Parashas Balak 234

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תשע"ח PARASHAS BALAK 234

IN THE PATHWAYS OF FAITH DivreiDi Torah About Amen and Teﬁllah in the Parashah

One Hundred Brachos As a Protection But Pharaohoh ththoughtou he was smarter and only ment on a sinner, even though “lo ish K-l vi- decreed on the males, and if Hashem would not yechazev, Hashem is not like man” and Hs de- have saved us from his hands, he could have car- cree is ultimately carried out, still, “uben adam ”מה אקב לא קבה א-ל“ (כג ח) Harav Shabtai Atun, Rosh Yeshivas Reishis ried out his evil plans. veyisnecham, when a person changes his mind” – Chochmah, explained: Ateres Chachamim, beginning of the sefer when the person repents for his sins, then “hahu “Mah ekov” – is an acronym for “Melechh amar velo yaaseh vediber velo yekimenah.” As Ha’olam Asher Kidshanu Bemitzvosav.” Thehe Chazal said (Yerushalmi Taanis 2 1 and see Ram- Torah is alluding that the power of the meritt of RazeiRa Emunim Hints of Amen bam Yesodei HaTorah 10 5) that a bad prophecy reciting one hundred brachos protects Klal YYis-is- in the Parashah can be annulled through teshuvah and tefillah. rael that no curse or plague should have control Me’orei Ohr [Saloniki 5512] over them. As Chazal said (Bamidbar Rabbah Amen on Birchosirchos HashacharH Who Is Worthy of Serving As ”הן עם כלביא יקום וכארי יתנשא“ (כג כד) Each day one hundred people died in“ :(21 18 Klal Yisrael; David Hamelech came and estab- Chazzan And Baal Tokea? ”לא הביט און ביעקב ולא ראה עמל בישראל ה‘ אלקיו עמו lished the one hundred brachos for them – and “When they rise up from their slumber ותרועת מלך בו“ (כג כא) when he did that, the plague stopped.” in the morning, they are as vigorous as the young lion and the lion, to snatch Ruach Chochmah p. 51 mitzvos, to don a tallis and to recite Krias “When they transgress His commandments, He Shema and to put on tefillin.” (Rashi) does not purse them exactingly…” (Rashi) Lavan Failed Because He Sought The Rebbe Harav Moshe Tzvi of Savran ex- “To Uproot Everything” The word “lachtof, to snatch”, needs plained: explanation. Are mitzvos done like that—by being snatched? Is it not the When we seek to appoint a shaliach tzibbur or ”ויאמר אליו בלק לכה נא אתי אל מקום אחר...אפס קצהו תראה contrary, that Chazal instruct us to rise baal tokea we must seek someone who judges his וכלו לא תראה וקבנו לי משם“ (כג יג) We need to understand: What purpose would and come to shul before davening starts fellow man favorably, and does not see the flaws Bilam derive from going to somewhere else? so that we can fulfill the mitzvos slowly and lacks in others, as alluded to in this passuk: Harav Baruch Frankel, author of Baruch and with concentration? A person who fulfils “Lo hibit aven beyaakov Ta’am, explained: Balak was afraid that perhaps It is possible to explain that Rashi was velo ra’ah amal beYisrael” is the one who is the reason that Bilam was unable to curse Bnei referring to the mitzvah of answering worthy of “Hashem Elokav imo” – in his tefillos, Yisrael was because he first sought to uproot all amen, that when he comes to shul, the “useruas Melech bo” – and his tekios rise up to of them from the world, and there is a covenant person should utilize every moment Hashem the King of Kings Who accepts them with Bnei Yisrael that they will never all be to grab another amen and yet another, willingly Mekadesh Hashabbos eradicated form the world. Therefore, he wanted and he should become like a “shomer to take him to “a different place” where he could emunim” – and wait expectantly for each Birchas Mah Tovu Exists Forever ”מה טבו אהליך יעקב משכנתיך ישראל“ (כד ה) see “only the edge of the nation” with the hope amen. That is how this passuk alludes that if he tried to only curse part of Bnei Yisrael to amen and brachos: “Hen am kelavi” The Gemara (Sanhedrin 105b) says that all the he would be able to carry out his evil intentions. – the acronym of the last letters of each brachos of Bilam returned to being a curse, just This is what we say in the Haggadah Shel word is amen. “Am kelavi yakum” – the like his original intention was, except for this Pesach: “Tzei ulemad, go out and learn what acronym is numerically equivalent to one that refers to shuls and batei medrash, which Lavan the Arami wanted to do to Yaakov Avinu, one hundred, corresponding to the one will never disappear from Klal Yisrael. hundred brachos. that Pharaoh only decreed on the males, and La- Why did this brachah remain more than all the van sought to uproot everything.” What is the Chok Yaakov, Vol. I, p. 28 reason we minimize the extent of Pharoah’s ac- others? The Rebbe Harav Yoel of Satmar explained: If tions specfically on the night that we mark our Teshuvah Annuls the Decree redemption from him? Yisrael has in their hands the brachah of “Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov” then they are protected ”לא איש א-ל ויכזב ובן אדם ויתנחם ההוא אמר ולא יעשה ודבר ,Now we can understand, that on the contrary from all curses, because Chazal say (Bereishis ולא יקימנה“ (כג יט) our intention is indeed to magnify the miracle because “Lavan wanted to uproot everything” – The Mekubal Rabi Meir Bikayam of Izmir, ex- Rabbah 65 20) that “when the voice of Yaakov plains: is found in the shuls then the hands are not the and therefore he did not succeed, because it hands of Eisav.” is impossible to eradicate an entire nation. When HaKadosh Baruch Hu decrees a punish- Divrei Yoel Vayikra

