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Why does Hashem (ה׳) not look at the sins of Yaakov despite being medakdek with tzaddikim? The pasuk reveals that Hashem's judgment focuses entirely on harm to the world, never on personal affronts to Him. This distinction between aven (transgression against Hashem) and amal (burden He carries to fill our void) teaches how true love operates without self-interest.
This shiur examines the seeming contradiction in Parshas Balak between Hashem (ה׳) not seeing sins in Yaakov (lo hibit aven b'Yaakov, lo ra'ah amal b'Yisrael) and the principle that Hashem is medakdek with tzaddikim k'chut hasa'ar. Rabbi Zweig begins with Rashi (רש"י)'s commentary, which explains that Hashem doesn't scrutinize sins because He loves us, leading to the fundamental question: shouldn't greater love lead to greater scrutiny, as we see in human relationships where parents are more demanding of their own children than others? The analysis includes a detailed exploration of the word 'hibit' (to look), examining Rashi's consistent interpretation that hibit means 'to look down.' This creates a difficulty with the copper serpent episode where people must 'hibit' at the nachash to be healed - seemingly looking up rather than down. Rabbi Zweig suggests that hibit means to 'look down upon' in the sense of diminishing something's importance, requiring people to view the nachash as powerless while recognizing Hashem as the true healer.
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How does the covenant of Arvot Moav differ from earlier obligations? The shiur develops the yesod that this covenant created a new level of unity — not just working for the same Master, but collectively becoming a reflection of Hashem's presence. When Klal Yisrael embraces yichud Hashem as a shared vision rather than individual service, future generations become bound, teshuvah becomes natural, and mutual responsibility reaches the depth of "kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh."
Why was Miriam punished with tzaraas when her criticism of Moshe seemed justified? The shiur develops a yesod based on a Midrash that Miriam's error wasn't lashon hara in the conventional sense — she actually intended to help with a shalom bayis issue — but rather her failure to search out Moshe's unique madrega and recognize that his separation from his wife was a halachic requirement for his level of nevuah, not just a chumra. This reframes the entire mitzvah of "zachor es asher asah Hashem" as an obligation to actively seek out people's hidden ma'alos.
Parshas Balak 23:21
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