of the righteous, using the word נפש to describe his soul. His נפש then was redeemed, not his body. So far the Ari zal (compare Numbers 31,8).

Let us now explore the mystical dimension of the name יעקב. In Genesis 27,35 Isaac says to Esau: בא אחיך במרמה, "Your brother came with wisdom to take the blessings." This means that Jacob came to outwit Esau. Isaac referred to Jacob having outwitted what Esau stands for, i.e. Satan, the pollutant of the original serpent, seeing Esau is also Edom, the classic symbol of all that is polluted and cursed. This original serpent had been described in the Torah as ערום, sly (Genesis 3,1). This being so, Jacob had to resort to a wily strategy to outwit such an opponent. He had to counter with ערמה, slyness, in order to defeat the serpent or its representative at its own game. We find something similar when Rashi explains (Numbers 31,8) that the reason the Torah stresses that Bileam was killed by the sword was because the sword was his stock-in-trade. He should have stuck to his trade. Isaac had told Esau that he would live by his sword (27,40), whereas the traditional weapon of Israel is the mouth, i.e. prayer. Since Bileam perverted his function by using Israel's weapon, the mouth, Israel used his own traditional weapon against him. In order to best him absolutely, he had to be killed by the weapon that he had once considered himself a champion of. The Zohar goes as far as to say that the only way it was possible to kill Bileam was by the sword. Onkelos explains the meaning of יודע ציד in 25,27 as being "Esau was shrewd." The Tziyoni derives from that word נחשירכן (the word Onkelos uses to explain יודע ציד), that the mystical dimension of the serpent is contained in the ירך, reproductive organ, thigh, and that Esau had the likeness of a serpent tatooed on his thigh. This was the reason that Samael, or the spiritual representative of Esau, tried to injure that organ of Jacob's during the nocturnal confrontation. The reason he did not succeed was that Jacob did not contain any residual pollution of the serpent. Bileam alluded to this when he said in Numbers 23,23: כי לא נחש ביעקב, that Jacob was not infected by the serpent. Esau is rooted in the cursed serpent. Jacob and his descendants ירך יעקב, are of blessed origin. Jacob had to come with עקבה, trickery, the craft of the serpent, and he wrested the blessing from the clutches of the unworthy. We know from Proverbs 8,12 that חכמה and ערמה are used interchangeably, i.e. אני חכמה, שכנתי ערמה, "I, wisdom, am neighbor to ערמה.” Later on, when he had established a hold in the Celestial Regions, the source of all blessings, he is referred to as ישראל, since he had ascended to these "higher" regions. The level of ישראל in those regions is very high, seeing that Israel surpassed the level of the angels during his ascent. He occupies a position there that is not even accessible to the angels. He proceeds to rise higher and higher until he even surpasses the region of the ministering angels, the most highly placed angels. It is this that Onkelos referred to when he described Israel as "you are a great lion before G–d and men."

Afterwards, as a result of Bileam "walking" i.e. setting out on an errand that was meant to harm the Jewish people, G–d transformed the intended curses into blessings in inverse ratio to the wickedness intended by him. As Solomon says in Proverbs 10,24: "The fear of the wicked will come upon him; the desire of the righteous will be granted." When Bileam next announces "ואדעה מה יוסף ה' דבר עמי," "I will know what else G–d will speak to me" (22,19), he is already inadvertently hinting that he will become the instrument by means of which G–d will bless Israel. An example of this additional blessing can be seen in the words "how goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwellings O Israel." Whereas, originally the blessing was valid only while Israel was secure in its land, the additional words referring to temporary abodes of Israel, i.e. משכנותיך, include periods during which Israel will be exiled (24,5). The very exile is a source of blessing, since it produces repentance and subsequently a rejuvenation of the Jewish people. This is why the name Jacob, and the temporary nature of the dwellings called "huts," is associated with the former temporary residence of the Jewish people, on their own land, whereas "Israel," the choicest of names for this people, as well as "dwellings," is employed when it describes-paradoxically,-its state of exile. The Talmud in Baba Metzia 68a, in trying to define a mortgage which is called in Aramaic mashkanta, a word resembling the Hebrew Mishkan, dwelling, describes it as something that constantly “dwells” with the owner of the field against which a loan has been made. The constant awareness of one's dependence acts as a spur to rid oneself of such an obligation. The exile experience of the Jewish people is meant to do the same, to imbue us with the urgent desire to do all in our power to become worthy of redemption. At that time G–d's promise (Leviticus 26,11) ונתתי משכני בתוככם "I will give My dwelling to be in your midst," will be fulfilled. The destruction of the Temple and the Jewish state was a necessary prelude to building a better Jewish nation. This is the meaning of the prophecy וירד מיעקב והאביד שריד מעיר, "A victor will issue forth from Jacob to wipe out what is left of ‘lr’" (24,19). Bileam saw a vision of the greatness of the Messiah, someone greater than himself. What he did not appreciate was that purity could be rooted in impurity, just as Abraham came forth out of a Terach. When the Messiah arrives, the last vestiges of the dross remaining from former efforts at distilling the pure out of the impure will vanish. The מלאך רע, "evil angel," who is personified by Bileam, had to acknowledge this, i.e. say Amen" to this concept. Bileam expanded on this theme of redemption when he said: "What I see for them is not yet, what I behold will not be soon" (24,17). He seems to be repeating himself. Another difficulty in Bileam's words is the fact that they seem to be contradictory. First he says: "I can see it," suggesting a clear vision, whereas immediately afterwards he describes this as in the distant future, i.e. not being so clear. What is meant is that every single day that passes contains elements of the eventual total Redemption. This is what Bileam realises clearly. What he does not see so clearly is the date on which this process will be complete. Our Rabbis have described this process as "a single sheep resides amongst seventy wolves. These wolves attempt daily to devour the sheep, but the Almighty saves it from their clutches," as in Pessikta Rabbah 9,2. The very fact that the Jewish nation continues to exist is part of the proof that the Redemption is an ongoing process. G–d is busy performing such miracles without the person for whom such miracles are being performed even becoming aware of them. This is why Bileam says "I see it," i.e. as an ongoing process, "but not now," i.e. the true Redemption, the arrival of the Messiah, has not yet come to pass. Subsequently, Bileam turns to the vision of the Redemption, of which he says: "I see it, but not in the near future." He reveals that there is a date that G–d has fixed for it, though if the people were deserving that date could be advanced. This is parallel to the explanation of the sages on the apparent paradox in Isaiah 60,22, "at its appointed time, I will hasten it." The meaning is that though there is an appointed time beyond which the Redemption will not be delayed, it may occur sooner if Israel deserves it (Sanhedrin 98a). אשורנו, means "I can see it if Israel does penitence," whereas ולא קרוב, means that if they were not worthy then that Redemption would not be in the near future. It is at that time that all previous curses will turn into blessings, for the Redemption was brought about sooner as a result of Israel responding positively to the curses it has had to suffer. We read in Deuteronomy 23,6: "G–d transformed the curse (Bileam's) into a blessing for you, for the Lord your G–d loves you." The last words seem superfluous, since no one would assume that someone who hates you turns your curses into blessings. The meaning, however, may be that repentance is "great," since it has the power to convert former misdeeds into merits. Such repentance indeed has such power when it is the result of love of G–d and not the fear of punishment. Curses may be a hidden display of G–d's love, for once they have fulfilled their purpose, they eventually enable Him to turn them into blessings. Love for G–d by the repentant sinner is reciprocated by Him so that what used to be demerits are accounted as merits retroactively.