As the recent and troubling news about the IRS and NSA continue to unfold and become considerably more complicated, one aspect of our modern society continuously emerges. When it comes to any perceived (or real) infringement of our self interests: attack first and gather information later.
It's not hard to understand why this is the case. Fragments of news are disseminated at such a rapid pace in the technology and social media age, that every piece of information--no matter how compromised or incomplete--is considered as truth. This reality is a precarious concoction that can swing both ways; society can be elevated, but just as easily denigrated. Sometimes public attack exposes rampant abuse of power and begins a period of reconciliation, and often times innocent individuals become dehumanized tools for hyper-partisan agendas.
The Torah's strange pericope embedded in the Book of Numbers, Parashat Balak, has long vexed commentators and scholars. Why is it here? How does it connect to the preceding and following storyline? From where do these characters emerge? All fascinating areas of exploration. My question: what messages of truth sprout forth from this story of Moabites, sorcerers, and talking donkeys?
As the Israelites travelled the desert and approached Moab, King Balak sensed great danger for his community. He acts on his immediate fear and asks the renowned seer, Balaam, to curse (read: attack with words) the Israelites. Balaam immediately springs into action by asking God for permission to go on this curse-filled journey. God first denies this request but soon after permits Balaam to set forth. What follows is quite remarkable. Each time Balaam looks as though he is going to curse the people, just the opposite happens. He instead offers expansive blessings. This significantly perturbs Balak and he angrily inquires as to why Balaam did not curse as he said he would do. Balaam answers: "I can only repeat faithfully what God puts in my mouth." And this happens three times with slight variation.
Let these words percolate for a moment. "I can only repeat faithfully what God puts in my mouth."
Were it that each of us could sense, intuit, or divine the words that God may place into our mouths. Words that can only manifest as blessings rather than curses. What might we refrain from saying in the heat of any one moment? Who may be spared humiliation and needless anguish before a frightening situation is fully illuminated?
Yet the absence of talking donkeys that perceive God's angels ought not unburden each of us in discovering how our mouths can speak God's message of love, compassion, life, and truth. It may need to be, perhaps, as Reb Mimi Feigelson (the very first woman to be ordained as an orthodox rabbi) describes:
"God sends us postcards every day. The only thing is - they aren't rectangle with a shinny picture on one side and words on the other. God's postcards come in the form and shape of people and events. They come at times in the form of a challenge that demands of us to exit our comfort zone and push ourselves to overcome our inhibitions. At times they manifest in the shape of a hand held out to us with love and care. And sometimes, if we allow ourselves to trust ourselves they come in the form and shape of a new, innovative or creative thought that we have witnessed for the first time."
In this age of attack first and ask thoughtful questions later, let's try to elevate our own awareness to the implications of such speech. Let's take a moment to look, listen, and feel God's postcard urging for dignity. Let's imagine ourselves primarily as blessers rather than cursers.
Shabbat Shalom.