Kedushah Follows Bnei Yisrael

בפסוק מה טובו אהליך כו'

Regarding the verse "How goodly are your tents, O Yaakov, your dwelling places, O Yisrael" (Bamidbar 24:5).

The piece opens with Bilam's praise of Bnei Yisrael's dwellings, drawn from the verse "How goodly are your tents."

הקדושה נמשכת אחר בנ"י בכל מקום שהם כמ"ש בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי כו'

Kedushah follows Bnei Yisrael in every place where they are, as it is written, "In every place where I cause My Name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you" (Shemos 20:21).

Kedushah is not bound to one location; it accompanies Bnei Yisrael wherever they go, and Hashem's blessing comes to any place where His Name is invoked.

והנה א"י וביהמ"ק מיוחד בקביעות לבנ"י

Now, Eretz Yisrael and the Beis HaMikdash are designated for Bnei Yisrael in a fixed, permanent manner.

Eretz Yisrael and the Beis HaMikdash are the fixed, permanent dwelling of kedushah designated for Bnei Yisrael.

וזה משכנותיך ישראל

And this is the meaning of "your dwelling places, O Yisrael" — the established habitations.

The phrase "your dwelling places, O Yisrael" refers to these permanent, established homes of holiness.

אבל אפילו בכ"מ שבנ"י שרוין אפילו בדרך עראי שם נגלה להם הקדושה

But even in any place where Bnei Yisrael reside, even in a temporary, transient way, there the kedushah is revealed to them.

Beyond the permanent places, even a temporary resting spot of Bnei Yisrael becomes a place where kedushah reveals itself.

כנחלים נטיו כי מעין התורה נמשך בכל מקומות מושבותיהם וזה בחי' יעקב שהלך לחו"ל

"As streams stretched out" (Bamidbar 24:6) — for the wellspring of Torah is drawn forth into all the places of their dwelling, and this is the aspect of Yaakov, who went out to chutz la'aretz.

Just as streams flow outward, the wellspring of Torah extends to every place Bnei Yisrael dwell; Yaakov, who went into exile, embodies this drawing of kedushah outside the Land.

וכמו כן במדבר שעדיין לא נכנסו לא"י

And likewise in the wilderness, when they had not yet entered Eretz Yisrael.

This same principle applied in the wilderness, before Bnei Yisrael had ever entered Eretz Yisrael.

ואותו רשע בקש לקלל מצד עולם שנה נפש

And that rasha, Bilam, sought to curse them from the perspective of "olam, shanah, nefesh" — the dimensions of place, time, and soul.

Bilam tried to attack Bnei Yisrael through the three dimensions of creation — place, time, and soul.

ועתה וישת אל המדבר מצד המקום כידוע דהמדבר מקום נחש שרף

And now, "he set his face toward the wilderness" (Bamidbar 24:1) — from the perspective of place, makom, for it is well known that the wilderness is a place of "snake, fiery serpent" (Devarim 8:15).

He turned toward the wilderness, attacking from the angle of place, since the desert is a region associated with snakes and fiery serpents, seemingly devoid of holiness.

ואעפ"כ ראה שהקדושה נמצא להם כמ"ש וירא את ישראל שוכן לשבטיו ותהי עליו רוח אלקים

And nevertheless he saw that the kedushah was found with them, as it is written, "And he saw Yisrael dwelling according to its tribes, and the spirit of Hashem came upon him" (Bamidbar 24:2).

Despite choosing this unholy setting, Bilam saw that kedushah still rested upon Bnei Yisrael as they dwelt arranged by their tribes, and the spirit of Hashem came upon him.

פי' שראה כל זה כי השכינה שורה עליהם פתח ואמר מה טובו אהליך כנ"ל

The meaning is that he saw all of this — that the Shechinah rests upon them — and he opened and said, "How goodly are your tents," as explained above.

Perceiving that the Shechinah rests upon them, Bilam was moved to declare, "How goodly are your tents."

וכמ"ש מה רב טובך אשר צפנת כו' נגד בני אדם

And as it is written, "How abundant is Your goodness, which You have hidden away for those who fear You" (Tehillim 31:20), corresponding to the children of men.

This is linked to the verse about the abundant good that Hashem has stored away for those who fear Him.

פי' אפילו בכל מקום כשבנ"י מתכנסין נגלה להם אור התורה דאין טוב אלא תורה וכמ"ש כל בי' עשרה מישראל שכינתא שריא:

The meaning is that even in every place, when Bnei Yisrael gather together, the light of Torah is revealed to them, for there is no good other than Torah, and as it is written, "Wherever there are ten of Yisrael, the Shechinah rests."

In every place, when Bnei Yisrael gather, the light of Torah — the true "good" — is revealed, for the Shechinah rests wherever ten of Yisrael are found.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that kedushah is not confined to Eretz Yisrael and the Beis HaMikdash, which are its fixed, permanent dwelling, but follows Bnei Yisrael into every place they reside, even temporarily, as the wellspring of Torah is drawn after them wherever they go. This is the aspect of Yaakov, who carried kedushah into chutz la'aretz, and it held true even in the wilderness before they entered the Land. Bilam, the rasha, sought to curse Bnei Yisrael through the dimensions of place, time, and soul, turning toward the desert — a region of snakes and serpents — to attack them from the angle of place. Yet he saw that the Shechinah rested upon them even there, dwelling according to their tribes, and was compelled to praise, "How goodly are your tents." The lesson is that wherever Bnei Yisrael gather, the light of Torah is revealed, for there is no true good other than Torah, and the Shechinah rests wherever ten of Yisrael are found.