“From Aram, Balak, King of Moav brought me, out of the mountains of the east saying, ‘Come curse Yaakov for me. Go denounce Yisrael.’ How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced? For I view it, from the mountain peaks (rosh tzurim), I gaze upon it from the hills (gvaot); a people that dwells alone; not reckoning itself among nations. Who can count the dust of Yaakov or count the seed of Yisrael? May my soul die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his.”

According to Rashi, the word “rosh,” head, refers to their origins, the beginnings of their roots which are well founded and powerful, like the mountains (patriarchs) and the hills (matriarchs).

Rashi adds that the notion that they will dwell alone was passed down from their forefathers.

Two places in Israel received their names from Bilam’s blessing, Rosh Tzurim (mountain peaks) and Gvaot (hills).

Rosh Tzurim, in the Gush Etzion region, was established by the Religious Kibbutz Movement after the Six Day War on the ruins of Ein Tzurim which was destroyed in 1948 and relocated near Ashkelon. Rosh Tzurim is most widely known for its cherry picking festival which takes place at this time of the year. The kibbutz also raises turkeys, produces milk and grows grapes for wine production.

Gvaot, which is located near Rosh Tzurim originally started out as a military outpost in 1984, later transitioned into a residential village and was officially recognized this past December as a yishuv (settlement).  Gvaot is in the westernmost area of Gush Etzion and hosts Sadnat Shiluv (Integrative Workshop), a socially unique community which fully integrates people with special needs. Although at times we may feel like we are a people who dwell alone, when we encounter supportive communities like Gvaot, we are reminded of how we are there for each other.

May we take the opportunity to travel to Gush Etzion, a short ride from Jerusalem and see Bilam’s blessings being fulfilled by participating in Kibbutz Rosh Tzurim’s cherry picking festival or by visiting Gvaot, a model community where people with disabilities are treated as equals.

Balak, the king of Moav’s father was named Bird (Tzipor).

Bilam, the sorcerer rode a she donkey (aton).

Bilam asked Balak to prepare seven altars where they sacrificed a bull (par) and ram (ayil) on each altar.

In Bilam’s poetic blessings, which God puts into his mouth, we find imagery connected to animals and nature:

In Bilam’s second blessing, he mentions different animals. In his third blessing he makes references to nature.

In Bilam’s second blessing, Bamidbar 23:22 we read about the antelope: “God who freed them from Egypt is like an antelope’s (re’em) proud horn for them.” In 23:23, we see two references to lions: “Behold! The people will arise like a lion cub (lavi) and raise itself like a lion (ari); it will not lie down until it consumes prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.”

In Bilam’s third blessing Bamidbar 24:6-7, we see a reference to nature: “Stretching out like brooks, like gardens by a river, like aloes planted by God, like cedars by water. Water shall flow from his wells, and his seed shall be by abundant waters…”

In the Haftara (Micha 5:6-8) we also see imagery of nature and animals:

And the remnant of Yaakov will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from God, like raindrops upon grass, which is not hoped for from man and not awaited from a human being. And the remnant of Yaakov will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion (aryeh) among the forest animals, like a lion cub (kfir) among the flocks of sheep (tzon), who, when he passes by tramples and tears apart, and there is no rescuer. Your hand shall be raised over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut down.

Rav Yosef Nobel explains:

Bilam, the non Jewish prophet, shows B’nai Yisrael’s power and stregnth by comparing them to wild animals. When he correlates them to things that grow, he is blessing them with an abundance of water.

The Jewish prophet, Micha, changes the order. He first speaks about things that grow and only after that speaks about the animals. He shows that from the inner strength and renewal (which can be compared to dew) emerges the strength to conquer.

The name of the twelve day war against Iran which we fought just a few weeks ago was called “Am K’Lavi” “The nation is like a lion cub.” Just as our enemies in the past wanted to curse and destroy us yet we prevailed, so too in this war as well. Our air force rose like a lion during the war against Iran.

Sadly, this week we lost a group of five soldiers in Gaza who were part of part of the Kfir (young lion) Brigade.

May our soldiers have the inner strength to rise like a lion in Gaza as well, finish up the job and bring our hostages home.

Would we name a parsha after Sinwar,
who wants to see the annihilation of the Jewish people?

Why do we have a parsha named after
Balak, one of our greatest enemies, who was already looking for our destruction
even before we entered the Land of Israel?

