Dedicated in Honor of Sharona & Josh Halickman's 14th Wedding Anniversary

The Mishna in Pirkei Avot 5:22 teaches:

Whoever has the following three traits is among the disciples of our forefather Avraham and whoever has three different traits is among the disciples of the wicked Bilam (a sorcerer who was on a mission to curse the Jewish people).

Those who have a good eye, a humble spirit and a meek soul are among the disciples of our forefather Avraham. Those who have an evil eye, an arrogant spirit and a greedy soul are among the disciples of the wicked Bilam.

How are the disciples of our forefather Avraham different from the disciples of the wicked Bilam? The disciples of Avraham enjoy the fruits of their good deeds in this world and inherit the World to Come…But the disciples of Bilam inherit Gehenom and descend into the well of destruction…

It is clear from this Mishna that the followers of Avraham, modest people, always looking for the good, are the ones who will succeed while the haughty ones who are looking for the bad will fail.

Throughout the generations, how many enemies, following in the footsteps of Bilam, have we seen who were looking to destroy the Jewish nation and the State of Israel? However, it is the followers of Avraham who in the end prevail.

It is our job to do what we can to continue Avraham’s role of Chesed, to concentrate our efforts on performing acts of loving kindness.