As Bilam was on his way to attempt to curse the Jewish people, an angel God appeared and impeded the path of the donkey Bilam was riding on. On three different occasions Bilam strikes the donkey. Finally, a miracle occurs and the donkey speaks to Bilam, saying:
וַיִּפְתַּ֥ח יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־פִּ֣י הָאָת֑וֹן וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לְבִלְעָם֙ מֶה־עָשִׂ֣יתִֽי לְךָ֔ כִּ֣י הִכִּיתַ֔נִי זֶ֖ה שָׁלֹ֥שׁ רְגָלִֽים
Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”
Rashi is intrigued by the use of the word רְגָלִֽים (which can mean times, but also is the word used for the pilgrimage festivals) instead of the more common word פעמים (times). To address the anomaly, Rashi (quoting a midras) offers a very interesting comment:
זה שלש רגלים. רָמַז לוֹ: אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ לַעֲקֹר אֻמָּה הַחוֹגֶגֶת שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים בַּשָּׁנָה? (תנחומא)
THESE THREE TIMES — By these words he suggested to him: You seek to root out a nation that celebrates three festivals (שלש רגלים) annually?!
Why does Rashi think that the donkey’s admonishment of Bilam would be related to the celebration of the three pilgrimage festivals. What is the enigmatic midrash trying to teach us?
Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain, the second Rebbe of the Sochatchov Hasidic dynasty, known by the name of his book, the “Shem Mishmuel”, offers an inspiring interpretation.
He notes that there are two archetypes of those who serve God. Some people, he says, serve God out of a sense of begrudging obligation. Such a person feels that they cannot escape the obligation to serve God. Given the chance, however, to find a loophole or an excuse to avoid serving God, they will take it.
The second type of servant of God is the one who desires and yearns to follow God’s will out of a sense of deep devotion. Such a person never searches for a way out. Even faced with a hurdle to serving God, such a person will do everything in their power to overcome the difficulty in order to carry out God’s will.
Is there a way to distinguish between a person who serves Gdo out of a sense of heavy obligation and one who serves God enthusiastically? After all, when performing the Mitzvot, there will be no discernable difference in the specifics of the Mitzvah observance.
The answer, says, the Shem MiShmuel is yes! All one needs to do is to look at the attitude and the “skip in the step” of these types.
A person who desires to serve God, does so with Simcha - with Joy - ever looking out for the next Mitzvah opportunity. On the other hand, the begrudging servant of God, lacks joy and excitement about their obligations.
I am sure that we have seen both sides of this in ourselves in terms of our religious life and in other aspects of our life. The truth is, that it is unlikely that one person is always like either one of these models. Most of us are a combination of the two. The mix may be based on our personal likes and dislikes. Some folks feel inspired to visit the sick, for others it is an intimidating, perhaps even scary experience. Both do it, of course, but one may feel and exhibit a greater sense of joy than the other.
Sometimes our approach to Mitzvot depends on the specific circumstances of our life at that moment. As those circumstances change, so may our attitude to specific duties.
The same goes for any of the religious or social obligations that make up our lives.
The Shem Mishmuel understands Rashi’s mention of the three festivals is an allusion to the Jewish people’s positive and upbeat attitude towards Divine service.
The three pilgrimage festivals require the people to make a long and difficult trek to Jerusalem three times a year. Additionally, a great deal of trust in God is involved in making the trip as the families left their homes unprotected. Yet, in the words of the Shem Mishmuel - “מכל מקום הם עושין זאת בתכלית השמחה”, despite the long journey and the uncertainty involved, the Jewish people ascended to Jerusalem with absolute joy.
God, communicating through the donkey, was telling Bilam that he had started up with the wrong people. A nation that is so enthusiastic and joyful in its commitment to God will surely be protected.
Rabbi Yosef Karo begins the Shulchan Aruch with encouragement along the lines of What we have been saying.
יתגבר כארי לעמוד בבוקר לעבודת בוראו
“One should strengthen themself like a lion to get up in the morning to serve their Creator”
Trying to achieve this is a lifelong quest, but a worthy one. We see in this week’s parsha that serving God with joy and excitement is beloved in God’s eyes. The “skip in our step” is the tell.
We can try to achieve this level by appreciating what God provides us and considering Mitzvah performance as our way of expressing gratitude. Another strategy is to learn the meaning and reasons behind the Mitzvot. A great way to do this is to study the Sefer Hachinuch, a book dedicated to examining the reason for the Mitzvot. (Link to a new Eng. / Heb. edition).
Also, try starting with just one or two Mitzvot that you really love doing. It’s a good exercise to think about that to begin with. Why do you like that specific Mitzvah? Does it have special meaning because of a past experience or a connection to a memory of or a family member? Once you identify the specific Mitzvah, think about how you approach it and how you feel when you are doing it. This training can be applied to other Mitzvot as well.
