King’s Control – A Short Thought on Parshas Balak 5770
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Loading ...Bilaam knew the exact nanosecond that Hashem gets angry every day and intended to curse the Jews at that exact moment (Berachos 7a). Tosfos (there) asks, if the time is only one fraction of a second, how could Bilaam even utter a curse in that short amount of time? He answers that in that time, Bilaam would have cursed them with one word, “כּלם, kila’aim, destroy them”.
The Seforim bring down that the word “כּלם” has the most negative connotations. Its three letters stand for כּ’בד, ל’ב, מ’וח, liver, heart and brain. The message is that the liver which is filled with blood, which represents human lust and desire should control the person, next it should command the heart how to act, which in turn utilizes the brain for its evil purpose of self-indulgence. The opposite arrangement is the work of a Tzaddik. A Tzaddik lets his mind (מ’וח) run the show, which then influences his heart (ל’ב) and then even sanctifies his liver (כ’בד). This order of arrangement spells, “מלך, king”. Self-mastery is true royalty.
This sheds light on the verse (Devarim 23:6) which says that Hashem switched Bilaam’s words from a curse to a blessing! He rearranged the exact letters! See also Devarim (33:5).
