~ One Hundred Words on the Parsha - Balak

"מי האנשים האלה עמך"

Hashem asked Bilam, “Who are these people with you?” The Medrash says that Hashem tested three people by asking them questions. They all gave answers, yet should have responded, "Hashem, you know everything. Why are you asking me?" R' Yeruchem Levovitz explains that they would not have answered this way, if they had been properly focused. They failed this test because they were caught off-guard. The take away is that a person always needs to be alert and focused. We can learn from R' Yeruchem's Rebbe, the Alter from Kelm whose every movement and action was thought out.

Only B’Simcha Parshas Balak

זאת התורה אדם כי ימות באהל

From a recent דף יומי:

אמר ריש לקיש אין התורה מתקיים אלה במי שממית עצמו עליה (מס' שבת דף פ"ג)

תורה is only מתקיים by someone who kills himself over it.

This can be compared to a story about ריש לקיש. He was the head of the gangsters when he met ר' יוחנן. ר' יוחנן saw him jump over a small river and said, “may you use your energy for תורה.” ריש לקיש agreed. He was not able to jump back over the river. His commitment to תורה had weakened him. In a sense, his former self was killed by his commitment to studying תורה.

Unfortunately some of our youth have wandered off and seem to act like bums. ריש לקיש leads the way in “killing” his old self in exchange for a life of תורה. R’ Yaakov Bender, a tremendous name in Chinuch, has said that 95% of the youth who are off the derech come back. Indeed, we see many who come back. They “kill” their former selves bringing so much נחת to their parents and כלל ישראל.

May we all be zoche to have תורה be מתקיים through us.