Balak - 2015

· Messechet Sotah 47a – Rav Yehuda amar Rav – a man should always occupy himself with Torah & Mitvot even lo shema, because metoch lo leshema bo leshema

· Because of the 42 Korbonos that Balak Melech Moav offered to Hashem, he merited that Ruth, Dovid, Shlomo and Moshiach should come from him.

· The Gemora says that the Bo Leshema happened hundreds of years later when Shlomo Hamelech offered thousands of Korbonos Leshma, for the right reason.

· This is a Pelah – He did this to curse Klal Yisroel – He was a Rasha.  How could this act, with such evil intent, have such a great reward.

· Sanhendrin 96a – When the Assyrian army made a siege on Yerushalayim on the night of Pesach.  185,000 Assyrian soldiers died in a plague that night. 

· King Hezkiah got terribly sick that night, but miraculously recovered. 

· The Babylonian King Merodoch–Baladan – who was Hezekiah’s ally against Assyria, wrote a letter to Hezekiah that began

· Peace to to the great king Hezkiah, Peace to the great city of Yerushalayim, Peace to the great G-d of Israel.  He put G-d third.

· Nebuchadnezzar was a young scribe in the king’s court, and he arrived and asked how the letter was worded. 

· After he was told about this letter, and said, “How can you do that? How can you mention G-d last.  G-d should be mentioned first.”

· He took four steps to bring back the messenger.

· The Gemorah says that for every step he took he was given a generation to continue after him as emperor of the empire. 

· It says that the Malach Gavriel came and stopped him from taking another step,

· Because if he would have continued with a fifth step, the Babylonian empire would have continue indefinitely. 

· A foothold for evil of MORE than four generations would have been lethal to the world and a major threat to the survival of the Jewish people.

· Even though Nebechadnezzar was a Rasha, he was rewarded because he gave Koved to Hashem.

· The third chapter of Shoftim describes how Eglon the king of Moav ruled over Israel. 

· Ehud, a Jewish hero, killed Eglon and defeated Moav and saved the Jewish people.

· How did he do it?  He arranged for a private meeting with Eglon and hid a sword.

· He said he had a message from Hashem. 

· Eglon stood up in honor of Hashem, and then Ehud killed him. 

· Rashi says that in reward for standing up for Hashem, he had he zchus that Ruth – and Moshicah would come from him.

· The lesson in these examples is that even a Rasha is rewarded by if he gives honor to Hashem. 

· Two of these Rashayim – Balak and Eglon – as a reward for honoring Hashem – have the zchus that Ruth and Moshiach will come from them.

· And Nebechadnezzar was rewarded with a dynasty lasting 4 generations.

· This shouldn’t surprise us.

· Look at the first 3 commandments:

o I am Hashem

o You shall have no other G-ds, nor make idols.

o You shall not take the name of the LORD your G-d in vain.

· To give Koved to Hashem – to recognize Hashem as Creator and Melech – is of supreme importance, and has tremendous reward.

· In fact,the entire 10 commandments is about Koved – after Coved Hashem comes Koved Shabbos, Koved parents, and then Koved for other people.

· That is one of the keys to making brochas – Baruch Attah Hashem, Melech Haolam.

· Every Brocha gives Koved to Hashem – recognizing Him as Melech of the world.

· One of the central themes of Shabbos is that we don’t create anything on Shabbos out of recognition that Hashem is the Creator.

· But this week, while thinking about this, I became concerned..

· The Jews have a formidable enemy that supposedly honors Hashem

· Their religion was founded on the principle of destroying idols and praying 5 times a day.

· They descend from the only other person who has Hashem in their name – Yisroel and Yishmael.

· I talked about this with a Rosh Kollel this week, and he answered me as follows.

· What Balak did – an attempt to curse Klal Yisroel – did not have Kayamus – it didn’t come to fruition, BH.

· So his honoring Hashem was rewarded.

· However the Arabs steal, lie, and murder le Koved Hashem.

· Hashem sees right through that.

· Those are Averas that unfortunately have Kayumus.

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· It was part of the foundation of their religion from the very beginning.

· The following is from a book about Mohammed.

· After escaping with a handful of people from Mecca to Medina in 622, Mohammed and his followers were starving. 

· So he ordered a raid on a caravan during one of the months of the year where it was prohibited to raid caravans according to the Arab honor code.  The caravan was guarded by 4 men – his men killed one man, took 2 prisoners, and took the booty to live on.

· He said that G-d told him that, though this wasn’t an ideal thing – because it was a month where raids on caravans were prohibited. - it was OK because the people in the caravan were idol worshippers.

· He then turned his attention to poets who made him the object of poetical satire.  He had them assassinated in their sleep. 

· He then focused on the Jews – and said he was permitted to pretend to be their friend, and then assassinate them.

· The book says, “The Muslims lived in a state of exaltation, believing that G-d had delegated them to fight and to kill His enemies.”

· The Rosh Kollel said that Islam CLAIMS that it is giving Koved to Hashem – but it is doing it in a warped and corrupt and evil way.

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· Sotah 49b – During the Ikvas de Mashiach, Chutzpah will increase and Koved will dwindle… fearers of sin will be despised… youth will put old men to shame.. a son will revile his father.. a son will not feel ashamed before his father.  So upon whom is it for us to rely?  Upon Avinum she be Shamayim.

· Our main weapon and defense as Jews is for us, the Jewish people, to give Koved to Hashem in a way full of wisdom based on the teachings of our great Chachamim.

· Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof – not only the ends, but the means, must honor Hashem.

· May the hearts of all of Klal Yisroel be filled with the desire to Honor Hashem

· And the wisdom to do it in the right way.

· So that all of our actions are a Kiddush Hashem.

· And may we rise above our enemies, and be protected from them.

· And may we fill the world with the true and real honor of Hashem.