Balak (the king) told Bilam (the
prophet) in Bamidbar 22:6:

Now, please come and curse this
nation for me, for they are stronger than I, perhaps then I will be able to
defeat them and drive them from the land…

This sounds like what is happening
today. Hamas think that if they curse Israel and the Jewish people enough then
they will be able to get rid of us and throw us out of Israel.

In the end, God transformed the
curses into blessings as God won’t let anyone get away with cursing us.

In Bilam’s third blessing (Bamidbar
24:9) he says:

He crouches and lies like a lion,
who would dare rouse him? Those who bless you are blessed and those who curse
you are cursed.

Rashi brings Onkelos’ interpretation
which says that no kingdom will move the Jewish people. They will settle in
their land with strength and power.

Although Balak’s original plan was
to curse Israel and have them thrown out of their land, in the end they were
blessed to settle there. Those who are with us will be blessed and those
against us will be cursed.

The anti-Israel protests that are
taking place around the world that call for the destruction of Israel seem very
powerful right now and a lot of people are joining them. However, as these
demonstrations are now branching out with the message of hate towards the
United States and other countries where they are being held, the general
population is noticing whose side they prefer to be on and slowly but surely
they will stand by us.

May we only see brachot and may all
those who stand up for the State of Israel be blessed.

Parshat Balak is named for the first verse in the Parsha (Bamidbar 22:2):
“And Balak the son of Tzipor saw all that Yisrael did to the Emori.”

However, if you want to know where it all took place, you have to go
back one verse, to Bamidbar 22:1 (the last verse of Parshat Chukat): “B’nai
Yisrael travelled and camped in the western plains of Moav, across the Jordan
from Jericho.” This is the spot where they will remain until the Book of
Yehoshua when B’nai Yisrael will cross the Jordan River into Jericho.

Rashbam describes the location of “me’ever l’Yareden Yericho”, across
the Jordan from Jericho :

They were camped across from the
Jordan River and opposite the City of Jericho which was on the other bank of
the river. It is neither south nor north of Jericho. The formulation of “me’ever l’Yareden” is justified as it is perceived from the vantage point of those who
had already crossed the Jordan River, so that the Jordan River was on the far
side of Jericho from their point of view.

In other words, the Torah was
written for those who are already in the Land of Israel. Therefore, “Ever l’Yarden”
refers to the other side of the Jordan, outside of Israel, in the land that originally
belonged to Moav.

How was it possible for all of B’nai
Yisrael to be camped out in that spot?

Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin,
the Netziv in Ha’Amek Davar explains that the camp itself was in the western
plains of Moav. However, B’nai Yisrael were spread out in the different cities
in the lands of Sichon and Og and only the Aron (Ark) and Ohel Moed (the Tent
of Meeting) were actually in the western plains of Moav as we see in the
beginning of the Book of Devarim.

In Parshat Masei, Bamidbar 33:48-49
we read about the area where they camped:

They journeyed from the Avarim Mountains
and camped in the plains of Moav along the Jordan near Jericho. They camped
along the Jordan from Beit HaYeshimot until Avel HaSheetim, in the plains of
Moav.

Beit HaYeshimot is the southern
border of the territory (right above the Dead Sea) and Avel HaSheetim is the northern
border.

Rashi explains that the measure of
the Israelite camp was 12 mil by 12 mil, one mil is 2000 amot, about 3500 feet.

In the Talmud, Eruvin 55b, Rabbah
bar bar Chana affirmed that he visited the spot and confirmed those
measurements.

Today, on the Israeli side, near
Jericho we can look over the Jordan River to the spot where B’nai Yisrael camped
from before Moshe’s death until the crossing the Jordan with Yehoshua.
Vacationers in Jordan can visit what once were the plains of Moav which were
conquered by B’nai Yisrael and inherited by the tribe of Reuven.

In Parshat Balak (Bamidbar, Chapters 22-23), Balak hired Bilam to curse
B’nai Yisrael so that it would be easier for him to destroy them. In Chapter 23
(verses 1-2, 14, 29-30), on three different occasions, Bilam directed Balak to
set up seven altars where Balak offered a bull and a ram on each altar. In
total, Balak offered 42 korbanot (sacrifices).