“Kelavi yakum veka’ari yisnasa” (23:24) “When they rise up from their slumber in the morning, they are as vigorous as the young lion and the lion, to snatch mitzvos.” (Rashi) Dear Yid! Do you want to among those strong people who overcome like a lion each morning and continue the custom of the Ari HaKadosh, who would answer amen after Birchos Hashachar of many people each day, sometimes as many as one hundred people? Join the national network of mezakei harabbim, “gabba’ei amen” in shuls. For details and to join call 058-325-9191. Birchos Hashchar. Aloud, with kavanah, bechavrusa. shay עיצובים Yetzias ( not statedinthecommandingtense. Orach Chaim Beis Yitzchak the mitzvahof of but itisnotcountedinthenumber remembering in ourlivesasJews,andthatis a veryimportantandvitaldetail of the Yoke ofHeavenandtheyoke preceding it,whereweaccepted This Shema Shema from the Torah (see of theRishonim,isanobligation This mitzvah,accordingtosome miMitzrayim from the and theremembranceatnight the dayfrom“ it derivesremembranceduring Torah inthe Yetzias Mitzrayim The mitzvahofremembering exodus fromEgypt. The third es hayomhazeh [and in which thismatterismentioned by reciting each day, morningandevening, to mention 12 2)thatitisincumbentuponus here the Egypt everydayofyourlife.”From remember thedayyouemerged from yemei chayecha tzeischa mei’Eretz Mitzrayimkol 16:3): “ Because thereare establish the strain forthepublic…Whydidthey not doso?Becauseitwouldbea ( according tothe The commentariesalsoexplained and theother between the In explainingtheconnection thinking of daas minim Mitzrayim it: themitzvahof says “ Krias Shema yet, inordertoful ﬁ alluded tointhe Commandments, someofwhichare it completestheorderof Ten parshiyos that itbeestablishedwithinthe 12b, beginningwith Shema, Tosafos that said: theywantedtoestablish “Rabi Yehudah BarZeveida speci Egypt, the of rememberingourexodusfrom in the Ten Commandmentsarealludedto Yerushalmi this and someofwhicharealludedtoin Gemara matters mentionedinit,asthe because thereareotherimportant Parashas Tzitzis Tzela”ch Brachos Bamidbar Remembering fty two mitzvos mitzvos The ConnectionBetween parashah Krias Shema Parashas Balak ﬁ parashah parshiyos cally waschosen. This is Prayer ofFaith isthe 13;

