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106 | A New Light
everything. Once he is aware of this, he decides again and again
not to tempt fate—but every time he falls anew. And why? Because
dealing with this is beyond his capacity!
And this is especially true of our generation, which has reached
the pinnacle of the craving for money, the desire to gamble, in
which a person’s craving for money causes him to entirely abandon
his intelligence until he literally gambles away his life. How many
times have we heard that people have lost their homes and gone
into debt for millions because of their craving for gambling? How
many times have we heard of people who were divorced, fell into
debt in the grey market, abandoned Judaism, and whose entire
lives were destroyed because of gambling, and many of whom even
leaped from a roof and committed suicide because of gambling? All
of these people see this and know it, but when the craving grows
strong, they forget everything and are overwhelmed.
Save Me from Myself
All evil traits stem from a person’s craving for honor, from
egotism, from his sense of “I” and his foolish pride, which destroy
a person’s life even in the physical realm. I know people who were
told that anger is destroying their health, but that did not remove
even one gram of their anger. Anger causes high blood pressure and
diabetes, and all kinds of Gehennom rule over an angry person. In
addition, such people know that their anger alienates their children
from the upright path and destroys their children’s character—but
when the craving for anger burns in them, it erases all of their
intelligence and everything that they know and understand. It is
stronger than they are.
There is a family in which a few brothers contracted a terrible
illness. They went to tzaddikim, who told them that this was due
to their arguments and battles over an inheritance. But knowing
this did not help them, because they were unable to overcome
their craving for money and the concern for their honor, which led
them to internecine hatred, gossip, slander and dispute. They were
incapable of compromise. Although they knew that their situation
was so grave that they were in great danger, and they knew that
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the case, why didn’t he ultimately succeed in cursing the nation of
Israel? After all, he possessed a very powerful intent. The answer
is that when this principle comes at the expense of others, it is
modified by Hashem’s individual providence. If someone deserves
to be harmed, the wicked perpetrator who wants to go in the way
of evil will succeed. But when someone does not deserve to be
harmed, then individual providence takes effect to guard and shield
him. Therefore, when we see that one person has succeeded in
harming someone else, that is only because, in accordance with
Hashem’s law and judgment, it was legitimate for that person to
be harmed.
And at times there are other heavenly calculations regarding why
a person in certain circumstances will not succeed in actualizing his
will. In Balaam’s case, Hashem’s will to help and guard the nation
of Israel impeded his will. As our sages say, “Love overrides rules”
(Sanhedrin 105b, Bereishit Rabbah 55). That is to say, Hashem’s love
results in His guiding the world in a way that is not in accordance
with the rules of His justice. In Balaam’s time, Hashem’s especial
love for the nation of Israel was revealed in such a unique way that
we are commanded to recall that episode every day: “My nation,
recall what Balak, king of Moab, planned, and what Balaam, son
of Beor answered him. From Shittim to Gilgal, may you recognize
Hashem’s righteousness deeds” (Micah 6:5). Why is this such a
great kindness on the part of Hashem? It is because, in keeping
with Hashem’s regular guidance of the world, Balaam would have
succeeded, heaven forbid, due to the power of his great and strong
will—since that is a universal law. But in Hashem’s compassion and
love for His children, He changed that universal law, circumventing
it for our sake. From all of this, we learn one of the principles of
how the Creator guides the world: that a person is led in the way
that he wants to go. Implementing our will is the way to act and
truly bring about change.
Why did the Torah reveal this important principle through that
evil and impure person, the wicked Balaam? The Torah wanted to
teach us the absolute power of the will. Balaam acted consciously
and impudently against Hashem’s will, which had been explicitly
communicated to him. Secondly, he acted in opposition to clear