In this week’s Parsha Balak the King of Moav invited Bilam to curse Klal Yisrael.
At first Bilam refused to go but after Balak sent a second delegation of officers and ministers Bilam joined them. Bilam rode on his donkey. The Passuk tells us how a Malaach came and stood in the way of the donkey three times to stop Bilam going. After hitting the donkey three times the donkey started talking and asked Bilam why he hit her. Hashem opened Bilam’s eyes and he saw the Malaach. He understood that Hashem wasn’t very happy that he was going to Moav but since the Malaach allowed him to continue Bilam never turned back.
Bilam made it very clear to Balak that whatever prophecy Hashem puts into his mouth that is what he has to say. And every time Bilam tried, Hashem made him bless Klal Yisrael.
Balak was devastated. He clapped his hands and said to Bilam, “I called you to curse the Jews and behold you have blessed them.”
Balak knew that Bilam had a power of blessing or cursing. He knew when to curse that his curses should be effective and he tried cursing Klal Yisrael but Hashem never allowed him to.
We know that great Tzaddikim and Talmidei Chachamim have the power of giving a blessing. But at the same time we also have to remember that we all have some power of blessing.
In the time of David Hamelech there was a plague and many Jews died. It was then that David Hamelech instituted that a person should make one hundred Berochos every day and the plague stopped.
A Berocho is a blessing. Every time we make Berocho and we say ‘Baruch Ato Hashem’ we are announcing that ‘You Hashem are the source of all blessing’. We are soldiers of Hashem proclaiming that Hashem is our G-d and that He is ‘Melech Ha’olam’ – the King of the world.’
If our Berochos had no purpose and they were meaningless then Chazal wouldn’t have instituted the obligation of making a Berocho.
