Disciples of Avraham and Disciples of Bil'am
Chazal[1] in a Mishna in Avos teach us that the disciples
of Avraham Avinu are recognized by three character
traits. They are generous, humble and
live simply. The disciples of Bil’am the wicked have three opposite
qualities, stinginess, arrogance, and greed.
Bil’am’s students have poor character traits, to be sure. But one need not be a disciple of Bil’am to
learn these traits. In fact, any fool
can develop these bad character traits without learning from anyone. What exactly, then, do the disciples of
Bil’am learn from him? Conversely, what
do the disciples of Avraham Avinu learn from him?
The interesting thing about Bil’am is that he subordinates
himself to God. For example, in response
to Balak’s appeal that he curse the nation of Israel, he claims that even if
Balak would give him his entire estate filled with silver and gold he cannot
transgress the word of God.[2] Yet, from this very response Chazal learn that
Bil’am was greedy.[3] Why do Chazal consider him to be so
wicked? The Sfas Emes explains that
Bil’am viewed himself as a very important person who does God’s will
notwithstanding his own importance.
Bil’am used service to God for his own ends, to increase his
own egotism. This idea is alluded to in
the pasuk describing Bil’am, “... נֹפֵל
וּגְלוּי עֵינַָיִם/… fallen and revealed to him.” (Bamidbar
24:4) True, he falls before
God. But he does so only to achieve a
higher level to feed his bloated ego.
Bil’am teaches his students to use service to God to achieve personal
goals.
The righteous, on the other hand, have a simple soul. They ask nothing for themselves. Their sole desire is to be close to God, the
source of life. They want to be God’s
tool in this world, like an axe in the hands of a wood chopper.
In fact, this is the only way to merit the next world. Chazal[4] tell us that this world is a
corridor leading to the next world which is compared to a hall. The corridor is the only path to the
hall. The only way to get to the next
world is through this one. This is
because the next world is so completely holy and spiritual that it is beyond
our comprehension. It is impossible for
someone who is completely disconnected from anything spiritual to merit the
next world. What must we do, then, to
merit it? The Sfas Emes explains that by
revealing holiness in this world we connect to holiness, to God’s life
force. This connection enables us to
experience the next world.
The Ba’al Shem Tov explains that this is the meaning of the
second half of the mishnah quoted above.
The second part of the mishnah states that the disciples of Avraham Avinu benefit (lit.אוֹכְלִין /eat) in this world and
נוֹחְלִין/inherit in the next
world. The Ba’al Shem Tov explains that Chazal are
not simply listing the rewards awaiting the disciples of Avraham Avinu. Rather they are teaching us about the
relationship between this world and the next.
Chazal alluded to this relationship by using the word nochlin for
inherit instead of the more common יורשים. נוֹחְלִין/Inherit has the same root as the word נַחַל/stream. The Ba’al Shem Tov explains that benefiting
from this world is not part of the reward.
Rather, it is part of the work.
Whenever we benefit from this world we must channel the stream of God’s
life force into the activity. Chazal are
telling us that we must inject some of the next world’s holiness into our
activities in this world.
By revealing the hidden holiness inherent in this world, we
will merit experiencing the hidden holiness of the next world. The mishnah brings proof from a pasuk in
Mishlei (8:21), “לְהַנְחִיל אֹהֲבַי
יֵשׁ וְאֹצְרֹתֵיהֶם אֲמַלֵּא/I have something to bequeath those who
love me and I will fill their storehouses.”
The next world is referred to as אַיִן/nothing because it is not tangible and it is beyond our
comprehension. When we reveal hidden
holiness in this world, we develop a connection to it. This connection allows us to see and
experience the אַיִן/nothing
of the next world as יֵשׁ/something.
This, then, is the teaching of Avraham Avinu. Once we view ourselves as agents of God and
consider that God is the absolute and singular force giving life and existence
to everything, then generosity, humility, and living simply, follow.
Bil’am teaches his students exactly the opposite. He teaches that we can and should gain
personally even from subservience to God.
Chazal in fact teach us that that any kindness the nations of the world
did, they did for their own benefit.[5] This is why the mishnah states that the
students of Bil’am inherit gehinom.
Gehinom represents God’s concealment, the opposite of the next world. By introducing evil into the good that they
do, Bil’am’s disciples conceal even the Godliness that would otherwise have
been revealed by their positive actions.
They, thus, inherit the ultimate concealment of God.
May we merit being the disciples of Avraham Avinu. Amen!
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