Bnei Yisrael Eternal Witnesses

בפסוק לא תאור כו' כי ברוך הוא דרשו חז"ל שאמר א"כ אברכם והשיבו לא מדובשך כו'

On the verse "You shall not curse... for he is blessed" (Bamidbar 22:12), Chazal expounded that Bilam said, "If so, let me bless them," and Hashem answered him, "They have no need of your honey nor of your sting" (i.e., neither your blessing nor your curse).

When Bilam offered to bless Bnei Yisrael, Hashem rejected both his blessing and his curse, wanting neither from him.

כי בני ישראל דבקים בעצם הברכה ואין ארור מדבק בברוך לכן לא רצה הקב"ה שיהי' לבלעם דביקות בבנ"י

For Bnei Yisrael are bound up in the very essence of blessing, and that which is cursed cannot cleave to that which is blessed; therefore the Holy One, Blessed is He, did not want Bilam to have any dveikus, any clinging, to Bnei Yisrael.

Bnei Yisrael are inherently blessed, and since the cursed cannot connect to the blessed, Hashem refused to let the wicked Bilam form any bond with them.

כי מי שמברך אותם יש לו דביקות בהם

For one who blesses them thereby acquires a dveikus, a connection, to them.

The act of blessing creates a bond of connection between the one who blesses and the one being blessed.

רק עתה שרצה לקללם ונהפך לברכה שלא ברצונו לא הי' לו דביקות בהם

It is only now, when he wished to curse them and it was turned into a blessing against his will, that he had no dveikus to them.

Because Bilam's blessing came out against his will, he never actually formed a connection to Bnei Yisrael through it.

ולכן לא תאור כי אפילו הברכה שלו כיון שהיא בעצם בחי' ארור לא יהי' לו דביקות בהם

Therefore "You shall not curse them" - for even his blessing, since it is in its essence in the category of "cursed," should not afford him any dveikus to them.

Even the words of blessing Bilam spoke could not connect him to Bnei Yisrael, since at his core he remained in the category of the cursed.

ולכן כתיב גבי עמוני ומואבי לא יבא בקהל לפי שהם בחי' ארור ואין ארור מדבק בברוך

And therefore it is written regarding an Amoni and a Moavi, "He shall not enter the congregation" (Devarim 23:4), because they are in the category of "cursed," and that which is cursed cannot cleave to that which is blessed.

The same principle explains why Amon and Moav are barred from entering the congregation - they are essentially cursed and cannot attach to the blessed.

כי אהבך ה' אלקיך ולכן לא אבה לשמוע אל בלעם הכל טעם אחד שבנ"י דבקים בה' והם מבורכים בעצם כנ"ל

"Because Hashem your God loved you, and therefore He was unwilling to listen to Bilam" (Devarim 23:6) - it is all one reason: that Bnei Yisrael are bound to Hashem and are blessed in their very essence, as explained above.

The reason Hashem refused to heed Bilam is the same single principle: Bnei Yisrael are bound to Hashem and blessed at their very root.

ואמרו בגמ' רצו חכמים לקבוע פ' בלק בק"ש

And it is said in the Gemara (Berachos 12b) that the Sages wished to establish Parshas Balak as part of Krias Shema.

The Sages considered making Parshas Balak part of the daily Shema because of the fundamental truth it contains.

והענין הוא שצריך איש ישראל לידע כי הוא מיוחד להעיד על הבורא ית'

And the matter is that a Yid must know that he is singled out to bear testimony to the Creator, may He be blessed.

Every Yid has a unique mission: to serve as a witness and testimony to the existence of the Creator.

כמו שהעיד אותו הרשע על בנ"י שהם מיוחדים אליו וכל העולם כולו נברא בשבילם כמ"ש מראש צורים אראנו

Just as that rasha (Bilam) testified concerning Bnei Yisrael that they are uniquely His, and that the entire world was created for their sake, as it is written, "From the top of the rocks I see him" (Bamidbar 23:9).

Even Bilam, a wicked man, testified that Bnei Yisrael are uniquely Hashem's and that the world was created for their sake.

