Straight From The Heart

In this week's parsha we are introduced to an interesting character - Bilaam. Bilaam was a gentile prophet who hired himself to kings to curse their enemies, and thereby cause their downfall. His curses were indeed effective, and as such, Balak the king of Moav summoned him to curse the Children of Israel who were camping uncomfortably close to his territory.

G-d did not allow Bilaam to curse the Children of Israel, as he states himself. "can I say anything (on my own)? Only that which G-d places in my mouth shall I speak." Instead, each time he set out to curse them he blessed them. "How good are your tents (nation) of Yaakov, your dwelling places Yisroel." (Numbers 24:5) What exactly was Bilaam noticing? What was so good about the tents of the Israelite nation? Rashi (11th century) explains that the tents were situated in their encampments such, that the doorways did not face each other. This was done for the sake of privacy.

There are two important values which we gain from this knowledge. Firstly, the Torah praises the Children of Israel for keeping private things private. In counter distinction to modern western culture where all dirty laundry is washed in public, the Torah attitude is that not everything is for the public eye. Some things are meant to remain known only within the community, or the family, or between husband and wife. When everything intimate is public knowledge, it violates the goodness of the tents of Yaakov. Secondly, we see that the nation of Israel voluntarily situated their tents such that they should not violate the privacy of their neighbors. That means that _they_ were not interested in their neighbor's business. They possessed the emotional refinement to prefer not to know "interesting" things about the people around them. This is a trait which requires cultivation and maturity.

A second observation about this parsha is regarding the personality of Bilaam. Bilaam was ostensibly a very religious man. Throughout the parsha he insists that he can only speak the words which Hashem his G-d allows him to speak. He brings sacrifices, he prophecies. Yet in all he is considered an extremely depraved individual. He cursed entire nations for money. The commentaries note that he practiced bestiality. He construed G-d's admonishment not to go with Balak's men to curse the Jews as a statement that these men were not honorable enough to escort him. I believe the Torah is conveying to us that it is not enough to be religious on a cognitive or even an emotional level. One's actions must complement the thoughts, the feelings, and the relationship. Bilaam's actions did not reflect his close relationship with his creator. 

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