B"H “Better is the curse with which Ahijah the Shilonite cursed Israel than the blessing with which Balaam blessed them. For Ahijah the Shilonite belonged to the faithful reprovers, whereas the wicked Balaam belonged to the hypocritical reprovers. The proof is that Ahijah cursed Israel by comparing them to a reed—yet the curse itself was a #blessing, as it is written: ‘And Hashem shall strike Israel as a reed sways in the water.’ That is to say, through rebuking and humbling them, he broke their pride and haughtiness, and they became soft like a reed, as our Sages taught: ‘ A person should always be soft like a reed and not hard like a cedar.’ And when a person becomes soft like a reed, there are three benefits; whereas one who is hard like a cedar remains standing upon a single spiritual level. For the reed stands in a place of water, its stem renews itself, and its roots are numerous. The meaning is that when a person becomes soft like a reed, he attains these three benefits. First, he stands in a place of water, as it is written: ‘All who are thirsty, come to the waters!’ The Hebrew word for ‘thirsty’ has the same numerical value as the word for ‘#humility.’ For after being rebuked and humbled so that his transgression is revealed, he becomes soft and humble, and goes to seek healing from the Sages, who are the physicians of souls, accepting their moral instruction. This is the meaning of the reed standing in a place of water. Through this, his stem renews itself. That is, he does not remain upon one spiritual level, but his stem changes, enabling him to ascend to ever-higher spiritual levels, with numerous roots. And this brings about that even when all the winds blow against him, he bends and moves with them, according to the mystical principle of ‘entering and emerging,’ as I have explained. When the winds become still, the reed stands again in its place, as it is written: ‘ And his return was to Ramah, for there was his home.’” — Rabbi Yaakov Yosef HaKohen of Polnoye, (direct disciple of the Baal Shem Tov) The Toldot Yaakov Yosef, Parashat Balak, §§49–50 (מט–נ), , 1780 (תק״ם). -