Drawing conclusions and turning defeat into victory
The Parasha and its realization – Parashat Balak- and the 'Iron Swords' war 5784
Rabbi Eliezer Haim Shenvald
Dedicated to the IDF soldiers' success, to safeguard them lest any harm come to them, to the healing of all the wounded and the return of the abducted.
Kibbutz Be’eri’s battle investigation was boldly published, and it accentuated the facts and figures of the battle, the failures and the extraordinary acts of heroism.
The purpose of a professional military investigation is to draw conclusions for the future, to preserve the successful conduct patterns and to correct and improve those that were not, to prevent the recurrence of these battle failures in the future:
"לקח צבאי פירושו מסקנה, הנלמדת מתוך נסיון צבאי מלחמתי. המסקנה נובעת מאירוע מלחמתי כל שהוא, ויכולה להיות בתחום תורתי, מקצועי, מבצע, טכני וכיוצא באלה. איתור הלקחים, הפקתם ויישומם תכליתם וכו', ולכוון את המערכת בדרך הנכונה, אשר תכין אותה כראוי לקראת מבחני העתיד – ע"י שיפור איכותו וכושרו המלחמתי של הצבא. וכו'. מבחנו האמיתי של הלקח ותועלתו ייבחנו בתקרית מבצעית, או במלחמה".
“A military lesson means a conclusion, learned from wartime military experience. The conclusion stems from any war event, and can be in the theoretical, professional, operational, technical, and so on. Locating the conclusions, implementing and applying them, their purpose, etc., and directing the system in the right direction, which will properly prepare it for the future - by improving the army’s quality and military capability, etc. The true test of the conclusion and its usefulness will be tested in an operational event, or in war”. (General Moshe Bar-Kochva, “Merkavot Habarzel”).
Each event is unique, and it will never be repeated. A good investigation does not stop by just pointing at the battle conduct but seeks to get to its root: the cognitive (and conceptual), organizational, and professional reasons of the military force that caused this reaction. For this reason, it is not enough to examine what happened in a narrow section of the battle, and at the time it took place, but the entire operational system that affected the conduct in battle. The decision-making process, from the highest command level, the data of the opening of the battle and its reasons, the operational surroundings of the combat aid elements (intelligence, air support, ammunition supply, etc.). Did they react and help, and if not why?
Drawing conclusions in a professional manner depends on examining one's conduct with courage, honesty and impartiality. The IDF has paid heavy prices for wars and operational events that were not properly investigated, and adequate conclusions were not drawn. (ibid. p. 566). Learning the lessons correctly may turn failure into a lever for victory in the future: "Defeat is a much better teacher! Defeat not only sharpens the sense of criticism but decreases the chance for proposed solutions to be rejected etc..." (Edward Nicolae Luttwak, Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace).
In our Parasha, Balak, the king of Moab, feared that the people of Israel would conquer his land, after a series of victories in the region. Balak recognized his military inferiority, therefore looked for a 'magician' to curse the people of Israel and harm them with unconventional tools. So he called Balaam.
Balaam was imbued with hatred for the people of Israel:
וּבִלְעָם הָיָה שׂוֹנְאָם יוֹתֵר מִבָּלָק
“Balaam, however, hated them even more than did Balak” (Rashi Bamidbar 22:11) and wanted with all his might to curse and destroy them. However, he depended on G-d's approval.
In the end, the Almighty allowed him to go to Balak but not to curse. (Rabbeinu Bahya 22) Balaam set out with a goal and hatefully ignored the restriction. He had a conception. He was sure that with his charms he would be able to take advantage of a moment of leniency and divine 'measure of justice' to make his plan work:
הוא היה ״מהלך״ אתם; שואף להגיע למטרתו. למרות האזהרה האלוקית הברורה, הוא סבר בגאוותו שיוכל להשיג את מטרתו.
"He was ‘wandering around’ with the confidence needed to reach his goal. Despite his arrogance and the clear divine warning, he believed that he could do it" (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch 22:22).
מכאן שהשנאה מקלקלת את השורה
“From here we may learn that the hatred one bears for a person makes one disregard the rule imposed upon him by his exalted position” (Rashi 22:21).
An ‘Angel of Mercy’ wished to deter him from sinning, was sent to dissuade him, to ring a warning bell to make him ‘think again’ (Rashi 22). At first, he stood in his way with his sword drawn. Balaam the 'prophet' did not notice Him. The donkey noticed and went astray. "He is blinder than his beast; his desire to overcome G-d’s opposition" (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch ibid.) When Balaam saw that his donkey was preventing him from realizing his task, he lost his temper and struck it with his hand (Da’at Mikrah ibid). Instead of stopping, learning, drawing conclusions and reexamining, he clung to it obsessively.
The 'Angel' stands in front of him a second time in a narrow archway. This time as before, the obsessive conception blinded him, and he did not notice the Angel. The donkey that noticed deviated from its path and stuck to the wall in such a way that his leg was significantly injured. Even the painful price did not make him examine his path and learn a lesson, on the contrary, in the face of the possibility that he would not realize his assignment, he lost his temper, became more violent and struck his donkey again.
For the last time, just before complete doom, the Angel stood in his way and blocked it completely. Also, this time his blindness made it impossible to see the Angel and hear the ringing of the warning bell. The donkey saw, stopped and ran in its place. A frustrated and obsessed Balaam, prisoner of a blind conception, completely lost his temper (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch v. 27). In a burst of uncontrollable violence, he struck the donkey. This time, with his staff!
Then the Angel appeared and opened Balaam’s eyes. As if waking up from a dream, he understood the signals post factum, and the absurdity of the conception in which he had been stuck, which brought him to the brink of destruction.
In the Haftarah we will read about our obligation to remember and draw conclusions from the actions of Balaam and Balak:
עַמִּי זְכׇר נָא מַה יָּעַץ בָּלָק מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב וּמֶה עָנָה אֹתוֹ בִּלְעָם בֶּן בְּעוֹר מִן הַשִּׁטִּים עַד הַגִּלְגָּל לְמַעַן דַּעַת צִדְקוֹת ה'.
"My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of Hashem". (Micha 6:5)
And the 17th of Tammuz requires to draw conclusions on שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם "baseless hatred”
נַחְפְּשָׂה דְרָכֵינוּ וְנַחְקֹרָה וְנָשׁוּבָה עַד ה'.
"Let us search our ways and examine, and return to Hashem". )Eichah 3:40)