Parshas Balak Chizuk

Hi guys! So I just got this, forwarded from Rav Pollock, and I think you'll like it!!

In this week's Parsha, Bilam goes to curse the Jewish people so HaShem puts a Malach in his way. Which Malach did HaShem send to intervene? Rashi says, a Malach Shel Rachamim. (Angel of Mercy) because HaShem knew that an act like this would destroy Bilam, therefore had mercy on him and sent a Malach to stop him. The Pasuk explains that Bilam's donkey saw the Malach "Charbo Shlufo B'Yado" - "With a drawn sword" .

The question is, if you tried to visualize a Malach Shel Rachamim, would he have a drawn sword? That would be the last thing I would envision. Sounds more like a Malach Shel Din (Angel of Judgement)!

Rav Pam has a beautiful He'ara- The Malach Shel Rachamim can appear in all types of guises, sometimes it could appear to be the scariest thing you ever saw but it is nevertheless all for the best.

We encounter tough situations in life all the time. For example, there was a man who was ecstatic about a great shidduch suggested to him. Everything seemed perfect, but for whatever reason, the wedding was called off. The man was naturally distraught. Only at some point later on, did the man realize that the Shidduch wasn't shayach at all, and that it was all for the best.

Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky wanted very much to be a Rav in Europe but for whatever reason, someone else was chosen for the job. He was extremely disheartened and decided to move to America to find parnasah somewhere else. He ended up becoming a Gadol Ha'Dor in America, while the Rav that was chosen instead of him in Europe and that entire community were wiped out during the Holocaust. So you see, when Rav Yaakov was first informed the news that he wasn't chosen to be the Rav in that community in Europe, it seemed to him like the Satan was standing in his way, Charbo Shlufo Ba'Yado, with a drawn sword, but no! It was the Malach Shel Rachamim all along, who was looking out for Rav Yaakov. Rav Yaakov was only able to realize that in retrospect.

We learn from this that we can't judge the hardships in life because they really represent something that is truly good for us. A Gemara in Brachot says, "K'Shem she'Mevarchim Al HaTov, Kach Mevarchim Al HaRah" "Just as we thank HaShem for the good, we also have to be thankful for the "Rah" which may seem bad to us at the time but which really is good for us in the long run.