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Why does a malach of rachamim need a sword to confront Bilam's donkey when the same type of angel destroyed Sancherib's entire army without weapons? The shiur develops that this malach came not to punish Bilam but to defend Klal Yisrael, using Bilam's own power against him since Bilam had appropriated the Jewish people's spiritual weapon of prayer.
This shiur analyzes a complex Midrash on Parshas Balak that addresses a fundamental question: why did the malach Hashem (ה׳) need a sword to confront Bilam when similar angels destroyed vast armies without weapons? Rabbi Zweig begins by examining the Midrash's observation that while a malach Hashem decimated Sancherib's entire army (one of history's three largest) without any weapon, here the same type of angel appears armed with a sword to deal with a single donkey. The shiur establishes a crucial distinction between two types of divine intervention. Rabbi Zweig argues that this was not a malach sent to punish Bilam for defying God's will, but rather a malach of rachamim sent specifically to defend Klal Yisrael. This interpretation resolves the apparent contradiction with the principle of 'b'derech she'adam rotzeh lelech molichin oso' - that God allows people to follow their chosen path. Since God had given Bilam permission to go, He could not simultaneously send a punitive agent against him.
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Parshas Balak - Midrash on malach confronting Bilam
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