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What's the difference between giving bad advice (lifnei iver) versus manipulating someone into following it? The shiur explores how Bilaam's strategy moved from simple bad counsel to psychological manipulation. The deeper evil lies not in the advice itself, but in destroying a person's ability to make independent decisions.
This shiur analyzes a fascinating Midrash from Koheles Rabbah (Perek 10) that distinguishes between two types of harmful counsel, using Bilaam's advice to the Moabite women as the paradigm. The Midrash cites the verse "The wise person's words find favor, but the fool's words swallow people up" and continues "A fool begins with foolishness and ends with madness and evil." Rashi (רש"י) explains that Bilaam first told the Moabite women to entice Jewish men into immoral relations, which exemplifies the first category. But then the Midrash describes how this "foolishness" escalated to "madness and evil" - seemingly the same advice repeated. Rabbi Zweig resolves this apparent contradiction by examining two related prohibitions in the Torah (תורה): lifnei iver lo sitein michshol (not placing a stumbling block before the blind) and lo sonu ish es amito (not causing pain to your fellow). Both Rashi's commentary on these mitzvos and the Midrash use subtly different language to distinguish between two distinct violations. The first is simply giving bad advice (lo titein eitzah) when you know it benefits you but harms the recipient. The second involves manipulation and persuasion (hishianu, yaasiyenu) - actively talking someone into following your counsel.
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Parshas Balak
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