Rectifying Nature Through Struggle

כסה כו' עין הארץ

"It has covered (etc.) the eye of the earth" (Bamidbar 22:5).

Bilam describes Bnei Yisrael as a vast people that has covered the surface of the land, opening the theme of how this nation relates to the world.

כי דור המדבר הי' כל הנהגתם למעלה מן הטבע

For the generation of the wilderness — their entire conduct was above the natural order.

The wilderness generation lived entirely on a miraculous, supernatural plane rather than within ordinary nature.

וזה הי' טענת הרשע כי צריכים לתקן גם הטבע כענין שאמרו במד' שאמר טוב להיות נעבד משבעים אומות

And this was the claim of the wicked one (Bilam): that one must also rectify the natural world, in the manner of what the Midrash relates, that he said it is better to be worshipped by the seventy nations.

Bilam's argument was that nature itself must be fixed and engaged; the Midrash records his preference to be served by the seventy nations rather than have Bnei Yisrael withdraw from worldly involvement.

אכן באמת כי בנ"י נבראו לתקן כל הטבע והיו מוכנים לכנוס לא"י ודור המדבר היו רק הכנה כי אין יכולין לתקן הטבע עד לצאת מתחלה מכל וכל מן הטבע ואח"כ היו נכנסין לא"י ולתקן הטבע כמ"ש בספרים בפרטות לכל מדה שצריכין לתקנה צריכין מקודם להפוך מן הקצה אל הקצה

But in truth, Bnei Yisrael were created to rectify the entire natural order, and they were prepared to enter Eretz Yisrael; the generation of the wilderness was only a preparation, for one cannot rectify nature until one first departs entirely from nature, and only afterward were they to enter Eretz Yisrael and rectify nature — as is written in the sefarim regarding each individual middah that needs to be rectified, that one must first reverse it from one extreme to the other.

The true purpose of Bnei Yisrael is in fact to rectify all of nature, but this requires a two-stage process: first a complete withdrawal from nature in the wilderness, and only then entry into Eretz Yisrael to fix nature from within — just as fixing any middah requires first swinging to the opposite extreme.

והנה לבני ישראל יש להם ב' אלו השמות יעקב וישראל

Now, Bnei Yisrael possess these two names: Yaakov and Yisrael.

Bnei Yisrael carry two distinct names, Yaakov and Yisrael, each representing a different mode of avodah.

יעקב הוא כמו שהי' עסק אבינו יעקב ע"ה בהיותו נלחם עם עשו ולבן והיא תיקון הטבע

"Yaakov" corresponds to how our father Yaakov, peace be upon him, was occupied when he contended with Eisav and Lavan — and this is the rectification of the natural order.

"Yaakov" reflects the struggle within the natural world, like our father Yaakov's contending with Eisav and Lavan — the work of rectifying nature.

וישראל הוא כשעלה במדריגה המיוחדת אליו

And "Yisrael" is when he ascended to the level that is uniquely his.

"Yisrael" reflects the elevated, transcendent level that is uniquely his beyond that struggle.

ודבר זה נוהג תמיד בבנ"י וגם בכל יום עם כלביא יקום הוא אפילו בשעת שפלות שצריכין להלחם ולקום הם כלביא

And this matter applies always to Bnei Yisrael, and also every day — "Behold, a people that rises up like a lioness" (Bamidbar 23:24): even in a moment of lowliness, when they must wage battle and rise up, they are like a lioness.

These two modes operate constantly and daily: even in lowly times one must rise and fight like a lioness.

ואח"כ כארי יתנשא הוא בחי' ישראל לי ראש

And afterward, "and lifts itself like a lion" (ibid.) — this is the aspect of Yisrael, "Li rosh" (Yisrael spells out 'a head is mine').

After the fight comes the elevation "like a lion" — the aspect of Yisrael, hinted in the name itself as "a head is mine," a state of rulership and elevation.

והנה דור המדבר היא דרך התורה המיוחד רק לבנ"י

Now, the generation of the wilderness represents the path of the Torah, which is unique to Bnei Yisrael alone.

The wilderness generation embodies the path of Torah, which belongs uniquely to Bnei Yisrael.

וא"י הוא כמ"ש רז"ל למה התחיל בבראשית משום כח מעשיו הגיד כו' נחלת גוים ולולי החטא והיו נכנסין בנ"י לא"י תיכף אחר קבלת התורה הי' יחוד שלם והי' נתקן מיד כל הטבע והשבעים לשון

And Eretz Yisrael is as Chazal said: why did the Torah begin with "Bereishis"? Because of "the power of His deeds He told (to His people, to give them the inheritance of nations)" (Tehillim 111:6) — and had it not been for the sin, and Bnei Yisrael had entered Eretz Yisrael immediately after receiving the Torah, there would have been a complete unification, and the entire natural order and the seventy languages would have been rectified at once.

Eretz Yisrael is bound up with Hashem's claim of the land for His people; had they entered right after Matan Torah without the sin, all of nature and the seventy languages would have been rectified instantly in a perfect unification.

ואחר שנתאחרו מ' שנה אמר אותו רשע כסה כו' עין הארץ

And after they were delayed forty years, that wicked one said, "It has covered (etc.) the eye of the earth."

Because the entry was delayed forty years by the sin, Bilam was able to make his hostile claim against the seemingly land-covering nation.

אכן באמת גם זאת גרם עמלק הרשע ימ"ש והי' התיקון עתה בבחי' מלחמה

But in truth, this too was brought about by Amalek the wicked one, may his name be blotted out, and the rectification now had to come through the aspect of war.

In truth this delay and need for confrontation traced back to Amalek, so that the rectification now had to be achieved through war rather than peacefully.

ואיתא בלעם בא בכח הפה לכן נהרג בחרב ע"ש (פי') כמ"ש שלולא חטא מרגלים לא היו צריכים לכלי זיין

And it is brought down that Bilam came with the power of the mouth, and therefore he was slain by the sword — see there. (The explanation is) as is written, that had it not been for the sin of the spies, Bnei Yisrael would not have needed weapons of war.

Bilam's strength lay in the power of speech, so he was fittingly killed by the sword; had the sin of the spies not occurred, Bnei Yisrael would have had no need for weapons at all.

ועתה ע"י שבא בלעם ותפש כח הפה נטלו בנ"י מהם כח החרב כמ"ש עת אשר שלט האדם באדם לרע לו וכענין שנאמר עם עקש תתפתל:

And now, because Bilam came and seized the power of the mouth, Bnei Yisrael took from them the power of the sword, as is written, "a time when one man rules over another to his detriment" (Koheles 8:9), and in the manner of what is said, "with the crooked You act cunningly" (Tehillim 18:27).

Since Bilam seized the power of the mouth for evil, Bnei Yisrael were granted the corresponding power of the sword against him — a measure-for-measure response in which the crooked are met with cunning.

Summary: The Sfas Emes contrasts two stages in the avodah of Bnei Yisrael, reflected in their two names. As Yaakov, they engage and rectify the natural world through struggle, like our father Yaakov contending with Eisav and Lavan; as Yisrael, they ascend to a transcendent level above nature. The wilderness generation lived entirely above nature as a preparation, for true rectification of nature first requires complete withdrawal from it before re-entering it through Eretz Yisrael. Had Bnei Yisrael entered the land immediately after Matan Torah without the sin, all of nature and the seventy languages would have been rectified at once in perfect unification; but the forty-year delay, rooted in Amalek, forced the rectification to come through war. Bilam wielded the power of the mouth and was therefore slain by the sword, for once he seized speech for evil, Bnei Yisrael were given the power of the sword against him, measure for measure.