K-l motziammiMitzrayim Mitzrayim explains( Lema’an tizkoresyom pesukim Mishnah of Mechilta , becauseitisincludedin , theyokeof . Inthispassage,weadd 23:22)]. Why did they ( passuk avodah zarah.” Yetzias Mitzrayim Sema”k Every Day , thinkingofsinand .”] Brachos [becausetheretooit 122)andbecauseitis parashah Parashas Krias Shema Yetzias Mitzrayim [Rav Y. Shmelkis] , asexplainedinthe parashah parashah parashah completesthetwo parashah Krias Shema parshiyos , sothatyoushould of Bnei Emunim POB102 BneiBrak FAX 08-9746102 |email: [email protected] | Thisnewletter is available weekly through email Gemara Yetzias Mitzrayim writes( and ﬁ passuk inthe Torah, and

(ibid):“ ismentionedin isstatedinthe learns( rst two Brachos ( lema’an tizkor 12b) Krias Shema asher yatzasem 110 andmore), ﬁ Rambam, Krias ﬁ Shemos tzitzis ll themitzvah – berecitedin 15)thatthe Krias Shema ve thingsin in

of ( of ( Parashas Tzitzis of of Tzitzis of Menachos parshiyos , 12b): because Devarim Brachos Brachos mitzvos, ( bikshu Zechor 13:3) Yetzias tzitzis tzitzis twice Shu”t tzitzis tzitzis Krias Krias , in , the h . as ” ? ”

) Hagri parshiyos was placedattheendof Pupa, Nirtzah the yokeof we acceptthe Yoke ofHeavenand your G-d”,thereforethis you outoftheLandEgypttobe “I amHashemyourG-dwhotook Hashem, aswesayinthis we shouldbelieveintheOnenessof ourselves theyokeof so thatweshouldacceptupon purpose of further explainedthatbecausethe 3. Harav Yitzchak ZevofBrisk ( “ the in it wasdeterminedtoremember Oneness ofHashem,andtherefore whole worldtheExistenceand Mitzrayim that occurredduring the memotyofgreatmiracles purpose istoarouseinourhearts Yetzias Mitzrayim that themitzvahofremembering Torah andour principle andastrongpillarinour .

Haggadah ShelPesach Shema Yisrael…Hashem Echad T of exile.( Yoke ofHisKingshipeveninatime displayed toall,wecanacceptthe when theKingshipofHashemwas the miraclesof nations. Butthroughremembering we aresubjectedtotheruleof 5664; parshiyos Heaven initsentiretythroughthe we cannotacceptthe Yoke of exile undertheruleofothernations, 1. Becausewhilewearestillin Yetizas Mitzrayim it wasestablishedtoremember There areseveralreasonswhy ( acceptance oftheyoke (ibid, beginningwith seal ofclay, and 43b) that the Rishonim( 2. Someexplainedthisaccordingto of need toreciteitafterthe mitzvos will seeitandrememberallthe of Heaven,asitsays:“Andyou mitzvos whose purposeisrememberingthe it mentionsthemitzvahof The a servantofHashem. tzitzis their ownerswere.So,too,the would bearasatestimonyofwho this istheclaysealthatslaves the yokeof Vehayah was establishedtoberecitedafter understand whythis According tothiswecan and wecannotdowhatplease. understand thatweareHisservants, commanded us,andthroughthatwe mitzvos by seeingitwerememberthe the ( Krias Shema Sifsei ChaimRinas Bamidbar Remembering zitz Yichud ”z [Stencil] New Website with Huge Selection of Material on `Amen' :www.bneyemunim.co.il tzitzis Seder Hakiddush Vehayah bythe Arugas Habosemof is testifyofthewearerthatheis Seder Hate A Glanceatthe Pesach of ofHashem.” Therefore, we andacceptingthe Yoke thattheMasterof World (Introduction) Seforno , whichprovedtothe ofHashem,asitsays , whichdiscussesaccepting isintendedforus,because of Yetzias Mitzrayim in Sfas Emes,V’Esachanan Krias Shema tzitzis 1539)thatthesealof mtizvos Sefer Hachinuch , whichdiscussesthe Krias Shema mitzvos. Krias Shema 5642) whosesubjectis emunah writesfurther al HaTorah iscomparedtoa Yetzias Mitzrayim isa“major Yetzias Mitzrayim Tosafos in . ( ﬁ ) Krias Shema mitzvos llah Chiddushei ,” andits It isbecause chosam parashah inwhich parashah , explained Yetzias parashah parashah , because , 147) Hallel ) mitzvos was and 21), tztizis ) that .” :

