Chukas-Balak: Layers of Intelligence and Inner Strength

Really It's a secret, but it's simply too good, if you know what I mean, to not share In the safer Yone's Ilim, authored by a man named Rabionna Karapilov, and this safer has become famous in the world and circles of the Yeshivos because it is packed with many insights to help understand the sugyos, the clarity, and really have a lot of famous pieces from the great Roshay Yeshivas of yesteryear. But tucked away at the beginning of this safer, very unassumingly, there is one essay, his notes, from a talk that he heard from Harav Rav, yeruchim Levovitz, the great Mashiach of Yeshivas Samir, titled Maimer Koichais HaOdom, a talk about the potential and the intestinal fortitude of what one individual can accomplish in his life With the Almighty's help. We should develop, we will be zeichetu, redefine the different levels of intelligence in society, what it means to be a human, what a person's objective should be in the morning when he wakes up, and, amir Tsashem, we should reach a crescendo of a one line summarization of this. Maimer Koichais HaOdom. From the safer Jonas Elaym, see that there are four different levels of intelligence in the world. Khazal tell us there is something called a domain, an inanimate object, rock, food, and there's a level of intelligence above that Atsomeach, something that is alive but it can't necessarily move like an animal more like bacteria or a plant would be a good example. And above that, there's a level called a khay, which is an animal, something that has some real instincts, can move around, and then, crowning all of the intelligence of the globe, is something called a midaber, a human being with intelligence, the ability to discern with seichel and to talk. And the general assumption is that these are four separate categories. They do not touch each other. You cannot live in multiple categories. At least a domain cannot jump up to be a khay, an animal. And really it seems like if you are what you are, well then you are stuck at what you are. That is, of course, until you examine that there are domain-mim, inanimate objects that grow algae, there is food that sprouts mold, there are domain-anatomic objects that seemingly have turned themselves into tzomchim, sprouters, living things. And Rabirul Kham, he poses to the group of Bahram and educates us that. Well, it's odd, don't you think? If a person has created a category, he's a domeim, he's a rock, that's how life is, but all of a sudden he became a Tzomeach. Well, which category is it? Are they interconnected or are these categories separate. Further analysis will show you that some are truly hybrids. There's something called the coral reef. I'm sure you have heard of it on your, or perhaps seen it on your vacations. That is part domeim, part Tzomeach. Studies show that there is life inside of this coral reef, part rock, part sand and ground Sea floor, part living Life, tzomeach. What's more, the highest level of these four categories, the Spitz intelligence, the human being, is actually at the beck and call and must support himself through the lowest level, aka domeim food. The highest level of intelligence needs the domeim, the lowly rock, in order to survive. And if that's not enough, in Parshas, rukas and Balak, this week's double parasha, we see something even more odd. That's the Asoynechal bilam. This prophet traveling to curse the Jewish people is kind of stuck A conundrum. His donkey isn't working as much as he whips, hits and abuses his donkey. The donkey will not budge. And then something miraculous happens. The donkey opens up its mouth vaivtach Hashem es piha ason, and speaks to its master. And when one reads the verse critically, you'll notice that it seems as if all that was missing from the donkey's ability to speak was vaivtach Hashem. That Hashem didn't open its mouth. However, it seems like even a chai, an animal might potentially have the ability to speak, as we see here. Indeed, a chai just leaped frog itself into the top level of a medabar, but truly, all that it was lacking was the vaivtach, the opening up of its mouth. But the koach, the potential and the ability for animals to speak like humans, is very well there, it seems. So what are these four levels of intelligence? Is there any difference between a domechomeach, chai and medabar? What we are forced to say, says Rabbi Rukham, to say, says Rabbi Rukham, is to take the words for what they do in fax. Say and understand that when a person has been born into a human being or created as a rock, as an animal, as any of these categories, that is where you are placed at the beginning of one's life. That is the category of which general entity you are And the normal intellect, but your kochos may indeed rise far above that. You are not handcuffed into your level. This is where you begin And this is, you know, the gun goes off and where the race must begin. There are gitarum levels and just like well, when one is in first grade they are not in second grade, but it's not impossible for a first grader to leap, frog the second grade, skip a class, jump forward. Well, the kochos may be there. The kochos may allow one The potential, may give one the right ability to become a higher level, but these are just the gitarum of where we begin. And truthfully, la'usad l'Avo, when Hashem brings Mashiach, the Apostle says that us, then Yeraninu kol'atze yohar, the inanimate objects, will sing Shira to Hashem, just like the human beings. Everybody will be Vayivtah Hashem as pihah. So everyone will sing together Shiro v'Tishbachos of Hashem. A big hurrah akumbayah, with the coral reef and a donkey by your side. Truly a remarkable spectacle. There is, however, still one difference between humans and the other levels of intelligence, and that is that humans do have b'chira. We have choice, we have the ability to choose, and while it would take a miracle to make a donkey talk, it would take a Vayivtah Hashem as piah. So human beings can level up and do the miraculous without any special miracle occurring. There isn't a better proof to this than Bill Ome also, who was walking with this donkey And eventually, when he saw what the donkey saw was, which was an angel standing there impeding his way, and the verse says that Hashem opened his eyes to this angel. And Mori Nivuhim. The Ramam tells us that this was not just a vision, but it was a prophecy. There was Nivuhah happening here and the laushen of the verse is Vayigal Hashem as Eni Billah. It sounds also like, indeed, the koyach, the potential for this human to have Nivuhah, was always