Balak 5772

In this week’s parsha the gentile prophet Bilam tries to curse the Jewish people but G-d intervenes and turns his curses into blessings. Our Sages tell us that the prophetic powers of Bilam were equal to those of Moshe (Moses). Both Bilam and Moshe were able to communicate with G-d, but they had different experiences. Torah here says “And G-d chanced upon (vayikar) Bilaam…” whereas Torah says “And He called to (vayikra) Moshe…” (Vayikra/Leviticus 1:1).

The commentators note that the difference in spelling between the words vayikar and vayikra is the letter aleph at the end of Vayikra, where it purposely is written smaller than the other letters. How does the aleph point to the difference between the prophetic experiences of Moshe and Bilam?

Writes Rabbi Naftali Reich on torah.org: “It is possible for two people to have the same experience and yet one will be deeply affected while the other remains indifferent. Everything depends on the mindset. Moses was the quintessential humble man. The tiny aleph symbolizes the insignificance of his ani [“I”], his ego, and this humility and submission to the Creator gave him the receptiveness and clarity of vision to attain true greatness.”

“Bilam, on the other hand, was a pompous, arrogant and selfish fool, and this overwhelming self-absorption clouded his vision and stunted his spiritual growth. For all his wondrous prophetic powers, he remained forever a fool.”  Rabbi Yissocher Frand notes that even when G-d endows a donkey with the power of speech, Bilam fails to recognize the event as miraculous and extraordinary and treats it as if it were an everyday occurrence.    

Writes Rabbi Frand on torah.org: “This sense of being impressed (nispael) is necessary for our service of G-d. The Rambam speaks of a person becoming impressed and overwhelmed with the awe of creation and the wisdom and beauty of nature. This is a sense that we need to develop within ourselves – emotions of love and reverence towards the Creator.”

What costs a person his sense of being impressed? Rav Shimon Schwab suggests “gluttonous indulgence in every passion and lust in the world…enjoying, taking, eating, consuming. He is so consumed with just enjoying himself that nothing gets him excited anymore.”

Observes Rabbi Frand: “Movies have become more and more violent and explicit. Music has become more and more outrageous. The way people talk and the words we hear have become more and more astounding, because nothing makes an impression anymore. As a society, we have lost our sense of wonder. We have become coarsened.” Even our language reflects this change. The word “awesome” has crept into our vernacular to describe perfectly ordinary events.

As parents, we need to protect and maintain the sense of wonder that our young children naturally possess. We must shield them from exposure to words, images and experiences that make them grow up too fast.  As for us, we must find within ourselves the spiritual strength to rise above the distractions of our mundane existence and be receptive to moments of inspiration that have the power to uplift our souls.

Va'eira 5772

In this week’s parsha, Paroh continues to refuse to free the Jewish slaves. G-d sends plagues to convince Paroh to change his mind and release the Jews. Moshe warns the Egyptians before the plagues. Before the seventh plague, hail, Moshe tells them that if they want to save their livestock, they should bring them inside. “The one among Paroh’s servants that feared the word of G-d whisked his servants and livestock indoors.  But the one that paid no heed to G-d’s word left his slaves and livestock in the field.”

After six plagues, one would think that the Egyptians would heed Moshe’s warning. Why did they ignore it?

Midrash identifies “the one that feared the word of G-d” as Iyov and “the one that paid no heed to G-d’s word” as Bilam, two of Paroh’s advisors. We can read about Bilam in Parashat Balak. King Balak hires Bilam to curse the Jews. Upon encountering an angel in the road, Bilam’s donkey refuses to move and miraculously speaks to Bilam, calling attention to the extraordinary event. Rabbi Yissocher Frand sees this as Bilam’s wake-up call that he refuses to heed.

Writes Rabbi Frand: “The Chofetz Chaim points out that the entire episode of Bilam in Torah appears as one long, uninterrupted narrative…with no breaks whatsoever. Why? Because Bilam never stopped to think about what he was doing. He never stopped to take stock and consider the wisdom of his actions…When Moshe issued his warning about the impending hailstorm, Bilam could not be bothered to ‘pay heed’ to it. He was thinking about his own plans, his own agenda. His mind was made up.”

As parents, we are very busy. Despite the advent of modern appliances and new technologies designed to save time and labor -- cars, washing machines, e-mail – we still manage to fill our time and feel as if we have none to spare.  We are more rushed than ever and can barely breathe. We need to slow down, to “pay heed” and think about what is going on. We need to assess our lives to see if we have gone off track.  While this is best done daily, Shabbat is a wonderful opportunity to rest from our busyness and take time for contemplation.