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A StoryofFaith so much,hadsuddenly stopped which hadalwaysdrawnhim atmosphere intheyeshivah, coolness. The seriouslearning now, hebegantofeelacertain excelled ineverything.But most diligentlearnersand had beenoneoftheyeshivah’s frustration. Untilrecently, he also markedbytensionand Eliezer’s generalbehaviorwas considered anobserver… at all.Hecouldhardlyevenbe answer, anddidn’t participate were learning.Hedidn’t askor was notinthe spoke forthemselves.Hishead from exhaustion,andtheresults sleepy, unabletoconcentrate shiur He didn’t tell.Hecametothe allowed topityus…” fi “No!” anothervoiceanswered mashgiach tell theRosh Yeshivah orthe whispering tohim:“Maybe gnawing athim.Onevoicekept to side,doubtsanddejection tossed andturnedfromside were sleeping,Eliezerhad nights, whileallhisfriends Last night,likeonprevious one neighbortoanother. the childrenweregoingfrom her. There wasnohotfoodand was devotedlytakingcareof in thehospitalandhisfather and exhaustion.Hismotherwas with faceswrinkledworry Quiet phonecallswereheld and neglect. replaced bytension,sadness pleasant atmospherewere The calm,thesmileand living in. siblings hadgottenusedto warm nestthatheandhis The housewasnolongerthe since he’dlearnedofthenews. Just afewweekshadpassed His mother wassick… sentence quietly. earth,” Eliezercompletedthe “And foryourmotheronthis of yourFatherinheaven!” inside himshouted,“inhonor “Rise uplikealion!’ avoice forgo gettingupearlytodaven! satisfactory, buthecouldnot condition wasfarfrom He knewthatoverall,his into theirvortex… the confusionweresuckinghim the thoughts,sadnessand how harditwastodothatwhen once again,Eliezerknew, but This morninghewouldgetup among them. Eliezer, strangeasitwas,was of preparingfordavening,and ones werealreadyinthemidst deeply, buttheexpeditious his friendswerestillsleeping had notevenrungyet.Mostof It wasearly, andthealarmclock choice, andstartedhisday. up fromhisbed,buthehadno Eliezer hadnostrengthtoget good, ashappenedinthisstory. very strong power atsuchatime. A smallawakeningontheir partcandeterminefates,for the another insteadofful How painfulitistothinkofahomewhere themother hastoschlepfrom onehospitalto in adif the children who,atonce,are tornoutoftheir pure innocentworldandhavetostartliving rmly. “It’s asecret!Nooneis eachdaydisorientedand fi cult reality under theshadowof Angel ofDeath.Butapparently children havea ?” sugyos Somech No fi lling her role inraisingher children calmly. It’s hardtothinkabout they Shamayim! posters, eyes Again, helookedatthe Eliezer hurriedtothedoor. Davening concludedand --- Baruch Huproperly! cause: tothankHaKadosh so early, andforsuchanoble youngsters likethemtogetup He knewhowharditwasfor bachurim behavior ofonetheirbest that therewasachangeinthe and henoticedrecently, hesaid, him. The something thatwasbothering of theRami”mspokeabout matters ofimportance,andone gathered todiscussseveral Chodesh, theyeshivahstaff That morning,likeeveryRosh --- freshness andhope. mother infusedhimwith The thoughtsofahealthy Klal Yisrael. sheleimah his belovedmotherfora those “amens”fora he dedicatedthemeritsofall “What students;what He feltasenseof the sideandobservedthem. The Rosh Yeshivah stoodon Hashachar they beganreciting day, intheirregularplace,and waited forhim,likeeveryother near thedoor. His the signsandpostershanging Eliezer managedtoglanceat On hiswaytothe --- And itwasdisturbing. around him,thishadaneffect. Eliezer wassoadmiredbythose talking tohim,andbecause on will reciteamenwith beis, nun,samach aleph, mem,nun that thelettersfollowing stated thatitwasnotfornaught there wasanancientsourcethat Bechavrusa recite “ monthly contestforthosewho There wasoneannouncinga to my the meritofansweringamen friends, andIwillgivethem come tothe up early,” hedecided.“Iwill “I willnotgiveupongetting suffering mother. the longawaitingbalmforhis “amen” iswhatwouldbring hidden inthisspecialword, try, andperhapsthepower weeks agohehaddecidedto He rememberedhowafew the scopeofnature. miracles andwondersbeyond Milvado and thedeclarationof“ uniqueness ofHashem’s Name, this wordthatexpressesthe us thatthereisnothinglike with amiracle.”Itistoteach fl Amen andTe A Weekly StoryAbout Birchos Hashachar im VerofeiCholim…Amen brachos ”, inordertoeffect mashgiach , Eliezer. “Something Birchos Hashachar , amongthesickof . ” hemusedhappily. ”, andatthebottom bais medrash fi .” Inhisheart, lled withhope. fi ofamenwere llah , for“ bais medrash yeshuah alsospoke, chavrusa kavanah ofmy nachas Birchos Ein Od beness, refuah early, Yiras for .

