Our Gemara on Amud Beis seeks to define the exact location of the melika slaughter performed on sacrificial birds. It is referred to as “adjacent to the neck.” The Gemara is unclear if the Hebrew word adjacent “mul” means adjacent or opposite. They cite a verse where Balak complains to Bilaam that the incoming horde of Jews were going to overtake them; he described them as occupying the space “right adjacent to me.”

What was Bilaam’s reaction to the impending presence of the Jews and what was he stressing when he said, “they occupy the area right adjacent to me”? The simple reading is, “look at this swarm of people, who already just filled up an area right near us, so we are next.”

The Chasam Sofer (ibid) reads more into Balak’s agitation. He was spooked and felt something uncanny by the presence of the Jewish people nearby. Every person, even a wicked person, has holy sparks and potential that is latent within him. After all, he was created by God. He says there is a tradition that if a tzaddik “looks” at a wicked person, he extracts all his good sparks. This is also the deeper meaning of the verse that describes the Jews as “draining Egypt of its wealth” (Shemos 12:36) at the time of the Exodus. It was not just gold and silver, but the Jewish experience extracted all the positive sparks from the Egyptians, leaving them drained of purpose and life force. Therefore, Balak felt the gaze of the Jewish spirit and consciousness and sensed that he was being drained of something vital.

Let us attempt to understand this mystical idea on some level, psychologically. Everyone has value and purpose, and by definition is here in this world to uniquely contribute via his or her personal perspective. A wicked person is not using this potential, but sparks of these abilities are still being projected outward, even if in a disorganized, chaotic manner. The tzaddik, who has presence and mindfulness, looks at this person — really every person — and “sees” him. He doesn’t get anxious or defensive about all the chatter, posing and chaos that the wicked person engenders. Rather, he stays centered and sees him for real. That noticing energizes and calls up the hidden potential. I am sure that if the wicked person would allow himself to see himself and see what the tzaddik is seeing, he could have used that energy too. However, at least as far as Egypt and Balak were concerned, they were seen, some great potential was aroused, but they did not capitalize on it. The tzaddik took this power and insight, and effectively the other is left feeling drained because, deep down, he senses some lost opportunity.

There is great power and opportunity in seeing people and seeing ourselves.