“Bilam said to Balak ‘Build for me here seven altars.’ ” (Bamidbar 23:29)
Shelo lishmah leads to lishmah. When a person does something good for the wrong reasons it will lead him to ultimately act for the proper reasons.
“Rav Yehudah taught in the name of Rav: A person should always engage in Torah and mitzvos even if he does not do so lishmah [with pure motivations] for from acting not lishmah a person will come to act lishmah. For in the merit of the 42 korbanos that the king of Moav offered he was privileged to be the ancestor of Rus who was the ancestress of Shlomo about whom it says ‘Shlomo would sacrifice a thousand olos [burnt offerings].’ ”
The korbanos Balak brought are the quintessential example of a mitzvah done with ulterior motives. The whole purpose of his sacrificial offerings was to make it possible for Bilam’s curse to be fulfilled.… Can there be any greater example of shelo lishmah? (Toras Yitzchak Rav Yitzchak Elchanan Waldshein ztz”l)
Create a free account to keep reading.