have to coldness whereverhegoes. We and heisbeginningtoemanate decline isevidentinallareas, is happeningtohim. The own future… was howmuchithadsavedhis life, butwhathedidn’t know of amenhadsavedhismother’s strengthening inhisobservance He knewverywellthathis ‘amen.’ of thepowerthatword: was sureofit.Itallbecause He couldn’t believeit…buthe his eye. Eliezer wipedatearawayfrom the couchandfoldinglaundry, he sawhismothersittingon One eveningsoonafter, when all movedbackin… restored athome. The children cheeks, andsomeorderwas had returnedtohisfather’s weak, butrecovering. The color mother wascominghome,still Eliezer wasinformedthathis coming. OnErevShabbos, The the pain,dif single detailwhendescribing related itall.Hedidn’t omita In theendhebrokedownand what hehadtosay… Rosh Yeshivah waitedtohear Yeshivah hadtosay, whilethe waited tohearwhattheRosh Eliezer loweredhiseyes.He Shamayim way thatexpressestrue aloud andwith and howhesaysthe get upearlytoansweramen only the not onethatwasbothering seemed thatthesubjectwas nodded inagreement.It Some ofthestaff members on beforeit’s toolate…” might andallhis his of Yeshivah summonedEliezerto In theevening,Rosh concluded theconversation. anything,” theRosh Yeshivah more detailsbeforeIdecide of that.Ihaveto ahavas Shamayim “His insidesareburningwith it as miss evenoneamen,andtodo each day, makingsurenotto days following.Heappeared kept athispractice,andthe The nextday, aswell,Eliezer the newsituation. guidance onhowtodealwith chizuk consoling Eliezerwithwordsof eyes. Hespentalongtime Tears confusion andthedejection. saw howheis Impossible!! Justrecently, I very surprised:“A decline? the conversation.Heseemed authoritative voicecutinto Suddenly, theRosh Yeshivah’s Heard fromthepersonit happenedto Chazal yeshuah fi fi andencouragement, ce. lled theRosh Yeshivah’s fi nd outwhatisgoing !” says,“With allhis wasnotlongin moser nefesh kavanah kavanah fi , Iamsure nd outafew fi mashgiach culty, the brachos Yiras , ina .” to .