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By Rabbi Shimmy Sternfield
“מה טובו אהלך יעקב משכנותך ישראל” (פרק כ”ד, פסוק ה)
“How good are your tents Yaakov, your dwelling places Yisrael.”
When בִלּעְםָ went to meet with בָלּקָ he intended to curse the Jews. Hashem, however, forced בִלּעְםָ to change his words and bless them instead. The גמְרָָא in סנַהְדְֶריִן says that the curses which בִלּעְםָ had intended to give can be inferred from the blessings that בִלּעְםָ ultimately gave. One of the examples the גמְרָָא mentions is that from this פָּסוּק we see that בִלּעְםָ wanted to curse the Jews that they would not have בָּתֵּי כְנֵסִיוֹת, places where they would gather together for Torah study. Simply understood, the גמְרָָא is defining the “tents” and “dwelling places” mentioned in the פָּסוּק as בָּתֵּי כְנֵסִיוֹת and ,בָּתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת Shuls and Yeshivos. Although בִלּעְםָ complimented these places, he had really intended to say that the Jews should not have these holy places in which to gather. The גמְרָָא in בָבָּא בַתְּרָא , however, interprets the “tents” and “dwelling places” literally, referring to the Jewish homes. בִלּעְםָ saw that the Jewish tents were arranged so that the door of one tent did not face the door to another, thus promoting privacy and modesty. Reb Moshe Feinstein, זצ”ל , explains that even according to this interpretation, the פָּסוּק still alludes to a plan to curse the Jews not to have בָּתֵּי כְנֵסִיוֹת and בָּתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת . When בִלּעְםָ complimented the modest behavior of the Jews in their homes, what he really intended to say was that they had no need for Yeshivos. The חינוך that they were receiving at home would be sufficient. The reality, however, is that this is untrue. Yeshivos are imperative for the success of כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל. There is much to be gained from being in a group under the guidance of a Rebbe, and we cannot rely solely on דחינוך received at home. While suchדחינוך is very important, it cannot be a replacement for Yeshivos.
