Avraham, Bilam, You, and Me

The mishna in Avot contrasts the students of Avraham with the students of Bilam. The question is, why did The Rabbis compare the disciples, rather than looking at the masters.

Rabbi Binyamin Tabori, in one part of an elaborate piece alludes to the idea that teachers don't live forever but their life lessons do. Given the fact that everyone dies we can only look at how the traits trickle down through their students. '( I gleaned this idea from his thesis,"The Maharal showed that the difference between Avraham and Bilam is hinted in their names themselves. Avraham is "av hamon," the father of many whose guiding characteristic is chesed, who intercedes even for the people of Sedom. Bilam's name derives from "be-lo am" or "bala am;" he cannot connect with other people; he can only attempt to spread his base traits of jealousy, pride and lust through his students." )

Ninth grader Ayal Goldberg suggests, brilliantly, that the Rabbis wanted us to take the lesson, of good traits versus bad traits, to heart. Had they spoken about Bilam versus Avraham, we could study it academically and focus on them. By speaking about their students, The Rabbis are telling us that they are speaking about us today. We are being told to look and see who we are truly emulating.

A third approach, which is popularly shared in Torah circles, is two people can both seem good. The differences between their ideas and ideals become more blatantly magnified when you look at their disciples. Bilam and Avraham did not seem so different, but in their students the great gap between their essences became clear.