May we be blessed with a Shabbat (and the performance of other mitzvot as well) of joy (and skipping!).
Rabbi Gelman
וַיִּפְתַּ֥ח יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־פִּ֣י הָאָת֑וֹן וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לְבִלְעָם֙ מֶה־עָשִׂ֣יתִֽי לְךָ֔ כִּ֣י הִכִּיתַ֔נִי זֶ֖ה שָׁלֹ֥שׁ רְגָלִֽים
Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”
Rashi is intrigued by the use of the word רְגָלִֽים (which can mean times, but also is the word used for the pilgrimage festivals) instead of the more common word פעמים (times). To address the anomaly, Rashi (quoting a midras) offers a very interesting comment:
זה שלש רגלים. רָמַז לוֹ: אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ לַעֲקֹר אֻמָּה הַחוֹגֶגֶת שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים בַּשָּׁנָה? (תנחומא)
THESE THREE TIMES — By these words he suggested to him: You seek to root out a nation that celebrates three festivals (שלש רגלים) annually?!
Why does Rashi think that the donkey’s admonishment of Bilam would be related to the celebration of the three pilgrimage festivals. What is the enigmatic midrash trying to teach us?
Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain, the second Rebbe of the Sochatchov Hasidic dynasty, known by the name of his book, the “Shem Mishmuel”, offers an inspiring interpretation.
He notes that there are two archetypes of those who serve God. Some people, he says, serve God out of a sense of begrudging obligation. Such a person feels that they cannot escape the obligation to serve God. Given the chance, however, to find a loophole or an excuse to avoid serving God, they will take it.
The second type of servant of God is the one who desires and yearns to follow God’s will out of a sense of deep devotion. Such a person never searches for a way out. Even faced with a hurdle to serving God, such a person will do everything in their power to overcome the difficulty in order to carry out God’s will.
Is there a way to distinguish between a person who serves Gdo out of a sense of heavy obligation and one who serves God enthusiastically? After all, when performing the Mitzvot, there will be no discernable difference in the specifics of the Mitzvah observance.
The answer, says, the Shem MiShmuel is yes! All one needs to do is to look at the attitude and the “skip in the step” of these types.
A person who desires to serve God, does so with Simcha - with Joy - ever looking out for the next Mitzvah opportunity. On the other hand, the begrudging servant of God, lacks joy and excitement about their obligations.
I am sure that we have seen both sides of this in ourselves in terms of our religious life and in other aspects of our life. The truth is, that it is unlikely that one person is always like either one of these models. Most of us are a combination of the two. The mix may be based on our personal likes and dislikes. Some folks feel inspired to visit the sick, for others it is an intimidating, perhaps even scary experience. Both do it, of course, but one may feel and exhibit a greater sense of joy than the other.
Sometimes our approach to Mitzvot depends on the specific circumstances of our life at that moment. As those circumstances change, so may our attitude to specific duties.
The same goes for any of the religious or social obligations that make up our lives.
The Shem Mishmuel understands Rashi’s mention of the three festivals is an allusion to the Jewish people’s positive and upbeat attitude towards Divine service.
The three pilgrimage festivals require the people to make a long and difficult trek to Jerusalem three times a year. Additionally, a great deal of trust in God is involved in making the trip as the families left their homes unprotected. Yet, in the words of the Shem Mishmuel - “מכל מקום הם עושין זאת בתכלית השמחה”, despite the long journey and the uncertainty involved, the Jewish people ascended to Jerusalem with absolute joy.
God, communicating through the donkey, was telling Bilam that he had started up with the wrong people. A nation that is so enthusiastic and joyful in its commitment to God will surely be protected.
Rabbi Yosef Karo begins the Shulchan Aruch with encouragement along the lines of What we have been saying.
יתגבר כארי לעמוד בבוקר לעבודת בוראו
“One should strengthen themself like a lion to get up in the morning to serve their Creator”
Trying to achieve this is a lifelong quest, but a worthy one. We see in this week’s parsha that serving God with joy and excitement is beloved in God’s eyes. The “skip in our step” is the tell.
We can try to achieve this level by appreciating what God provides us and considering Mitzvah performance as our way of expressing gratitude. Another strategy is to learn the meaning and reasons behind the Mitzvot. A great way to do this is to study the Sefer Hachinuch, a book dedicated to examining the reason for the Mitzvot. (Link to a new Eng. / Heb. edition).
Also, try starting with just one or two Mitzvot that you really love doing. It’s a good exercise to think about that to begin with. Why do you like that specific Mitzvah? Does it have special meaning because of a past experience or a connection to a memory of or a family member? Once you identify the specific Mitzvah, think about how you approach it and how you feel when you are doing it. This training can be applied to other Mitzvot as well.
May we be blessed with a Shabbat (and the performance of other mitzvot as well) of joy (and skipping!).
Rabbi Gelman