June 28, 2023

Chukas-Balak: Need Advice? Ask This Unlikely Individual..

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Season 4

We were struggling to find the honest advice you need in life. We've got your back! In our latest episode, we explore the richness of our double parashah with stories of red heifers, talking donkeys, inscrutable punishments, and more. We dive into the intricacies of seeking advice, and why turning to ourselves, our parents, or even our mentors might not always give us the necessary answers.

Fasten your seatbelts as we dive into the second half of the episode, where we delve into the conversations between Balak and Balaam and their destructive plans toward the Jewish people. We'll show you that sometimes our enemies can give us the most significant insights about ourselves, as they see our strengths and weaknesses differently. This episode will provide a fresh perspective on understanding our identity and how to derive honest advice. So tune in, and let's embark on this enlightening journey together!

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Questions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com



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From the famous axiomatic red heifer to the incomprehensible punishment of what seemed like an honest action from our Jewish leader to a recalcitrant talking donkey, a pairing up of two individuals, wretched Reshoyim, uniting with the goal of destroying the Jewish people.

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Eventually rounded off is our double parasha by an extraordinary act of valor And wow, the entertainment value, the life lessons oozing forth from our double parasha is extraordinary, And well, to begin unpacking some of its contents this week gives us a very special opportunity to answer a very contemporary issue that a lot of people struggle with, which is that it's very hard to get the honest advice that one needs in life.

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You see, we must know what we should do in life and therefore we should try to advise ourselves that.

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But the Gammar tells us that Adam, the car of the Aetzel, is very close with himself.

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It's hard to see one's self honestly And furthermore, Aen Adam makes him Aetzmo, Russia.

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The Gammar tells us that a person will not incriminate himself.

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Ultimately, it's hard to say yes, I'm a Russia and just do fulcruva.

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So we can't turn to ourselves.

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Maybe turn to mom.

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Moms are very nice.

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I don't know if they make you feel so bad.

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Turn to dad, perhaps, but then mom will be mad.

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Turn to your Rebbe?

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yes, but they're very busy.

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Who are you going to ask for some good advice?

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Yet the entire second half of our double parshah speaks of the back and forth, the literal conversations between Bolog and Bilem, of how they're going to trip up the Jewish people and the eventual blessings of the Jewish people that Bilem gave to the Jewish people.

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What we get is an opportunity to be privy to what we are as Jewish people through the eyes of our enemy.

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And Rabbi Sari, the bestowal salanter, tells us that the greatest advice giver that you will find in your life is your worst enemy.

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The Pazic says Bekomen malai mirreim tishme'onah oznai, that when my enemy comes along, I listen in, because while he is screaming, oh, I don't like you, It's perhaps the only piece of honest advice that you will get.

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He doesn't see you in a good light, for whatever reason.

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And in our parshah it's Bilem and it's Bolog.

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And what do we get?

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A total description of what we have, our godless, our glory and perhaps any of the chinks in our armor, of where we may fall as a nation, as the Jewish people.

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Unbelievable.

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And this entire time.

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I wonder if the Jewish people even knew that all of this was happening?

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I don't know.

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They know that Bilem and Bolog were trying to curse them and God saved them, but we have the schoss to hear what we are as Jewish people Matau'ivu ohalechah, yakov, patsne'alechah se mashemalechah and all of our great mylas and how the certain areas of sin can trip us up.

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When someone is upset with you, someone is your enemy for whatever reason.

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They're just an interesting individual and they have picked a fight with you and they're yelling at you.

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Do not fight back.

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That would be a perfect time to grab your notepad and start writing down all that he has to say, because sometimes it can be very tough to come by some honest advice.