Balak – The Power of Action

Rabbi Ezra Friedman

Rav Chaim Volozhin, the creator of the Yeshiva system that we have today, constantly emphasized that, as Jews, our most seemingly insignificant actions can have tremendous results. Rav Chaim Volozhin explained that according to Kabbalah, many worlds exist between our world and the world of spirits. When Jews act, their actions have great effect in all those worlds. Many of us realize, but have not have internalized that anything we say or do can have both positive and negative consequences. Sometimes a simple smile or a friendly chat with a stranger can save someone’s life. On the contrary, improper speech involving a friend or a family member can break a relationship forever. If we were only to deepen our awareness of how careful we should be with our actions, words and even thoughts, if we realized the good and the damage, we could make the world much different.

As ironic as it may seem, we can learn this fundamental lesson from Balak. Balak was an evil king who was determined that Am Yisrael be cursed. He wanted to use Bilam‘s mystical skills to destroy Am Yisrael. The irony of Balak‘s despicable plan was that his descendant was David Hemelech, our most beloved king. David Hamelech descended from an evil tyrant. How could this be?!

Balak offered sacrifices to Hashem, although these sacrifices were not given with the right intent. However, Balak was in awe and had a type of respect for Hashem. Our Sages in the Talmud (Nazir 23B) claim that because of Balak‘s good deed, he merited a distinguished lineage. His descendent, Eglon king of Moav was the grandfather of Rut, the righteous convert who was David Hamelech‘s great-grandmother. This example clearly shows how the smallest deed can have incredible results.

However, we can take this example a step deeper. Balak‘s action was one of evil with a small dose of good. Even if the positive part of the action was minute. Its’ power was able to carry on for generations. When we, as Jews, perform Mitzvot and Ma’asim Tovim (good deeds) their power can last forever. If we internalize that our good deeds are eternal, we might grasp how careful we must be in going down the right path and distancing ourselves from sin. It is quite common that much later in life, people realize how mistaken they were in the past. People get depressed by the fact that we cannot turn back time. Even though Judaism doesn’t want us to forever cry over what we can’t change, we should take this to heart. Before making each choice and before we utter every word, we should stop and think what our actions mean. With that mindset, we can and will become righteous. We must always tell ourselves, “What we do in life echoes through eternity”.

There are other times in Judaism which try to emphasize the immense power of our action. Every year on the third of Tishrei we fast and commemorate the assassination of Gedaliah Ben Achikam. Many are puzzled by a general fast being instated because of the murder of just one man. Gedaliah was a leader of the Jews during the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash. His assassination, by fellow Jews, was the jumpstart to the end of Jewish leadership in Eretz Yisrael and the beginning of a tragic exile. The assassination was an action that opened up a Pandora’s box of division and oppression. When we commemorate that event, we remind ourselves that our small and seemingly minute actions are what caused Am Yisrael to be exiled. Each sin had, in part, responsibility for the pain and sorrow of generations to come.

We’ve all heard stories of great bravery which were responsible for saving others’ lives. A doctor in Poland during WWII decided to hide a Jewish family in his attic for the entire war. The doctor would see to their every need, including cleaning up their waste. Many years later, the small family of survivors moved to America and were blessed with hundreds of descendants. Many years later, the family invited the Polish doctor to a family Simcha to bask in the glory of his great kindness.

Hashem has given humankind incredible power. We must know how to use it and develop this power. The first step is to internalize that our actions can have great consequences, both positive and negative. Let each and every one of us, before we finish our day, take a few minutes to contemplate our actions, Before we go to bed, let us ponder the effects of our actions. We must ask ourselves where we went wrong and what we can do better in the future. With time and patience we will become better people. May we merit that our good deeds bring on the speedy rebuilding of our Beit Hamikdash and Am Yisrael‘s complete and full redemption.