מַה־טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל - How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel!
Balak, fearing the approaching B’nei Yisroel, hired Bilaam to curse B’nei Yisroel. The hope was that the curse would be effective in rendering B’nei Yisroel powerless to proceed. Indeed, it may have worked if Hashem had not intervened. Bilaam had a power with his words to be able to affect people and entire nations. Hashem, though, caused the opposite of Bilaam’s thoughts to emerge from his mouth and instead of curses, he ended up conferring blessings onto the Jewish nation.
Our Sages tell us that even though Bilaam’s words were changed and that limited his power, ultimately much of his evil intentions would wreak havoc on the Jews and the curses he had in mind did come true. The exception to this is the aforementioned pasuk. The tents and dwelling places of B’nei Yisroel maintained their blessings. Which tents and which dwelling places are blessed? What places are the pasuk referring to? The Batei K’neisseous and Batei Medrashos – the shuls and study halls of Klal Yisroel. They alone remained intact. Blessing flows forth from them.
Later commentators understand that all of the stories of the Torah play out in ourselves and our lives, as well. The character of Pharoah was not only a figure of long ago, but there is an element of our egos that goes through the same motions as he did. There is a part of oneself where we recognize Hashem’s might when we go through times of difficulty, where we pledge to honor our commitments- and then we slip back into our daily routines and old paths once we find relief.
Change and transition has a way of bringing up fears. Fear has a way of translating into verbal attacks. Harsh words have a way of bringing about hurt, pain, and curse. We can play out the parts of Balak and Bilaam, and sometimes it’s hard to find our way out of it.
Where can we find blessing? Where can we heal? In our shuls and batei midrash. When we gather together as a unit. When we recognize that my goal is the same as my neighbor’s. When we align ourselves to the Will of Our Creator and realize that what we all really desire is to experience Hashem’s Presence. We want to have harmony in our lives. We want peace and we want to grow.
As I spoke about last week, we are very excited to be able to create a space where we can all grow together. Beth Joseph has its sights on a reality where everyone has a place and where it will be home to all the dreams, aspirations, and ideals we have. We share a vision that we will come together as a community, each person bringing their talents and ideas, each person contributing to a beautiful entity where Hashem’s Presence will rest and blessing will flow forth.
Together with the Council and the committee chairs, I look forward to a future where the families of Beth Joseph come together to celebrate accomplishments, milestones, and simchos. A future where we come together to unite in heartfelt Tefillah, stimulating Torah, and rewarding Gemilas Chassadim. A future where everyone is glad of each other’s successes and we encourage each other to strive ever higher!
Have a wonderful Shabbos!
Rabbi Sholom Twerski
Written by Rabbi Sholom Twerski
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