Balak – 5779
Balak - 5779
Numbers 22:2 – 25:9
“Mah Tovu Ohalecha Ya’akov, mishkenotecha Yisrael – How goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places O Israel!” [Num. 24:5]
With these words the pagan prophet Balaam blessed the people of Israel, despite his commission from King Balak to send a destructive curse instead. How do we make sense of these words, coming from a man who was no friend of the Israelites, and later plotted their destruction through other means? Why does God force Balaam to bless Israel instead of inviting Moses or Aaron to do so? Why is Balaam’s blessing enshrined in our prayer books and chanted each morning as we gather to pray, to frame our experience of worship?
One possibility, developed by the medieval rabbinic commentators, speaks to the idea that our greatness comes because we are different from all other peoples, and we must be diligent to maintain our distinctiveness. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, however, offers a different interpretation – turning instead to the words of another anti-Semite (at least according to the poet W.H. Auden), G.K. Chesterton, who famously described America as “a nation with the soul of a church” and “the only nation in the world founded on a creed.” Rabbi Saks continues:
“That is, in fact, precisely what made Israel different – and America’s political culture, as historian Perry Miller and sociologist Robert Bellah pointed out, is deeply rooted in the idea of biblical Israel and the concept of covenant. Ancient Israel was indeed founded on a creed, and was, as a result, a nation with the soul of a religion.”
Most every other nation formed out of practical circumstances – functions of demographics, geography, economics and similar concerns. Israel, however, received the Torah (our effective constitution) in the wilderness of Sinai, forty years before establishing ourselves in the Promised Land. We are a covenant people, governed by ideals and values, faith and hope – and regardless of our demographic conditions have born witness to this, our way of life, for thousands of years.
Rabbi Saks notes that Balaam was right in describing Israelite exceptionalism and notes the irony of Chesterton’s similar description of American exceptionalism. I agree and would also suggest that this exceptionalism is but a step along the way. The goal is that all nations, regardless of how they originated, be governed by principles and ideals of freedom and justice like those which permeate both Torah and the American Constitution. Of course, for that to happen, we must all be diligent – just as the medieval rabbis warned – lest we lose what we have so generously been given.
Chukat – 5779
Chukat - 5779
Numbers 20: 1-29
On these hot days, we can all relate to what it’s like to be thirsty. It was no different for the Israelites traveling in the wilderness in the area now known as Kadesh. Moses and Aaron’s sister Miriam, the Prophetess, who was one of the Israelite’s spiritual leaders has just died, and simultaneously all the wells and springs have appeared to have dried up. Miriam is often associated with water and it seems to be more than coincidental that when Miriam dies, the reserves of water dry up. Her death causes a drought.
The people complain to Moses and Aaron and Moses turns to God. God gives Moses and Aaron seemingly simple instructions: Assemble the community, debartem el haSeleh: Speak to the rock and before their very eyes order the rock to yield its water.
So, Moses assembles the people and he says, “Listen, you rebels, Shall we get water from this rock?” Then he struck the rock two times. Instantly, copious amounts of water began to stream out.” But God then says to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me well enough to affirm My Sanctity in the sight of the Israelite people, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them.”
What happened here? After all that Moses has done for the people, after a lifetime of service to God, he hits a rock instead of speaking to it, and suddenly he is punished for not being able to see his vision realized—he is not able to enter the very Promised Land he has been leading the people towards for 40 years?! The punishment doesn’t seem to fit the crime.
In trying to explain what it is that he did wrong, medieval commentator Moses Maimonides explains that he exhibited anger in the language he used—calling the people rebels and using violence and physicality instead of using his voice. He explains that for this he was punished and was no longer able to model good leadership.
Another commentator, Nachmanides, explains that he was punished because Moses took the credit for the miraculous act rather than attributing it to God. Moses says, “Shall we get you water from this rock”, as if to say Moses and Aaron were responsible.
Either way, it seems to suggest that Moses was burned out and that it was time for new leadership. Rabbi Shai Held, the head of Mechon Hadar, a Modern Jewish Yeshiva, explains that “you cannot lead people you distain, and you cannot guide people you no longer really see. According to Numbers, Moses has lost the ability to respond empathically even to this stiff-necked people. When anger crowds out the possibility of empathy, it is time for a new leader.”
