Art by Rivka Korf Studio
A WEEKLY TORAH THOUGHT FROM RABBI MORDY
We read a very interesting episode in this week’s Torah portion (Parshat Balak) regarding Balak, a king who feared the Jewish people and therefore hired Bala’am, a prophet, to curse them. Bala’am was unable to do so because, in keeping with the rules of prophecy, he opened his mouth and was only able to utter that which was divinely ordained. In an ironic twist, only blessings emanated.
One of the blessings Bala’am graced was, “How good are your tents, oh Jacob…” This has actually been placed in common liturgy in morning prayers; regardless of the messenger, the message is now quite popular! But what does it mean? Classically, we translate this blessing to show that the Jewish people had encamped in an especially modest way. Their tent entrances wouldn’t face another’s directly so as to ensure that people’s privacy was kept as such. But I saw something else that serves as a lesson. It wasn’t just that their entrances didn’t face another for modesty, but that ideally, we should not be looking “inside another’s tent.” This means that we should stay focused on our own lives, our own situations, (obviously not referring to caring about other rather) and not constantly be peering at another to see what they’re up to. In short, there’s no need to feel compelled to “keep up with the Joneses.” Sure, we can’t help but see on Instagram about someone’s recent vacation or new car, but we must realize that ideally, we must operate as did the Jews in the desert. To realize our own G-d-given potential, we are reminded to focus on ourselves and not on keeping up with our neighbors. This lesson will put us in a happier place as well. Good Shabbos!
