Parashat Balak: Numbers 22:2–25:9

Our story in this week’s parasha starts with a terrified Balak, king of Moav. Upon realizing what Israel had done to the Amorites, he summons Bilam, son of Beor, to come and curse them for him. He is told by G-d that he can only repeat the words as He, HaShem says them. Unable to curse them, Bilam blesses them. Balak, furious but not deterred from his goal, takes him to 3 different vantage points, hoping that perhaps from a different angle, he would be able to cause G-d to change his mind! How insane is that! So the text I want to focus on is Numbers 24:1-9, the very famous description of Israel’s encampment as G-d sees it: “Bilam set his face toward the wilderness, raised his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes and the spirit of G-d was upon him… ..How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel; stretching out like brooks, like gardens by a river, like aloes planted by HaShem, like cedars by water. Water shall flow from his wells, and his seed shall be by abundant waters. His king shall be exalted over Agag, and his kingdom shall be upraised. It is God who brought him out of Egypt according to the power of His loftiness. He will consume the nations that oppress him and crush their bones, and his arrows shall pierce them. He crouched and lay down like a lion, and like a lion cub – who can stand him up? Those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are accursed.’” You can only imagine how angry that made Balak! Our rabbis have much to say about this beautiful description, often read in our synagogues. I would like to add my thoughts as well, as a 21^st century Jewess returning to her roots. First, this is how HaShem sees Israel. Not Balak, not Bilam, who is only G-d’s mouth piece, and would have rather cursed Israel, if G-d had permitted him! Second, upon examination of this vision of G-d, it is obvious that there are two realms in which to see and G-d sees in both of them at the same time: that is the visible and the invisible realm. Imagine what Israel must have looked like to our human eyes after 40 years in the desert! It was hot, dusty, dry, rocky with probably some bushes here and there, not much water nor trees! Yet Bilam describes the tents like brooks, like gardens by a river, like aloes planted by HaShem, like cedars by water!… beauty, grace, food, refreshment , peace, life… kind of like Gan Eden… And the text goes on to describe this people as a kingdom exalted above all other nations, like a crouching lion. Those who bless them are blessed and those who curse them are cursed. Obviously, Hashem sees something invisible, that cannot be seen with the naked eye! To understand this better I would like to illustrate this with one short anecdote taken from the Torah: You remember when Avram and Lot were returning from Egypt to Canaan, they separated because of strife between their shepherds. Given first choice for land, Lot chooses Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen13:10 reveals his motive: “So Lot raised his eyes and saw the entire plain of the Jordan that it was well watered everywhere, like the garden of HaShem, like the land of Egypt.” He chose from the perspective of what looked best for himself. We probably would have done the same in his shoes. It had a river, irrigation for wonderful soil in which lots of food producing plants and trees grew. That’s what his eyes told him. What he didn’t see was the invisible part G-d saw, the oppression, lack of ethics and perversion of Sodom and Gomorrah that denigrated the life of the people who lived there. An appearance of beauty maybe, but hiding the distorted image of humanity as it lives in bondage and perversion… unlike Gan Eden where the delight of Hashem who is Echad dwells. No distortion, no bondage, no perversion there, but very much like the description of the camp of Israel as G-d sees it, a camp where HaShem can dwell in all His holiness!  Third, it is not enough to see with the eyes of G-d. To hold on to that vision in spite of what our eyes tell us, we must believe Him! Obviously Bilam did not, or he would not have counseled the Midianites to seduce Israel to commit harlotry, something which would cost him his life… Another quick anecdote to illustrate this is in Parashat Shelach. In our story, 12 spies are sent to survey Canaan. All saw the giants and the fortified cities and all saw the agricultural prosperity of the land. But only two, Joshua and Caleb, would see that their protection had been removed by G-d. They saw that because they believed and trusted G-d who had told them so. The other ten did not see it because they did not trust G-d in spite of all the signs and wonders He had done for them, so all they could hold on to in the end was their vision of the giants and the fortified cities! So bringing all this to our modern times, the question that needs to be asked: how do we see the people and the land of Israel today? As G-d sees it? He has not changed His mind! A place He has chosen to dwell in and gives by covenant to His people Israel? or as many see it in their human vision, a land that is no longer ours, that we stole back and cruelly occupy? To answer this question I would like us to Finally consider from Parashat Korach the three different attitudes our sages talked about in “Pirkei Avot” that we should guard our hearts against so we do not fall into the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Could they be the underlying reasons causing many today, as well, to distrust HaShem and be blind to His vision of Israel?