there. Humans can always become prophets. Ramam tells us this. The psukim attest to this. It just took a Vayigal Hashem. God just needed to open his eyes. But the koyach, the potential always rooted inside of the human spirit. And all the way back, if you remember, when Avromo Vino was traveling towards the Aketas, yitzchok Har HaMoyriah, he turned to his fellows who were standing with him, traveling with the two other lads. He says you see the fire up on Har HaMoyriah? and those that responded yes, they had that vision, that prophecy, that Nivuhah. Avromo Vino invited them to come along on the journey towards the mountain. But the individual who could not see the fire, the response was Shavu'ulaham poyim ha'chamur, stay here. You can't see the prophecy. If you are not on this level and in this case you just weren't granted this gift well then, stay with the donkey, as you are more comparable on this level to a lower level of intelligence. It's Mivuh Shemish'e'enay Raya Esa'anan, someone who didn't see that cloud, the fire on the mountain ha'rayu be'gadir khamur. They were not on this level, they had not leveled up. Now let's really get down to business, what this v'art means to us, what this insight can tell us and help us with. And it all begins with a rather shocking statement from the Heligah Rishon, the Saffornu, on the Pasek a Vayivtach Hashem Espi Ha'ason, that Hashem opened up the mouth of the donkey. The Saffornu says what doesn't mean that God was. Vayivtach Hashem Espi Ha'ason. Nosan bo koach l'Daber, god gave the strength to speak. K'in'in' as the same situation and this is comparable to Hashem saffos, ay tivtach v'yagit t'hilo s'acha. So when D'avana Melach said please, Hashem, open my mouth so I may sing your praises and recognize you all the more, it makes no sense, A heckish, a comparison between the donkey talking and some of the greatest words uttered by one of the holiest singers, authors and prophets to ever live. The donkey talking is Begeder Hashem sef ozaitiv tach eich yitachin. How is this possible? What are we to make of this connection made by the Safferno? The answer, the truth. Again, it is staring us dead in the face Adavna Melech. He said these words every time that he wanted and sought to see more levels of Hashem, more Hakkara, more recognition, more acknowledgement of the Shchina, more of a connection to the Almighty and taking a leap forward a step closer to Hashem. And indeed one step closer to Hashem is an entirely new creation, a barrier chadasha, like a chai becoming a medabar, like a donkey talking like a human. The same leveling up This Yisait is makif kol chayey ha'adam, our entire lives, our job to level up, to recognize more of Hashem in our lives, to take a step forward in our Adavning and our learning. And that is truly like leveling up from the level of a medabar to something much higher. There are Dargah's lane-sof levels that never end. Our goal is to climb Jacob's ladder, to be Tosefes, melealalmele, dargah, aldarga, rung upon, rung, climbing ever higher. Truly, a scary insight and a motivating insight, because we don't really know how much we are capable of, how much if we pushed ourselves harder and harder, if we thought harder and worked quicker, methodically, what we really can achieve over time. It's not a miracle when one becomes a prophet. It really can happen with enough hard work. Ram Bam tells us that a person, any Jewish person, has bahira to be as lowly, as sinful as Yoravim than Nevat. You can block people's paths to the Harabias, wanting them to come to your own Avaita, zara, idolatry filled temple, so they'll praise you. And when Hashem says, you will walk with me amongst the other towering Torah giants, someone like Yoravim and Avot responded well, who will be in the lead? who will be in front? One has, god forbid, potential to fall that low. But on the other side we have bahira to raise ourselves up to the heavens and engage in disputation with the angels and to outsmart them, out with them and to bring the Torah down to the Jewish people and to lead the nation. Like Moshe Rabbeinu. We have bahira to bring ourselves to levels of the greatest prophet to ever live. Moshe Rabbeinu, kochos Hanefesh, listen to what potential is, listen to what the inside, the koach, is inside of every Jewish person, every new hakara in life, a recognition inside of one's character, a recognition more of Hashem's shechina, a recognition of taking the next step forward. You are now a new creation, a new leveling up, and while this is hopefully inspiring and it should be fun for us to explore the depths of the unknown Kochos Hanefesh we all have, what's more is that we see that rocks can turn into living creatures If a person feels spiritually dead, if his brain simply well, he's not a lambdin, let's just say He's not really good at the paying attention in davening and the learning with clarity. He doesn't have the focus capacity. Still, let's say in any other way, brick or stone heads have the ability to start blossoming beautiful fruits, to elevate themselves wrong upon wrong, into a chai, up to a madaber, into a malach, eventually create nivua. A prophet like Moshe Rabbeinu. Avonim can be Moetsim Paris. It's lahafly. it's no role of hisponane. It's incredible to think about. I apologize to my father for this muscle. I do abide by the speed limits. However, there is some leeway. The cops necessarily don't always pull over for five over. So what is the speed limit? It is a real law, but it is a very strong suggestion. For if you don't want to get hurt, do not go fast, do not go above this limit. Let's keep everybody safe. These are suggestions in life. If you are born as someone who can only go 20 miles an hour, you can buck that speed limit and you can elevate yourself to prophetic, talmud-e-kachamim-esque levels. K'ohach to the poh-will, bringing our potential into reality, to turn the potential energy into kinetic energy. If Avromavinu would have turned to you while you were traveling with him towards Har-Hama-I-Riyah and asked you, do you see the fire on Har-Hama-I-Riyah? Don't you wish that you'd be able to answer yes, we should jump in and explore the mysterious thing that is our k'oh-chosan-efesh, seemingly never ending trench at the depths of the ocean. We are so, so powerful. Our potential is so, so great. The lesson is clear It's to take the certain rock-like parts of our Avromavinu-I-Riyah and to apply pressure and to elevate them and to really bring out the beautiful fruits. It's our Avromavinu-I-Riyah to turn our k'oh-chosan-efesh into poh-will, to turn our potential into reality.