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Why does God tell Balaam to go curse the Jews after initially forbidding it? The Talmudic principle "bederech she'adam rotzeh leilech" reveals that God enables our choices even when He disagrees. Success doesn't validate our decisions—it simply shows we wanted something badly enough.
This shiur explores a profound principle from Parshas Balak through the lens of Balaam's story and its Talmudic interpretation. Rabbi Zweig begins by examining the apparent contradiction in God's response to Balaam: initially forbidding him from going to curse the Jews, then seemingly encouraging him to go. The Talmud (תלמוד) derives from this the principle "bederech she'adam rotzeh leilech molichin oso" - in the path a person wants to go, Heaven leads him. The shiur delves into the enigma of Balaam himself - how could someone engaged in the lowest forms of behavior (including bestiality) achieve prophecy? Rabbi Zweig explains that Balaam's prophetic ability stemmed from his connection to God's "anger" - the daily moment when God experiences frustration at having to limit His own power by granting humans free will. This divine frustration is necessary because without free will, humans would be mere robots incapable of real achievement.
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Parshas Balak - Balaam story
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