Hukkat and Balaak ~ June 30, 2023

Moses’ hitting of the rock demanding water for the Children of Israel, rather than speaking to it, is one of the stories that always meets our eyes when we read the chapters of Hukkat and Balak. There is the fanciful story of the prophet Balaam and his talking donkey which ends with Balaam blessing the Israelite encampment. His words we recite whenever we enter the sanctuary and see the aron hakodesh, the Ark with the torot within. We say: “Ma tovu ohalecha Yaakov, mishkenotecha Yisrael, “How Goodly are your tents oh Jacob, your dwelling places, oh Israel.” And finally, the death of Miriam and Aaron are forefront in the chapters of our Torah reading for this Shabbat. 

Some of our congregants have recently made trips to visit places in Europe and Israel. And I am certain that same feeling of awe and excitement was what they felt as they arrived at some of the great places of our world. They were awe struck by the architecture or sensed a spiritual presence as they approached an ancient religious site. And, I am certain that while they might not have uttered the words of Balaam, there were certainly words of expressing how beautiful the sites they had come upon were. And then there is one family who returned to see their family’s towns and homes from the time of the Holocaust. I am equally certain that their feelings were quite different, and quite appropriate.

In a similar vein, how sad it was that recently, just outside of Disney World in Orlando, FL, neo-Nazi protestors stood with Nazi flags protesting Disney’s statement on LGBTQ2+. While families with young children were in line to enter the theme park’s parking lots, they were now being forced to explain to their children about the flags and protestors, or simply try to get their children to ignore such a hateful message. Needless to say, we are quite aware that these symbols are clearly statements of anti-Semitism beyond proportion. These same individuals held up signs “…….. 2024 Make America Florida.” Acclaimed, and proud to be Jewish, three-time Grammy Award winner, Pink, said it best when she tweeted out: ““ARE YOU …. KIDDING ME????!!!!!!!!”  (number of dots are specific to letters of a word.)

Jewish comedian Rosanne Barr, on the other hand, just the other day made the following totally disturbing and despicable comment on the podcast This Past Weekend on June 14: “Nobody died in the Holocaust. That’s the truth. It should happen. Six million Jews should die right now cause they cause all the problems in the world. But it never happened. But it never happened – Mandated.” (Jerusalem Post June 27,2023) Barr was attempting to prove that there are truths that need to be recognized based on the election in 2022.  And we now know that she is a Holocaust denier, despite the truths that the world knows, and experienced, first-hand. One would have thought that she might have learned a thing or two from when, a few years ago, she was dismissed by her own television show for words of hate that she expressed.

In our Torah reading for this Shabbat we read that Balak, king of Moab, engaged the non-Jewish prophet Balaam to curse the Israelite nation as they crossed near his territory during the journey in the wilderness. Balaam, who was a prophet of God, was stopped both by his donkey and by an angel who stood in the path of his speaking donkey. Several times, Balaam tried to find a way to fulfill the Balaak’s request, but he was foiled. The fanciful story of the donkey is most known where Balaam’s donkey stops in the path and refuses to move. Unbeknownst to prophet, the donkey’s path is blocked by an angel of God. Frustrated, Balaam beats the donkey. The third time, the donkey is given the ability to speak, saying, “Haven’t I always been faithful, always heeding to your requests?” And then the angel of God appeared and Balaam understood.  As the story continues, while Balaam reaches near the site of the Israelite encampment, he finds himself unable to curse them. Instead he offers words of blessing, seeing not only the majesty and awe of the Mishkan, the Holy Tent of Meeting, in the center of the camp and the tents in an orderly fashion. But, what really impressed him was how none of the entrances or windows from one tent looked on to the tent of its neighbor.

The placement of the tents, and the respect and privacy due each household, formed Balaam’s curse into a blessing.  While, at this moment, it is only a hope and a prayer, perhaps we can use the message of this fanciful story to teach those in our community, and country, how to deepen our interaction in a positive way with one another in a respectful and honest manner.

Shabbat shalom and I hope you have a Happy 4^th of July.

Rabbi K