[Avodah] Moav/Midyan

[SBA]

From: "Gershon Dubin" <>
End of this week's parasha:  vayachel ha'am liznos el benos Moav.
Then, vayakrev el echav es haMidyanis;  next week tzaror es haMidyanim.
 First;  second,
>>
??

RGD: I thought (per Rashi in the beginning of the parasha)
that Midyan was out of the picture once Bilam got his initial "no" from
the RbSh"O?

>>

'Es Hamidyanis' - zoogt Rashi: 'Kozbi bas Tzur', with an earlier
Rashi saying that Tzur is Balak - who was originally from Midyan.
(and see Pinchos 25:15)

The Be'er Basodah on Rashi says that while it was the bnos Moav that
started it all, they were joined by the bnos Midyan.
The Ramban says that the whole thing was 'atzas Midyon' and the Alshich
writes 'sheha'ikkar hoyu mibnos Midyan velo Moav..'

Ube'oso inyan, the Ramban has problems with Rashi 25:5 which implies that
150,000 people were killed by the dayonei yisroel at the Baal Peor business
- a quarter of the population! Ayen Shom.

Also, someone showed me an interesting Tshuvas CS (the last in chelek YD)
where he replies to a questioner who asks if there are 13 or 3 ikkarim.

He writes: "lo yodati shum nafkusa ki im krias shem bilvad - uledaas
hamekubolim ein kan ikkar, ki kol kutzim shel Torah hem ikkarim, ma ben zeh
lozeh?"

He writes there that even if, CV, we sinned so much that we will never be
 redeemed, we may not be 'porek ol Malchus shomayim' or change a
'kutzo shel Yud  midivrei Rabonon'

Then he writes that the only section of the Torah that we (or our ancestors)
were not witness to - is the parsha of Balak/Bilom. No one from the Bnei
Yisroel - not even Moshe Rabenu - knew of the conversations and all that
happened between those 2. It is only 'mipeh HKBH' that this was recorded.

Ayen Shom a very interesting Teshuva (which I am not sure how it got into
 that volume of his tshuvos.)

I have scanned the Teshuva and can email upon request.

SBA