Thoughts for Balak

There are many curious things about this sedra.  The idea of a non-Jewish prophet prominent in Torah is unusual, to be sure.  The fact that God may choose the most unlikely messengers to praise, bless, and foretell the future of Israel is a very important observation.  We typically fall into a pattern of thinking we know the conditions and requirements that qualify someone to give us insight into Hashem’s holy Torah.  Along comes Bilaam (why do translators call him Balaam, when the vowel under the letter bet is a hirik?!  End of rant.) and reminds us that, to paraphrase Rav Dessler, when the moment requires it, God ignores the seeming value of the means/messengers; and great things may come about through people or means that appear to us to be unsuited to the task.

What a humbling notion.  We study Hashem’s Torah so diligently, so sincerely.  We think we have a grasp on how ‘things should be’.  Then the Hand behind history surprises us.  Surprise?  Only because we were arrogant enough to fall into that trap of thinking we thoroughly know God’s agenda and how it should run.  Thinking back to a recent parsha, this is one of the discussions of the sin of the spies.  They didn’t want us to enter the Land of Israel because they thought they knew better what the ideal reality for Israel should be.  Yet, our responsibility is to inquire and learn as deeply and well as we can, and then to act on that understanding.  But we always have to leave a little corner of humility open in our hearts and minds.  Maybe there’s more.  Maybe there are ‘surprises’.

And so Bilaam.  We understand learning Torah, instruction regarding God’s will for us, from Moses and Aharon.  We understand Joshua as a worthy successor.  But Bilaam?!  Bilaam.

Let’s look at a couple of examples where Bilaam, speaking for Hashem, maybe surprises us.

Today, with all the world castigating Israel and gnashing their teeth and thrashing their swords every time the Jewish state acts legitimately (and carefully) to protect itself and its interests; we find simultaneously Jews knocking themselves out to think of ways to appease all the other nations and make them love us.  Bilaam foretold (23:9), ‘they are a people that will dwell alone, and among the nations won’t be considered.’  But, we want to fit in!  We want to be liked and accepted!  Maybe that isn’t our role, nor our destiny.  To be respected, yes.  We have to be respected before we can see a fulfillment of the prophet’s words (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 2:2-3).  But note that Isaiah also says there ‘the mountain of the house of God will be established above all the mountains’.  Even then, not exactly ‘one of the crowd’.  Individually, too, a Jew who lives by the Torah’s principles and commandments has to know that s/he doesn’t completely fit in.  Hence, the true seeker of Godly truth and experience is characterized by Rav Soloveitchik as a Lonely Man of Faith.  A nation which uniquely pursues a holy path of the covenant from Sinai, who forges ahead as pioneers in humanity’s relationship with God; cannot also expected to fit in and be one of the crowd.  Bilaam’s words come to guide us, to comfort us; but also to remind us that the path of ‘fitting in’ isn’t meant for us, and is likely to be a mistaken path.

Another example of the surprises Bilaam has in store for us concerns the final redemption that we all pray for and talk about.  Do we really have an idea of what the final redemption may entail?  (Parenthetically, I recently read Rabbi Gideon Rothstein’s novel, Murderer in the Mikdash.  He does a very nice job of potentially shaking our assumptions about the messianic era.)  Bilaam tells us (24:17) ‘a star arises from Yaakov,  and a tribe (ruler?) from Israel.’  The holy Or Hahaim (Rav Haim ibn Attar) writes in his commentary here, ‘this entire prophecy speaks of the messianic king.’  The Or Hahaim tells us, based on the words of our sages, that there are really two possibilities for the redemptive/messianic process.  If the final redemption occurs as a result of Israel’s merits ‘it will be a wondrous thing, and the redeemer of Israel will be revealed from Heaven with signs and wonders as mentioned in the Zohar.’  But, if the redemption comes about in due time, and Israel are not worthy ‘it will be in another manner.’ ‘About this it is said that the redeemer will come like a poor man riding an ass.’  Further on, the Or Hahaim describes a bit more how this will appear, ‘and a tribe will arise from Israel, meaning that a particular tribe (group?) will arise from Israel in the way that uprisings occur in the world, appearing to be a natural occurance.’

How often have we heard religious criticism of modern Zionism, claiming that this isn’t the manner that the final redemption and coming of Mashiah is supposed to occur?  Here we see, alluded to in Bilaam’s words, as the holy Or Hahaim explains, there are indeed multiple possibilities for the final redemption of the people Israel.  Yes, to be sure the preferred manner is for us to be worthy of a speedy, miraculous redemption.  But the Divine plan includes possibilities we don’t enough consider.  Sometimes, as Bilaam himself shows us, ‘great things may come about through people or means that appear to us to be unsuited to the task.’

May we all be worthy of seeing Hashem’s hand, and appreciating His plan.

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