In this week’s Torah reading, Balak, King Balak of Moab retains the sorcerer Balaam to curse the Israelite people. Instead of curses, only blessings come out of his mouth—including prophecies concerning the Messianic redemption. Moabite women entice some of the Israelites to sin, resulting in a plague amongst the Jews. Phinehas zealously kills two of the high-ranking offenders, and the plague comes to an end.
Let’s read from the parsha:
Num 24:1 When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.
Num 24:2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him,
Num 24:3 and he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
Num 24:4 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:
Num 24:5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!
Num 24:6 Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters.
The following is based on an article by Tali Loewenthal.
Near the beginning of the daily prayer book there is a passage from this week’s Torah reading. The Torah tells how Balaam, a gentile with spiritual power, tried to curse the Israelite people. Each time, God forced him to give a blessing instead.
This happened twice. The third time was different. Balaam, standing on a hilltop overlooking the camp of the Israelites, underwent a temporary change of heart. He himself was moved to give them a blessing: How good are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places oh Israel.
Rashi’s (11’th century) commentary speculates as to why Balaam was so moved by the sight of the tents of the Israelite. From the way they were pitched he could sense an atmosphere of modesty and privacy. From the entrance of one tent you could not see inside the entrance of any other. It was clear to Balaam that in this nation, there was great respect for the integrity of family life and for the sanctity of the person.
The opening words of Balaam’s blessing entered the prayer book as I mentioned, and have been repeated daily for thousands of years by Jews all over the world.
The ideal of modesty applies to both men and women. It relates to clothes, behavior, speech and thought. Why is modesty such an important Biblical concept?
A basic human perception is the idea that something holy is also something special, kept apart, reserved, even hidden. For example, due to the holiness of the Temple, one could not always go there, and certain areas were restricted to kohanim, the Priests. The Holy of Holies could be entered only once a year, on Yom Kippur, and then only by the High Priest.
Similarly a Torah Scroll is generally kept hidden. It is kept wrapped in its mantle or silver case in the Ark, unless it is actually being read in the synagogue. If for some reason it has to be taken from one location to another, it is usually wrapped in a tallit.
These images suggest ways that we might respect the sanctity of the human body, created in the Divine Image, with the task to make the world a dwelling for the Divine.
Today we live in an era of communication. This is a very positive aspect of our society. Yet communication needs to have limits. The idea that one can reveal everything and say anything can be of great value in appropriate situations. Yet, used unwisely, it can also be harmful to the basic sanctity of the human being and the world.
It is a simple fact of life that modesty is particularly at risk when one is in a tent. Yet it was the modesty expressed by the Tents of Jacob which impressed Balaam, and transformed his desire to curse into the desire to give a blessing.
Our role, like it or not, is to be an example to an immodest world. The Torah describes how, thousands of years ago, the virtues of modesty and privacy expressed by the Israelite camp impressed a non-believer. Through affirming these same values now, we can make an impression on our world. By taking care how we dress, how we talk, and how we keep our private lives private we can bring Godliness to the place where God has placed us.
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