To me, this is a reminder of how important it is to remain connected to the people you represent and to not see yourselves as more powerful or removed from their situation. Shouldn’t Moses have needed the same water that the Israelites needed—weren’t they on the journey together? How can we remember to be empathetic, understanding, and patient with the people we lead and work? This is true also with, our parents, our children, and with our neighbors. It is so easy to make a quick decision without really considering the consequences and even act in a manner that we will later regret. Sometimes it’s the smallest things we do that have the greatest impact – for better or for worse.
Korach – 5779
Korach - 5779
Numbers 16:1 – 18:32
If the first part of the book of Numbers is about making plans to keep things in order, this middle part is about how life gets messy. Last week the Israelites were condemned to 40 years of wandering the in wilderness because they let their fears trump their faith, panicking after the report of the 12 spies. Then, in direct violation of God’s command, they attacked the Canaanites they previously thought of as “giants” and suffered a devastating defeat.
This week a challenger to Moses’ leadership arises. Korach, a member of Moses’ own tribe, attempts to set himself up as the next leader with a two part “stump speech.” First, he describes all of Israel as holy, and suggests that they deserve better than Moses. Second, he accuses Moses of nepotism, imposing his and Aaron’s leadership upon the people (conveniently ignoring God’s role in all of this) and suggests that the people should choose their own leader – one who would be better than Moses (meaning Korach).
Let’s review some facts about what has already happened up to this point. First, before God chose Moses, the Israelites suffered generations of slavery in Egypt. Second, Moses was the reluctant leader of the Israelites, chosen against his wishes by God at the Burning Bush. Third, God demonstrated Divine power and faith with Israel through the Plagues, parting the Reed Sea and the Revelation at Sinai. Fourth, the troubles the Israelites suffered in last week’s portion were a direct result of their own actions, not Moses.
Yet this week, Korach implies that everything is Moses’ fault. And the Israelites listen.
Even after God causes the ground to swallow Korach and his followers alive, the Israelites continue to murmur against Moses. Once again, God decides to the destroy the people, and once again Moses comes to their rescue.
Why does this pattern repeat itself? Why can’t the Israelites seem to grasp the reality of their circumstances?
Last week’s Torah portion explored how fear and other strong negative emotions can distort our perceptions and lead to poor decisions. This week we see how misleading language can be toxic. Korach plays on the fears of the people in his grab for power, but he does something else as well: he uses innuendo to suggest falsehood and spread rumors. The rabbis call this lashon hara, “the evil tongue,” and consider it the worst of all possible sins because of its insidious nature. They understood that even if people only believe half of what they hear, they still believe half of what they hear.
I once heard of a psychological study (I think it was done in the 60s or 70s) where a group of public elementary school teachers were told (at random) over the summer break which of their incoming students were good and which were trouble. To the horror of the researchers, the random prediction played out perfectly during the school year, as the teachers subconsciously treated each student according to what they had been told. The experiment was stopped, and the students reassigned, and the results were devastating.
Korach cynically used lashon hara and fear mongering to grab political power. While in other places in the Torah it is acceptable to challenge authority, even God’s authority, Korach is destroyed for his rebellion. The difference is simple and striking. When Abraham and Moses challenge God, they do so on behalf of others and for l’shem hashamayim (for the sake of heaven), not for their own personal gain. They are rewarded, Korach is punished. Torah could not be clearer: leadership is a form of service, not a tool for self-aggrandizement.
Yet, just one day after Korach was killed, the Israelites still repeated his lies and murmured against Moses. Korach’s lies not only brought ruin upon himself but were so insidious that they continued to infect Israel even after his death – obfuscating them from seeing the truth. As Rabbi Samuel ben Nachman put it: “Gossip kills three: the speaker, the spoken of, and the listener.” (BeMidbar Rabbah 19.2)
Some political leaders have followed Korach’s playbook for as long as there have been political leaders. Communities always suffer as a result.
Torah reminds us that the ‘end does not justify the means,’ but that the means determines the end. How we act determines who we become; how we govern ourselves determines who we become as a community.
We cannot leave this lesson unlearned: “When people do not appreciate a good leader, they get a wicked leader.” (Sefer Hasidim 13C, #225)