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Why does God first forbid Bilaam from going with Balak's messengers, then permit him to go, then send an angel to kill him? The principle 'derech she'adam rotzeh leilech molichin oso' reveals that God helps people pursue their chosen paths even when wrong. Success doesn't validate our choices - it often just reflects persistent desire rather than divine approval.
This shiur examines a profound psychological and theological insight from Parshas Balak, analyzing the seemingly contradictory narrative of Bilaam and the messengers of Balak. The rabbi begins by citing a Talmudic observation about human nature: a minority engage in immoral relations, a majority in financial crimes, but everyone has some taint of lashon hara. The central focus is the puzzling sequence where God first tells Bilaam not to go with Balak's messengers, then permits him to go when asked again, yet immediately becomes furious and sends an angel to kill him on the road. This leads to an exploration of the Talmudic principle 'derech she'adam rotzeh leilech molichin oso' - that God helps a person along the path they wish to pursue, even when it's the wrong path. The rabbi challenges the common assumption that success indicates divine approval, arguing instead that achievement often merely reflects persistent desire rather than moral correctness. He compares this to a parent giving in to a child's nagging - the fact that the parent eventually acquiesces doesn't validate the child's request. This raises profound questions about how we interpret success and divine providence in our lives, suggesting that we cannot prove the righteousness of our choices based solely on positive outcomes. The shiur promises to explore why God would assist people in pursuing harmful paths and what psychological insights this offers for understanding human nature and spiritual development.
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Parshas Balak
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Why was Moshe punished for hitting the rock when the Torah also blames the spies' sin for barring him from Israel? The Or HaChaim explains that speaking to the rock would have demonstrated that Eretz Yisrael is animated and responsive to Jewish needs. Moshe's failure to reveal this living quality of the land perpetuated the spies' fundamental error of seeing Israel as hostile rather than protective.
