Parsha:

Pinchas 

Collections: R' Rubenstein Parsha Series

Description

The shiur explains why Chukas and Balak are paired by tracing two levels of the principle מתוךשלא לשמה בא לשמה: Balak's שלא לשמה (for honor/reward) eventually reached לשמה and merited רות, while Bilam's שלא לשמה — rooted in a lifelong need to be "the best," born from his בית מדרש-fed expectation of greatness — never could, falling instead into Tosafos's category of נוח לו שלא נברא. It shows that Hashem repeatedly tried to bring Bilam to teshuva (the talking donkey, the malach, the appearance on ליל פסח) hoping he'd humble himself and accept being "second" to Moshe — which would have let him lead the nations in a peaceful entry to Eretz Yisrael, paralleling Moshe's own attempt with Yisro — but Bilam's refusal to be second, like Yerovam ben Nevat and Korach after him, cost him everything. The closing lesson ties this "Bilam syndrome" to Tammuz and the churban: even genuine Torah and mitzvos, when driven by a need to be unrivaled rather than a sincere connection to Hashem, can push a person entirely out of Avodas Hashem.