| Dear Friend,
We are pleased to present an insight on parshat Balak excerpted from our Daily Wisdom by Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky.
Free Choice Balaam answered and said to Balak's servants, "Even if Balak gives me his full storehouse of silver and gold, I cannot do anything small or great that would transgress the word of G-d, my G-d." (Num. 22:18)
G-d created all of us, and the natural consciousness that He placed within us is aware of our intrinsic bond with Him. Our inborn nature is thus to be loyal to Him, never doing anything that He would not approve of and always seeking to align our lives with what He expects of us. This applies equally to Jews (who naturally seek to fulfill all 613 commandments) and non-Jews (who naturally seek to fulfill the seven categories of commandments incumbent on them).
However, in order to give us free choice, G-d also created temptations and made us susceptible to them. This is why even those of us who – like Balaam – are aware of our obligations toward G-d can sometimes choose to go against G-d's directives.
Nonetheless, we all possess the power to resist these temptations, thereby fulfilling our spiritual potential and responding to G-d's challenge to lead fulfilled, meaningful lives.
— Daily Wisdom 3
May G-d grant continued wisdom, strength, victory and peace in the Holy Land.
Gut Shabbos, Rabbi Yosef B. Friedman Kehot Publication Society
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