• 1st attitude is: Jealousy – Are we jealous of HaShem’s glory as Korach was jealous of Aaron’s? HaShem has not called us to make a name for ourselves, but for Him! It is not about us, but about Him! We are to be a “light to the nations” so they may know Him too!
• 2^nd attitude is: Covetousness or lust for materialism and comfort – Sometimes life here can be difficult as we try to reestablish ourselves in the land, learn the language and put bread and butter on the table. It may be tempting to remember the comforts of life in the diaspora, forgetting the bondage and oppression that accompanied it, as did Dathan and Abiram. But in our short history since 1948, Israel’s growing prosperity, in the face of enemies surrounding us is nothing short of a miracle of biblical proportion! Do we still doubt HaShem has, will and is able to carry us into our full destiny as a nation?
• 3^rd attitude: Seeking honor from men rather than from HaShem – HaShem honors us by redeeming us as His first born among the nations. Yes, this comes with a responsibility as we are the blueprint from which the nations are to learn the ways of G-d! Are we shirking this great honor and our responsibility to do so, seeking honor from other nations instead, by desiring to be like them and bending over backwards to gain their recognition or approval? And in doing so do we compromise His righteousness, justice, “chesed” and truth and negate our very identity?

If and when we nurse these three attitudes, how can we hold on to HaShem’s beautiful vision Bilam proclaimed to Balak? In conclusion, I just want to say that by guarding our hearts against these three attitudes, I believe we can reverse this unbelief that seems to plague many among our people. Let us therefore not despise our birthright as Esau did his, let us not let the problems of today undermine our faith in G-d but trust that our Father our King is able to bring us through to the final redemption into our true identity as described by G-d through Bilam’s famous “Ma tovu” vision. In the words of the psalmist:  

“O Israel, hope in Adonai, for with Adonai is mercy And with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” Ps130:7-8

 

5 How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!		המַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹֽהָלֶ֖יךָ יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
6 They extend like streams, like gardens by the river, like aloes which the Lord planted, like cedars by the water.		וכִּנְחָלִ֣ים נִטָּ֔יוּ כְּגַנֹּ֖ת עֲלֵ֣י נָהָ֑ר כַּֽאֲהָלִים֙ נָטַ֣ע יְהֹוָ֔ה כַּֽאֲרָזִ֖ים עֲלֵי־מָֽיִם:
7 Water will flow from his wells, and his seed shall have abundant water; his king shall be raised over Agag, and his kingship exalted.		זיִזַּל־מַ֨יִם֙ מִדָּ֣לְיָ֔ו וְזַרְע֖וֹ בְּמַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים וְיָרֹ֤ם מֵֽאֲגַג֙ מַלְכּ֔וֹ וְתִנַּשֵּׂ֖א מַלְכֻתֽוֹ:
8 God, Who has brought them out of Egypt with the strength of His loftiness He shall consume the nations which are his adversaries, bare their bones and dip His arrows [into their blood].		חאֵ֚ל מֽוֹצִיא֣וֹ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם כְּתֽוֹעֲפֹ֥ת רְאֵ֖ם ל֑וֹ יֹאכַ֞ל גּוֹיִ֣ם צָרָ֗יו וְעַצְמֹֽתֵיהֶ֛ם יְגָרֵ֖ם וְחִצָּ֥יו יִמְחָֽץ:
9 He crouches and lies like a lion and like a lioness; who will dare rouse him? Those who bless you shall be blessed, and those who curse you shall be cursed.		טכָּרַ֨ע שָׁכַ֧ב כַּֽאֲרִ֛י וּכְלָבִ֖יא מִ֣י יְקִימֶ֑נּוּ מְבָֽרֲכֶ֣יךָ בָר֔וּךְ וְאֹֽרֲרֶ֖יךָ אָרֽוּר: