Balak
July 12, 2008
The story we read in our Torah portion today is very clear. Balak, the king of Moav, sent messengers to the prophet, Bilam because he wanted him to curse the Israelites. Balak was afraid that the Israelites would kill him the way they killed Og and Sihon, kings of Bashan and Heshvon. He chose Bilam because it was known that Bilam was a master prophet. Those whom he blessed were, in fact, blessed and those whom he cursed were actually cursed. At first Bilam is told by God, the Israelite God, that he could not go to Balak to curse the Israelites because they were a blessed people. But after Bilam’s ego was sufficiently stroked by Balak’s ministers, he decided to take the job. God said that was all right as long as Bilam said only what God told him to say.
Bilam arrived at the mountain where Balak was settled. He stood on top of the mountain overlooking the Israelites’ camp. He opened his mouth to curse them. But instead of cursing them, he began to bless them. Balak was, of course, very angry and insisted that Bilam try again, which he did. But again another blessing. Finally he tried one last time and here is what happened:
‘Now, Bilam, seeing that it pleased Adonai to bless Israel, turned his face toward the wilderness. As Bilam lifted his eyes and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him…and he said…How pleasant are your tents, Jacob, Your dwellings, Israel! Like winding brooks, like gardens by the river’s side, as aloes which Adonai has planted, and like cedar trees beside the waters…his kingdom shall be exalted…Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.’ (Numbers 24:1-9)
We might ask what it was in this camp, in these tents that Bilam found to praise.
Our sages explain that the impermanent tents of the Israelites were pitched around the Mishkan, the permanent dwelling place of the tablets and of God. Bilam saw that the openings of the tents were lined up so that the entrance to each tent was private. They were arranged this way to respect the modesty and high moral code the Israelites lived by. Bilam had never seen any people living in this holy a way and was moved by God to bless the Israelites.
From this understanding of what Bilam saw, the rabbis wrote in the Mishnah in Bava Batra (3:7) about the obligation to respect the right for each person to have privacy in their homes:
‘In a jointly held courtyard, a man may not build a door directly opposite another’s door, or a window directly opposite another’s window; if the window was small, he may not make it larger; if it was a single window, he may not make it into two.’
We understand from this that no matter where we lived, under whose rule, with what restrictions, we Jews made sure that the spirit inside of our homes was holy and respectful.
We can further this understanding of holiness in our homes to mean that a Jewish home should be a place not only where families dwell but where God also dwells. It’s a home where Jewish morals and values are practiced; where a mezuzah is placed on the doorpost; where there are Jewish art, books and movies; where people learn about Judaism together. Even though we have synagogues and schools, the Jewish home has always been the center of Jewish life so that our religion is passed on from generation to generation.
We begin our morning prayers every day by singing "Ma Tovu" - "How pleasant are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel." It is this daily recitation that helps us remember that our permanent and impermanent homes must always be places where we are comfortable being Jews, where our children are also comfortable being Jews.
The objects we bring into our homes; the kind of food we bring into our homes; the conversations we have as we go through our days with our families—all these are statements about what Judaism means to us. Let’s remember how many things in the world there are to take us away from the importance of being Jewish and living a Jewish life. Let’s bring as much as we can into our homes that reminds us of the power, beauty and holiness of Judaism.