Based on Balak’s sacrifices, we learn in the Talmud, Sotah 47a:

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: A person should always engage in the
study of Torah and the performance of mitzvot even if not for their own sake
(even for ulterior motives) because from learning Torah and performing mitzvot not
for their own sake, one will eventually come to learn and do mitzvot for their
own sake (out of pure motives). As a reward for the 42 korbanot that Balak, the
king of Moav offered to God, he merited that Ruth, the convert be descended
from him. King Shlomo would descend from him as well. In Melachim I 3:4, King
Shlomo also brough many sacrifices, “The
king went to Givon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Shlomo
offered up a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.” Rabbi Yosi ben Choni
said: Ruth was the daughter of Eglon, who was the son of Balak.

In the Talmud, Nazir 23b we find a similar
passage to the one above from Sotah. Tosafot comment that since Ruth lived many
generations after Eglon, she was not actually his daughter but rather his
descendent.

The text in the Ein Yaakov expands the
generations:

Ruth was the granddaughter of Eglon,
who was the grandson of Balak, the king of Moav.

Rashi on Melachim I 3:4 says that
King Shlomo brought all 1000 offerings on one day.

Radak teaches that King Shlomo didn’t
bring them all in one day but rather he brought the 1000 offerings while he was
in Givon, before returning to Jerusalem.

Whatever the situation was of how
King Shlomo’s sacrifices were spread out, they were brought with good
intentions, unlike in Balak’s case.

We can learn from Balak that it is
valuable to do good things no matter what your motives are. Even though Balak
wanted to curse B’nai Yisrael, he was still rewarded for bringing the
sacrifices. Imagine how much greater the reward would be if one actually intends
to do something positive!

In Melachim I 14:15, the Jewish prophet, Achiya the Shiloni prophesied
against the king, Yeravam ben Navat for leading B’nai Yisrael to worship
idolatry:

God will smite Israel as a reed lurches about in the water, and He will
uproot Israel from upon this bountiful land that He gave to their forefathers,
and He will scatter them beyond the river- because they have made their Ashera
trees, angering God.

In the Talmud, Taanit 20a we read:

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: The comparison of B’nai Yirael to a
reed implies a blessing. For Rav Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi
Yonatan: What is the meaning of that which is written (Mishlei 27:6) “The wounds inflicted by a friend are trustworthy; while the kisses
of an enemy are deceitful.” Better is the curse with which Achiya the Shiloni
cursed Israel than the blessing with which the wicked Bilam blessed them.
Achiya the Shiloni cursed them with the metaphor of the reed. Just as the reed
stands in a watery place and its stalk grows back when it is cut, while its
roots are numerous; and even if all the winds of the world come and blow upon
it, they cannot budge it from its place, rather it merely sways to and fro with
them. And as soon as the winds subside, the reed stands upright in its place.

Like the reed blowing in the wind,
B’nai Yisrael will sway under the attacks of its enemies, but will not be
destroyed and will once again revive and flourish as soon as the oppression
passes.

In contrast, in Parshat Balak, as
part of the blessing that Bilam, the non-Jewish prophet unwillingly blessed
B’nai Yisrael, he said (Bamidbar 24:6):

…Stretching out like brooks, like
gardens by a river, like aloes planted by God, like cedars by water.

The Gemara explains:

Just like the cedar tree does not
stand in a watery place and its trunk does not grow back once it is cut off,
and its roots are not numerous- and even if all of the ordinary winds of the
world blow upon it, they can not budge it from its place; when the powerful
south wind blows upon it, it uproots it and overturns it.

According to Bilam’s “blessing”
B’nai Yisrael will not easily be brought down, but should the blow be
sufficiently powerful, it will never recover.

We see from here that the “curse”
inflicted by Achiya the Shiloni was better for Israel’s long term prospects
than Bilam’s “blessing.”

The Talmud concludes that the reed
merited to have quill-like pens drawn from its ranks to be used to write scrolls
of the Tanach.

May we merit to only receive
blessings.

The Haftara for Parsha Balak is from
Micha 5:6-6:8.

In the first verse of the Book of
Micha (the sixth book of Trei Asar) we learn that Micha was a prophet during
the reigns of Yotam, Achaz and Hezkia (kings of Yehuda) and that he prophesied
to both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.

The Talmud, Psachim 87a teaches us
that Micha, Hoshea, Yishayahu and Amos prophesied during the same time period.
They were all prophets at the time of the same kings and their prophecies consisted
of both strong rebuke and comfort and hope.

Micha’s prophecies were given circa
740 BCE, shortly before the Assyrians exiled the ten tribes of the Northern
Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE.

Rabbi Menachem Leibtag points out
that by the time of Yotam and Achaz, both Micha and Yishayahu realized that the
people were not worthy of the prosperity that God gave them. Their prophecies focus
on social injustice, corruption and dishonesty.

The first section of the Haftara
from Chapter 5 brings a message of comfort. In the future, at the time of the
Mashiach, the Jews who will be scattered around the world will place their hope
in God, who has the keys to the salvation, just as He holds the keys to the dew
and rain. The Jews will be like he lion of the forest, nobody will stand up to
them. No more wars will be fought. There will be no horses, chariots or walled
cities nor fortune tellers.

In Chapter 6 we are back to the
rebuke. Micha calls to the mountains and hills on God’s behalf and instructs
them to listen to a suit between God and Israel. He reminds them how God acted
kindly to them and how they were ungrateful. He admonishes them for not
following the Torah.

The people during the time of Micha
were corrupt. However, they thought that God was with them as long as they
continued to go to the Beit HaMikdash to offer sacrifices.

A few chapters before our Haftara,
in Micha 3:9-11, we read about how the leadership at the time of Micha was
unethical. They detested justice and made crooked all that was straight. Judges
were bribed. Zion was built with crime and iniquity. The punishment is laid out
in Micha 3:12, “Zion would be plowed as a field and Jerusalem would become
heaps of ruins and the Temple Mount a shrine in the woods.”

Rabbi Leibtag explains that the
people became affluent and haughty. It is this hypocrisy that so angers God
that he decides the Beit HaMikdash must be destroyed.

The main connection between Parshat
Balak and the Haftara (aside from Micha 5:11 which talks about destroying
sorcery) is in Micha 6:5, “My nation, remember what Balak, the King of Moav
conspired and what Bilam ben Beor answered him, from Shitim to Gilgal.”

Why is Micha bringing up the story
of Balak and Bilam hundreds of years after it took place?

Ibn Ezra explains that this incident
teaches us God’s mercy. God did not allow Bilam to curse them. God gave Bilam
prophecy to ensure that he would bless them. When B’nei Yisrael were about to
go into the land they sinned at Ba’al Peor. God could have killed them all off,
but He didn’t. Twenty-four thousand people died in the plague and then God had
mercy on the rest and allowed them to enter the Land of Israel.

According to Malbim, B’nei Yisrael
thought that they would need to bring sacrifices or even sacrifice their own
children in order to do Tshuva after sinning which was caused by Bilam’s
advice. God said that He does not need their sacrifices. God is not giving them difficult
assignments, He just wants them to do justice,
righteousness, kindness and observe the mitzvot.

The concept of sacrificing animals
and even their own children to atone for their sins (Micha 6:7) comes from the
pagan culture of idolatry. God sees little value in animal sacrifices and no
value in human sacrifice.

We see this clearly in Parshat Balak.
Balak slaughtered cattle (Bamidbar 22:40) and took Bilam to Bamot Ba’al
(22:41). Bilam asked Balak to build seven altars, prepare seven rams and seven
bulls (23:1). Balak did as Bilam requested. They sacrificed as burnt offerings
an ox and a ram on each alter (23:2).

Balak thought that if he would
appease God with sacrifices then God would let them curse B’nai Yisrael. After
trying this three times, it was clear that his plan did not work. Bilam had to
admit that God will only let him say what He allows him to say.

Balak and Bilam thought that they
could convince God by bringing sacrifices at a high place. That did not work.
If we want to have God on our side, we need to change our behavior, not just
pray and bring sacrifices.

When Bilam saw that the only way
that the Jewish people will be cursed by God is if they don’t follow His laws,
especially in the area of immorality, he set a trap for B’nai Yisrael to sin
with the daughters of Moav and Midian. We see that Bilam was behind this in
Bamidbar 35:15-16, Rashi, Bamidbar 25:1 and in Perek Chelek (Chapter 11,
Sanhedrin 106a).

In Pirkei Avot 5:19, contrasted to
Avraham, Bilam is called a “rasha”, wicked, and that is how he is looked upon
until today.

At the end of our Haftara (Micha
6:7-8), Micha makes it clear that God sees little value in sacrifices and
prayers.

How do we walk in His ways? We need
to “do justice, love goodness and walk modestly with God.”

In Parshat Balak, Bilam is commanded
by Balak, the king of Moav to curse B’nai Yisrael. Although the Torah does not
waste words, Bilam’s means of transportation which he is hoping will quickly
get to his destination is described at length in Bamdbar 22:21-27:

Bilam arose in the morning, saddled
his donkey, and went with the Moavite dignitaries. God showed anger because he
went, and an angel of God placed himself in the way to thwart him, as he was riding
on his donkey accompanied by his two attendants. The donkey saw the angel of
God standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand; the donkey turned
aside from the way and went into the field; Bilam struck the donkey to get it
back on the way…When the donkey saw the angel of God, she was pressed against
the wall and pressed Bilam’s foot against the wall; and he struck her even more…When
the donkey saw the angel of God, it crouched beneath Bilam; Bilam became angry
and beat the donkey with a stick.

Bamidbar 22:28-30 recounts the
conversation that Bilam had with his donkey:

God opened the mouth of the donkey
and she said to Bilam: “What have I done to you that you have hit me these
three times?” Bilam said to the donkey: “Because you have ridiculed me; if I
had a sword in my hand, I would kill you now.” The donkey replied to Bilam: “Am
I not the very same donkey that you have been riding on all your life until this
very day? Was it ever my habit to do this to you?” And he said: “No.”

Finally, Bilam saw the angel of God
and in verses 32-33, the angel of God said to him: “Why did you hit your donkey
these three times? Behold, I came out to obstruct you, because your way is
contrary to me. And when the donkey saw me, it turned aside these three times;
had she not turned aside before me as she did now I would surely have killed
you and I would have let her live.”

Dr. Rachel Reich points out ten
stories in Tanach where the donkey is mentioned: Avraham getting ready for the
Akeda, the Binding of Isaac (Breisheet 22:3), Moshe on the way to Egypt with
Tzipora and their two sons (Shmot 4:20), Bilam heading over to curse B’nai
Yisrael (Bamidbar 22:21), the Levi going to retrieve his concubine who ends up
getting abused in Givah (Shoftim 19:28), Avigail rushing to try to appease King
David (Shmuel I 25:20), Achitophel’s last journey before he ends up committing
suicide (Shmuel II 17:23),  Mephiboshet’s
plans to ride the donkey but Ziba the servant doesn’t help him (Shmuel II 19:27),
Shimi hurrying to get his slaves back, despite his oath that he would not leave
Jerusalem (Melachim I 2:40), The sons of the false prophet saddling the donkey
so that their father could pursue the man of God (Melachim I 13:13), The
Shunamite woman dashing to see Elisha to beg him to revive her child (Melachim
II 4:24).

 In each of these stories, the person riding on
the donkey is trying to fulfill a mission with a sense of urgency and each time
things don’t turn out as expected.

Of course, there are many other
stories in Tanach where they must have rode on a donkey (that was their main
form of transportation), yet it is not specifically mentioned when Avraham and
his family traveled to the Land of C’naan or when they went down to Egypt.

In the stories where the donkey was
explicitly mentioned, each protagonist was on a mission but in the end God had
His own ideas and the operation did not usually turn out as expected. Avraham
did not sacrifice Yitzchak even though he thought that he would be expected to,
Tzipra and her family didn’t end up going to Egypt, rather they went back to
Midian, Bilam blessed B’nai Yisrael instead of cursing them and the list goes
on…

We can see from here that we can try
our best to do what we can, but at the end of the day, God will decide what the
final outcome will be.

Dedicated by Malya and Yehudah Kunstler in honor of the marriage of
their daughter, Zahava to Itamar Lustiger 

In the Haftara for Parshat Balak
(Micha 5:6-6:8), we read the prophecy of Micha which recalls some of the ways
in which God protected B’nai Yisrael during the forty years that they spent in
the wilderness. One of the incidents mentioned is Balak’s plot to have Bilam
curse B’nai Yisrael, a clear link to the Torah reading.

The Haftara ends with what God
requires from us: “to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly (hatznea
lechet) with God.”

The mitzvot of doing justice and
loving kindness are “mitzvot ben adam l’chavero”, commandments between a person
and their fellow person while the mitzvah of walking humbly with God seems like
a “mitzvah ben adam l’makom”, a commandment between a person and God. However, The
Talmud, Makkot 24a states that “walk humbly with God” is also a “mitzvah ben
adam l’chavero” as it refers to funerals and weddings.

