Engrained Values-Balak

 

Engrained Values
Parshat Balak

Of all the stories of the Torah, one of the most beautiful and inspiring is that of this week's Parshah, the story of Balak and Bilaam. The Torah tells us how Balak was the king of Moav and had a deep rooted hatred for the Jewish people. When the kingdoms of Sichon and Og fell to the Jews, he was convinced that he had to do something to protect himself from the Jewish advance. After inquiring about what was the special strength of the Jewish leader Moshe, he was told "his power is in the words of his mouth". Hence, he hired Bilaam, the famous non-Jewish prophet to come and curse the Jews.

Notwithstanding G-d's instruction to Bilaam that he would only be allowed to speak the words that G-d would place in his mouth, Bilaam hoped for an opportunity to curse and cause irreparable damage. In an extraordinary turn of events, G-d places blessings in Bilaam's mouth and he is forced to bless the Jewish people, not once, but three separate times.

The most famous of these blessings is the third one. The Torah tells us (Bamidbar 24:5)
Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yakov Mishkenotecha Yisrael - How goodly are your tents, O Yackov, your dwelling places, O Israel".

The commentaries (Sanhedrin 105) give multiple explanations of these beautiful words, including how they refer to the study of Torah of both laypeople (Ohalecha), those that periodically study Torah, and the scholars who are constantly studying Torah (Mishkenotecha).

Rashi commentary brings the Midrashic explanation that when Bilaam saw the dwellings of the Jewish people he was moved. Even though there were so many families and tents in the Jewish camp, each tent was set up in a way that faced away from the other tent's entrance to afford privacy and Tzniyut. This quality of modesty and sensitivity to each other was what touched the wicked man Bilaam.

Our sages tell us in the Talmud (Yevamos 79a) that "the Jewish people are blessed with three innate engrained qualities. They are Bishanim-bashful (modest), Rachmanim-compassionate, and Gomlei Chasadim-do acts of kindness". These three qualities are something that has been at the forefront of Jewish education by parents and teachers, since the beginning of our people. They define us as Jews.

It is quite remarkable that of all the qualities that the Jewish people have, including prayer, dedication, belief and trust in G-d, Bilaam was most touched by the Modesty portrayed by the Jewish encampment. 

Often, we focus so much on the education of our children, their erudition, scholarship, grades etc. extra curricular activities etc. and forget about the fundamental Middot (Character traits) that we must instill in them from a young age. These Middot become second nature and part and parcel of who they are and will be. While all the other educational aspects are extremely important, it is the fundamentals that truly shape us into who we are. For the Jewish people and their encampment, modesty wasn't something they "were doing", but rather, part of their internal make-up. Living in a modest and respectful way was just who they were. This greatly inspired the wicked Bilaam.

Perhaps, the lesson we can derive is always to remember that engraining within our children the fundamental Middot and behaviors, truly does become second nature to them, and will shape who they will become.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Y. Marrus