In this week’s parshah we read that Balak the king of Moav hired Bilam to curse Bnei Yisrael on his behalf. Bilam was eager to comply but knew that Hashem would not approve. Nonetheless he set out to execute his task. However, when he attempted to utter words of curse, Hashem switched them to words of blessing. There are several things that are derived from these words, as we will explore in this article.
Bilam recited “Hen am k’lavi yakum, u’k’ari yisnasa – behold a people that rise up like a lioness, and as a lion he lifts himself up,” “lo yishkav ad yochal teref, v’dam chalalim yishteh – he does not lie down until he eats of the prey, and he drinks the blood of the slain” (Bamidbar 23:24).
Rashi explains the ambiguous statements in this berachah. The first part of the pasuk refers to the fact that Bnei Yisrael rise in the morning like lionesses, and grab mitzvos like lions such as “wearing tzitzis, reciting Krias Shema and donning tefillin.” The second half of the pasuk Rashi explains means that before Bnei Yisrael go to bed they recite Krias Shema and entrusts their neshamos in the hand of Hashem. By doing so Hashem protects them from any harm in the night.
Some have asked that the order that Rashi mentions the mitzvos in the beginning of the pasuk seems to be misplaced. One must don tefillin before reciting Krias Shema. The Gemara in Brachos 14b says that one who reads Krias Shema without tefillin on has testified falsely. This is because in Krias Shema we state that we are commanded to don tefillin. If one recited this while he is not wearing tefillin he is testifying falsely. So why does Rashi say that they don tefillin before they recite Krias Shema indicating that they act in the order as well?
Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro, zt”l, suggests that Rashi was not indicating the order which these mitzvos are performed. The reason why one must wear tefillin while reciting Krias Shema is not in order to perform the mitzvah of tefillin properly; rather it is to perform the mitzvah of reciting Krias Shema properly. The mitzvah of tefillin applies the entire day while the mitzvah of reciting Krias Shema applies only in the morning. Although one must don his tefillin before reciting Krias Shema, the mitzvah of reciting Krias Shema precedes the mitzvah of donning tefillin. When one dons tefillin before reciting Krias Shema it is not for the mitzvah of tefillin, although he will fulfill the mitzvah of tefillin as well.
Rav Moshe Shmuel notes that it is implicit in Rashi that one does not require the strength of a lion or lioness to arise from his bed; only to arise and perform mitzvos. If one does not get out of bed in the morning he is simply lazy. Performing mitzvos in the morning requires the strength of a lion. He asks however that the Midrash Rabba indicates that even just to rise out of bed in the morning requires the strength of a lion.
The Shulchan Aruch in the very first siman states that one should rise in the morning like a lion, implying that simply rising form bed requires strength of a lion, in line with the Midrash. In fact the Gra on that halacha cites the Midrash as the source for this halacha.
In my humble opinion I believe that there is no contradiction between the Midrash and Rashi’s explanation. It all depends on where one places the pause in Rashi. The words of Rashi are: k’she’hen omdin meshenasam shachris hen misgabrim k’lavi u’k’ari lachtof es hamitzvos lilbos tzitzis…” Rav Moshe Shmuel understands that Rashi is saying that they awake in the morning, comma, and like a lioness and like a lion they grab mitzvos. I believe that perhaps one can read Rashi by moving the comma in between the words k’lavi and u’k’ari. This would read as follows: they rise in the morning like lionesses, comma, and like lions they grab mitzvos. This would mean that rising in the morning requires the strength of a lioness, and performing mitzvos in the morning requires strength of a lion. This reading would not pose a contradiction to the Midrash.
Rav Moshe Shmuel says that although rising in the morning requires the strength of a lion (in his opinion only according to the Midrash and the Shulchan Aruch), one should not be discouraged and think that he does not possess this strength. We learn from here that every person possesses this strength and therefore it is required of us. The Netziv notes that the pasuk uses the word yisnasa. While a lion has incredible strength he also has in his nature to go beyond his physical strengths and capabilities. In this berachah that Hashem placed in Bilam’s mouth we learn that not only do we possess strength similar to that of a lion, but we also can reach beyond our physical capabilities and limitations.