וכ' לא איש אל ויכזב פי' כיון שהקב"ה בחר בהם הם קיימים לעולם שאין בחירת השי"ת לפי שעה

And it is written, "God is not a man that He should lie" (Bamidbar 23:19) - meaning, since the Holy One, Blessed is He, chose them, they endure forever, for the choice of Hashem Yisbarach is not a temporary thing.

Since Hashem's choice of Bnei Yisrael is eternal and never temporary, their existence is permanent and never fails.

וע"ז כ' תתן אמת ליעקב אמת כולל ראש תוך סוף כל האותיות

And concerning this it is written, "Grant truth to Yaakov" (Michah 7:20) - emes (truth) encompasses the beginning, middle, and end of all the letters (aleph, mem, tav).

The word emes spans the first, middle, and last letters of the alef-beis, hinting that Bnei Yisrael encompass the world's beginning, middle, and end.

שבנ"י הם ראשית כל העולם ותכלית כל העולם והם באמצעיות כל העולם

For Bnei Yisrael are the beginning of the entire world, and the purpose of the entire world, and they are in the very midst of the entire world.

Bnei Yisrael are the world's starting point, its ultimate purpose, and its very center.

דומין לבוראם הי' הוה ויהי'

They resemble their Creator, who was, is, and will be.

In this all-encompassing role they resemble Hashem, who spans past, present, and future.

וכ"ז נכלל בעדות בלעם בג' הברכות שלו

And all of this is included in the testimony of Bilam in his three blessings.

All these ideas are embedded within the three blessings that Bilam was forced to deliver.

והנה הקב"ה קרא ליעקב אל

And behold, the Holy One, Blessed is He, called Yaakov "Kel" (a Divine name).

Hashem honored Yaakov with the Divine name "Kel."

ז"ש לא איש אל מי שיכזב וכיון שיעקב נק' אל הוא עדות שהוא אמת והאמת יש בו כח אלקות

This is the meaning of "God is not a man" - who could lie; and since Yaakov is called "Kel," this is testimony that he is emes, and emes contains within it the power of Elokus, of Godliness.

Since Yaakov bears the name "Kel," this proves he embodies emes, and emes itself carries a power of Godliness within it.

וכמו כן בן אדם ויתנחם רומז על משה רבינו ע"ה שנקרא איש האלקים מחצה איש מחצה אלקים לפי שלא הי' בו שום שינוי כמ"ש בזוה"ק משה משה לא פסיק טעמא שהי' בהשתוות מתחלתו ועד סופו

And likewise, "nor a son of man that He should relent" (Bamidbar 23:19) alludes to Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, who was called "the man of God" - half man, half Godly - because there was no change whatsoever in him, as is stated in the Zohar HaKadosh that in "Moshe, Moshe" there is no break in the cantillation, for he was in a state of perfect equanimity from his beginning until his end.

The phrase "son of man" hints at Moshe Rabbeinu, called "the man of God" - half man, half Godly - because he was utterly unchanging, as the Zohar shows from the unbroken trop of "Moshe, Moshe."

ז"ש ובן אדם ויתנחם כי מי שיש בו השתנות לא יוכל להיות איש האלקים:

This is the meaning of "nor a son of man that He should relent" - for one who has within him changeability cannot be "the man of God."

Moshe could be "the man of God" precisely because he never wavered; anyone subject to inner change cannot reach that level.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that Bnei Yisrael are bound up in the very essence of blessing, and since the cursed cannot cleave to the blessed, Hashem refused both the blessing and the curse of the rasha Bilam, denying him any dveikus to them - the same reason Amon and Moav are barred from the congregation and that Hashem would not heed Bilam. He then turns to why the Sages wished to include Parshas Balak in Krias Shema: every Yid is singled out to testify to the Creator, just as even Bilam was forced to testify that Bnei Yisrael are uniquely Hashem's and that the world was created for their sake. Bnei Yisrael are the beginning, middle, and end of all creation - mirrored in the word emes, which spans the first, middle, and last letters - and in this they resemble their Creator who was, is, and will be. Finally, he reads "God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should relent" as testimony that Yaakov, called "Kel," embodies emes with the power of Godliness, while Moshe Rabbeinu, "the man of God," reached his level through perfect, unchanging equanimity - for only one free of inner change can become the man of God.