Nations Drawing Near Israel

לא יבא עמוני כו' ע"ד אשר לא קדמו כו' ואשר שכר עליך כו'

"An Ammonite or a Moavite shall not enter" (Devarim 23:4), and the reason given is "on account of the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water" (Devarim 23:5), and "because he hired against you" (Devarim 23:5).

The Sfas Emes opens with the Torah's prohibition against an Ammonite or Moavite entering the congregation, citing the two reasons the Torah gives: that they did not greet Bnei Yisrael with bread and water, and that they hired Bilam to curse them.

קשה חיבור ב' הטעמים שכיון שרצו לקללם

It is difficult to combine the two reasons, for once they sought to curse Bnei Yisrael, what difference does it make that they failed to greet them?

He raises a difficulty: once a nation wanted to curse Bnei Yisrael outright, why does it even matter that they also failed to offer bread and water?

מה זה לחשוב על שלא יצאו בלחם ומים כו'

What weight is there to consider their failure to come out with bread and water once they hired Bilam to curse Bnei Yisrael?

He sharpens the question: the failure to bring out food seems trivial alongside the far graver crime of hiring Bilam to curse them.

וברש"י ז"ל שגדול המחטיאו כו'

And in Rashi (Devarim 23:5) it is explained that the one who causes another to sin is worse than one who kills him.

He cites Rashi's principle that one who causes a person to sin is even worse than one who physically kills him, which will become the key to resolving the difficulty.

וביאור הענין כי בנ"י נבראו לתקן כל הנבראים ולהטות כל האומות ג"כ להקב"ה כמו שיהי' בימות המשיח במהרה בימינו אמן

The explanation of the matter is that Bnei Yisrael were created in order to repair all created beings and to turn all the nations as well toward the Holy One, Blessed is He, just as it will be in the days of Mashiach, speedily in our days, amen.

The foundation of his answer: Bnei Yisrael exist to elevate all of creation and to turn even the nations toward the Holy One, Blessed is He, as will ultimately happen in the days of Mashiach.

ולכן כל האומות צריכין לבקש איזה קירבות לבנ"י

Therefore all the nations need to seek some measure of closeness to Bnei Yisrael.

Because of this purpose, every nation has a need to attach itself in some way to Bnei Yisrael.

ומצד עצם שלהם הם מתנגדים לבנ"י ואיך יוכלו להתדבק בהם

Yet from their own essential nature they stand opposed to Bnei Yisrael, so how can they cling to them?

Yet by their inherent nature the nations oppose Bnei Yisrael, raising the question of how any genuine connection is even possible for them.

ונאמר באדום כי אחיך הוא ובמצרי גר היית בארצו וכ"ז לבקש להם צד התקרבות ועמון ומואב אם היו מקדימין בלחם ומים

Regarding Edom it is said, "for he is your brother" (Devarim 23:8), and regarding the Egyptian, "for you were a sojourner in his land" (Devarim 23:8) — and all this is to seek out for them some side of drawing near; and Ammon and Moav, had they come forth in advance with bread and water,

The Torah finds a point of closeness for Edom (brotherhood) and Egypt (hospitality during the sojourn there); similarly, had Ammon and Moav greeted Bnei Yisrael with bread and water, that would have been their point of connection.

פי' שהיו מבטלים עצמם לבנ"י

meaning that they would have nullified themselves before Bnei Yisrael,

Greeting them with bread and water would have been an act of nullifying themselves before Bnei Yisrael.

הי' להם מצד זה קצת אחיזה

they would have had through this some small grip of connection.

Such self-nullification would have given them at least a slight foothold of attachment to Bnei Yisrael.

וכיון שלא קידמו הרגישו כי אין להם שום התדבקות וממילא הוצרכו לבקש עצות לאבד ח"ו בנ"י

But since they did not greet them in advance, they sensed that they have no attachment whatsoever, and consequently they were driven to seek schemes to destroy, Heaven forbid, Bnei Yisrael.

Because they offered no such greeting, they felt utterly cut off, and that very lack of connection drove them to seek ways to destroy Bnei Yisrael entirely.

וממילא גרמו קילקול לבנ"י כי בנ"י הם עיקר הבריאה ולכן בגודל רשעתם מרגישין גם בנ"י

And consequently they brought about damage to Bnei Yisrael, for Bnei Yisrael are the very essence of the creation, and therefore through the magnitude of their wickedness Bnei Yisrael too feel its effect.

Since Bnei Yisrael are the core of creation, a nation whose wickedness is so total that it has no tie to them can actually inflict spiritual damage that Bnei Yisrael feel.

ואף שכל האומות רשעים הם

And even though all the nations are wicked,

He concedes the obvious point that, in truth, all the nations are wicked.

רק מצד שנמצא בכולם קצת ביטול לבנ"י ואינם מתנגדים מכל וכל ולכן דור שלישי יבא להם כו'

it is only that within all of them there is found some small measure of nullification toward Bnei Yisrael, and they are not opposed entirely, and therefore the third generation may enter their assembly,

But the other nations retain some trace of nullification toward Bnei Yisrael and are not wholly opposed, which is why their members may eventually be admitted in the third generation.

ממילא אין יכולין להרע במעשיהם לבנ"י

consequently they are unable to harm Bnei Yisrael through their deeds.

Because they retain that connection, they lack the power to truly harm Bnei Yisrael through their actions.

אך הם שאין להם התקרבות כלל מצד זה יכולין להחטיא אותנו כנ"ל

But these — who have no closeness at all — for this reason are able to cause us to sin, as explained above.

Ammon and Moav, having no closeness at all, are precisely the ones capable of causing Bnei Yisrael to sin.

ולכן כל הטעמים עולין בגדר א' כנ"ל:

And therefore all the reasons rise up into a single category, as explained above.

Thus the two reasons are really one: their failure to greet with bread and water reveals the total disconnection that makes them able to corrupt Bnei Yisrael, the same root as their hiring Bilam.

Summary: The Sfas Emes asks why the Torah bars Ammon and Moav both for hiring Bilam to curse Bnei Yisrael and for failing to greet them with bread and water — surely the second reason is trivial beside the first. He answers that Bnei Yisrael were created to elevate all of creation and draw even the nations toward the Holy One, Blessed is He, so every nation needs some point of closeness to Bnei Yisrael, even though by nature the nations oppose them. Greeting Bnei Yisrael with bread and water would have been an act of self-nullification granting Ammon and Moav a foothold of connection; their refusal proved they had no tie whatsoever, which is precisely what drove them to seek the destruction of Bnei Yisrael and what gives them the power to cause Bnei Yisrael to sin. Since causing another to sin is worse than killing him, and since only a nation totally severed from Bnei Yisrael possesses that destructive power, the two reasons collapse into one: their lack of bread and water exposes the same total disconnection that lies behind their hiring of Bilam.