What does “walk humbly” have to do
with funerals and weddings?

According to Rivan, the Talmud chose
these two examples due to their associations with the word “lechet”, “to go” in
Kohelet 7:2, “It is better to go (lalechet) to the house of mourning than to go
(milechet) to a house of feasting, for that is the end of all people and the
living should take it to heart.”

One way to look at this:

It is humbling to go to a funeral or
shiva house where eulogies stimulate one to think about the beauty of life and
focus on the fact that only a good reputation has lasting value.

Parties where there is a lot of
eating and drinking and playing around can become distasteful if not conducted
properly and modestly. Unfortunately, in many different cultures there are instances
of people getting drunk at weddings and acting inappropriately.

Another way to look at this:

Funerals and weddings should be
conducted in a modest and tasteful manner.

Burial outside of Israel should be
done with a simple coffin, in Israel no coffin is used at all. Shrouds, the
simplest of clothing are used for the burial.

Weddings should be within the range
of what the families can afford. It is not helpful for newlyweds to start their
married lives in debt.

What is interesting about our
Haftara is that the concept of being humble which is related in Hoshea and in
the Talmud is not directed specifically at women and is not about women’s
clothing. Rather it is about being humble in the way that we conduct our lives
especially during our happiest and saddest moments.

Sponsored by Sharona and Josh Halickman in Honor of their 20^th
Wedding Anniversary!

In Parshat Balak (Bamidbar 23:23) Bilam declares: “Ki lo
nachash b’Yaakov v’lo kesem b’Yisrael”, “There is no divination in Yaakov and
no sorcery in Yisrael.”

In Vayikra 19:26 we are commanded: “You shall not eat over
the blood; you shall not indulge in divination and you shall not believe in
lucky times.”

Is it true that Jewish people do not practice divination?

On Rosh HaShana, it is customary to conduct a seder with
symbolic foods, reciting a symbolic prayer for each food. Apples and honey are
sweet tasting and when we eat them we pray for a sweet new year. Pomegranates
allude to abundance and we focus on an increase in Israel’s mitzvah performance.
Gourds, fenugreek, leeks, beets and dates are specifically mentioned in the
Gemara in Kritot 6a as good omens to be eaten on Rosh HaShana.

Can the Rosh HaShana seder be considered to be divination?

According to the Maharsha the omens at the Rosh HaShana
seder are good omens so there is no concern of divination.

The Mordechai states that a “Yehi Ratzon”, “May it be Your
will” blessing should be recited when we eat each food at the Rosh HaShana
seder. The Meiri explains that these special blessings prevent the omens from
being a form of divination as they are there to help us focus on our prayers.

Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon of JobKatif explains that according to
the Maharal, Chayei Adam and the Ramban (Breisheet 21:6), the symbols help us
create reality.

When Avraham passed through the Land of Israel,
he was setting the scene for the time when B’nai Yisrael would eventually take
possession of the land. In Breisheet 12:7, God made the promise to Avram: “To
your offspring I will give this land” and then immediately in sentence 8 we see
that Avram pitched his tent between Bei El and Ai. This would later be the
place that Yehoshua would conquer first in battle (Yehoshua 8) which turned
Avraham’s symbolic “camping” into the reality of Jewish possession of the Land of Israel.

According to Rav Rimon, the Rosh HaShana symbols are the
opposite of divination. In divination one sees a sign and acts upon it. The
simanim of Rosh HaShana on the other hand help create the reality. When we see
and do good things we create positive energy. When we eat good things and say
the accompanying blessings we are creating a positive atmosphere. This is not
considered divination, rather this is doing our part to have kavana (intent)
that good things should happen to us.

Rav Rimon’s positive attitude has helped many Israelis who
were evacuated from their homes in Gush Katif ten years ago. Instead of
lamenting the terrible tragedy that occurred he has helped many of these
families find new jobs and start their lives anew. As we are about to
commemorate the evacuation of Israelis from their homes during the summer of
2005 we must appreciate our leaders like Rav Rimon who with a positive attitude
helped those families move on. After seeing the failure of the plan and the
fact that the Gaza
strip is now in worse shape than ever we must use a positive attitude to make
sure that mistakes like that are not made in the future. We must continue to
travel throughout the Land of Israel as Avraham did
and show our love and appreciation for it.