Rabbi Zweig analyzes why God became angry at Bilaam despite giving him permission to go, examining the objective differences between actions motivated by love versus hatred.
Rabbi Zweig begins by addressing a famous question on Parshas Balak: How could God be angry at Bilaam for going with the Moabite princes when He had just given him permission to go? The Vilna Gaon's well-known answer focuses on the linguistic difference between "itam" (with them separately) and "im" (joined with them) - God said go "itam" but Bilaam went "im," joining their cause rather than going for his own reasons. However, Rabbi Zweig finds this explanation problematic because it relies on internal motivations that are difficult to verify objectively. Rabbi Zweig proposes a different approach based on Bilaam's observable behavior. When the Torah (תורה) states that Bilaam got up in the morning and saddled his own donkey, Rashi (רש"י) comments that "hatred corrupts proper conduct" (sina mekalkeles es hashurah), causing people to act beneath their dignity. This parallels Avraham's behavior when he saddled his own donkey for the Akeidah, where Rashi says "love corrupts proper conduct" (ahava mekalkeles hashurah). Both love and hatred can drive people to act irrationally and out of control. The key insight is that rational self-interest (like desire for money) does not cause such extreme behavior. Only obsessive love or hatred makes someone act in ways that are completely undignified. Since Bilaam was acting out of control, it proved objectively that he wasn't motivated by money as God had permitted, but by hatred of the Jewish people. Rabbi Zweig identifies another crucial difference: while Avraham "arose early in the morning" (vayashkem), Bilaam simply "arose in the morning" (vayakam). Love empowers and energizes a person, making them too excited to sleep. Hatred, however, causes pain and discomfort - and sleep serves as an escape from pain. Therefore, someone driven by love can't sleep due to excitement, while someone driven by hatred sleeps well as a way to avoid the gnawing pain. This creates an objective test observable to any bystander: Bilaam slept well (indicating hatred rather than love), then acted completely out of control in the morning (indicating obsession rather than rational self-interest). These behaviors proved he was motivated by hatred, not by the legitimate desire for financial gain that God had permitted. The broader lesson distinguishes between two types of out-of-control behavior. Love-driven behavior stems from empowerment and excitement about life, making someone want to experience every moment fully. Hatred-driven behavior stems from pain and a desire to escape or destroy the source of that pain. Rabbi Zweig notes that people driven by hatred often become suicidal, as seen with Amalek who attacked Israel despite knowing they would likely be destroyed - they were willing to die as long as they could inflict damage. The analysis reveals that sleep serves as "one-sixtieth of death" - a retreat from reality. Those in pain seek this escape, while those empowered by love want to stay fully engaged with life. This fundamental difference between love and hatred explains why Bilaam's sleeping patterns and morning behavior provided clear evidence of his true motivations, justifying God's anger despite the apparent permission that had been granted.
Rabbi Zweig challenges Freudian psychology by arguing that the basic human drive is not pleasure-seeking but rather the painful awareness of non-existence, and explains how only a relationship with God can provide the feeling of true existence and simcha.
An exploration of the deeper meaning of 'amirah' (saying) as empowering others by recognizing their uniqueness and building meaningful relationships through authentic, individualized communication.
Parshas Balak 22:20-22
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