To be a talmid of Avraham Avinu is a zechus that cannot be measured; on the flip side, to be a talmid of, lihavdil, Bilaam is not something to take much pride in. Amazingly, our Sages put the two groups of talmidim side by side in one Mishnah, in order to reveal to us the very stark difference between the two.
Among the very distinctive marked qualities presented there is the ayin tovah, good eye, which is a middah found in the disciples of Avraham Avinu; and lihavdil, the ayin hara, bad eye, found in the students of Bilaam.
But what is the definition of these two middos? Ayin tovah means to be satisfied with one’s lot. Not looking over one’s shoulder to see what anyone else has; rather, experiencing only total satisfaction with his lot and having what can be called histapkus.
Ayin hara means to be looking specifically at the lot of everyone else; to see everyone else’s possession as if they should be your own; without the ability to “fargin” another person’s happiness and gifts. It means being focused solely on one’s own selfish needs, without the capacity to see beyond oneself.
Rav Yosef Elefant shlita shared from Rav Dessler that This World is filled with givers and takers, and that is really the main difference between the students of Avraham or, lihavdil, Bilaam. Is it about you, or are you able to look beyond you?
And then he added something truly amazing from Rav Chatzkel Levenstein zt’l that really turns a whole new light on Avraham Avinu’s greatness; I preface it with the following:
We perhaps look at the gadlus of Avraham Avinu’s emunah in Hashem Yisbarach and his greatness of chesed as two completely different aspects. At a very young age, he searched for Hashem; and he made it his life’s mission to go around spreading belief in Hakadosh Boruch Hu, while simultaneously giving and giving some more.
And yet, Rav Chatzkel explains that Avraham’s ability to see Hashem in This World and his great capacity to be a giver were coming from one unique and exceptional middah and shining quality: to see beyond himself.
People who are so narrow-minded that they see only themselves not only do not see what others are doing for them or that which others are lacking, they also are not able to recognize the hand of the Creator in their lives.
Avraham Avinu and his disciples possess the very great quality of ayin tovah. They see with an eye of goodness, an eye that is focused beyond themselves and their own four-cubit squares.
When thinking about this great principle, it is so amazing to observe how true this is. It is those who are busy thanking Hashem who are also busy looking out for the welfare of others. And those who are complaining about their lot are also lax in the care and concern for the people around them.
The Mishnah in Avos is not just telling us about Avraham Avinu and, lihavdil, Bilaam, it is really also placing in front of each of us the choice for life. Do you want to be a talmid of Avraham or of Bilaam? Yes, automatically, baruch Hashem, we are all children of Avraham Avinu; and yes, baruch Hashem, we have been given certain qualities that were bequeathed to us from him; yet, at the same time, to be his talmid we must do more.
We need to step up to the plate and become Avraham’s talmid by trying to emulate his ways of acquiring a good eye in life. And the good news is that when we do that, we will find all the happiness that Hashem has in store for those who follow in the ways of the great ones in history. B’Siyata DiShamaya.
