—Numbers 23:23
General Maximilian Ironside caught wind of an inventor
from a far-off land. The inventor had created a miracle: a cream that, when
applied to the skin, would render a person completely invulnerable to arrows.
The general, naturally, was intrigued. Who wouldn’t be? A cream that could stop
arrows? It was either the greatest thing since sliced bread or the most
spectacular scam ever concocted. Either way, General Ironside was determined to
find out.
So, he set off with a troop of soldiers, traveled the
length of the world, spent a small fortune, and returned home with a jar of the
mysterious cream. The journey back was uneventful, until they entered a dense,
dark forest. Suddenly, a band of robbers leapt from the shadows and began
shooting arrows.
The general, calm and composed, smiled as the arrows
bounced harmlessly off his chest and arms. His soldiers walked unscathed, as if
they were strolling through a gentle spring shower, only with arrows instead of
raindrops. The robbers, unnerved, stopped shooting and stared in stunned
silence.
As the last arrow clattered harmlessly to the ground, the
general continued as if nothing had happened. He adjusted his helmet and
offered the robbers a friendly nod. “Come, come!” he called cheerfully,
gesturing for them to sit. “I bear no ill will. Please, let me offer you some
wine and food. I’m sure you’ve had a long day of highway robbery.”
The bandits, unsure whether they had fallen into a strange
dream or a nightmare, cautiously approached. One of them finally asked, “We
tried to kill you! And yet, you’re offering us hospitality? What’s going on
here?”
General Ironside smiled. “Ah, yes. You see, I’ve traveled
a great distance to acquire something quite extraordinary: a cream that
promises to stop arrows. It was this very cream that protected me and my men.
But before your little ‘test,’ I had my doubts. I thought to myself, ‘What if
this is a scam? What if I’ve been duped into buying a jar of overpriced
lotion?’”
He chuckled. “But thanks to you, I now have proof! I was
worried I’d bought a jar of scented nonsense, but you, my good bandits, have
shown me it’s worth every penny. So, thank you. I owe you one.”
Balak’s Grievance
The Israelites knew they were under God’s protection.
“No sorcery can work against Israel.” But like any promise, it is not truly
known until it is tested. And who, in their right mind, would ever ask for a
test like that?
Enter King Balak. His frustration knew no bounds. The king
of Moab had hired Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet, to curse the Israelites. But
instead, Balaam did the unthinkable: he proved that no curse could touch them.
Balak had hoped to rattle Israel, to shatter their confidence. Instead, he was
forced to confront an uncomfortable truth: Israel’s protection was invincible.
Solid. Unshakable.
The wicked prophet admitted, “Now it will be said to Jacob
and Israel what God has done.” Now, the Israelites know. Like the general in
the parable, they could move forward with renewed confidence, knowing that
their protection was real, tangible, and unbreakable.
(The Wit and Wisdom of the Dubno Maggid. Adapted from Mishlei Yaakov, pp. 358-359)
