Timeless Torah

While it may be true that, “All is fair in love and war,” nonetheless, at least the latter usually follows certain rules of engagement. Of course, one utilizes everything at one’s disposal to be victorious, whether it be superior position, manpower, materiel or intelligence. This is what the poets lyrically refer to as the art of war, and the generals call strategy. From this week’s Biblical reading, it seems that even sorcerers and wizards who are battling an enemy are forced to devise some sort of military game-plan.
Thus we come across the case of Bilaam who had a notorious reputation for curses that never failed. This time however, his ability to cast spells didn’t work. Yes, he tried (we might add, for a large fee) to curse the Jewish nation, but each time Bilaam opened his mouth blessings and not curses were emitted. Frustrated, our necromancer exclaimed, “How can I curse when G-d is not angry.”
But as unhappy as Bilaam was, his paymaster was furious. Balak, king of Moav who had done the hiring, flew into a rage each time the mission failed. Finally Balak tried another strategy, one which has no equal in the long annals of military history. “Come with me to a different place,” he said to Bilaam. “From there you will see them; however, you will see its edge and not all of it, and you will curse it for me from there.” Thankfully for our ancestors, that didn’t work either.
I have a difficult time understanding the new battle plan. What’s the difference if the ancient magician were to see all of Israel, or if he would stand in a place that only offered a partial view? Would a curse be more effective if Israel was seen from a deficient perspective?
A pious and multi-talented Jewish scholar was placed on trial in a small Polish town. The charges, brought by a local miscreant, were based on some trumped-up complaint. The young sage was beloved to his townsfolk as he served them in so many ways. First and foremost, he was the village Rabbi, and because funds were scarce, he also performed the duties of the shochet (ritual slaughterer), chazzan (cantor), and cheder (school) teacher. Thus, many people in town were worried, as Jewish services had come to a complete halt. Young children were running in the streets, there was no meat for the Shabbat table, and even weddings had to be out on hold.
The trial was presided over by a notoriously anti-Semitic judge, who mockingly referred to our protagonist as “Mr. Butcher”. In fact as the kangaroo court kept progressing, the judge kept up a steady stream of insults calling the esteemed spiritual leader, “Butcher, meat vendor and slaughterer.” Eventually, the scholar was given permission to respond. “Your honor,” he began, “before I begin my defense, I’d like to clarify one point. I serve in many capacities. The townspeople people know me as ‘Rabbi’, some of the congregants hail me as ‘Cantor’. The school children address me as ‘Teacher’. It is only the animals who call me ‘Butcher’!”
The commentaries explain that Bilaam knew that the power of his curses would only take effect by first finding a small breach in the beauty of Israel. He looked at the entire nation and could not find any flaw to amplify upon to use as a starting point for his curses.
So the Moabite ruler suggested another ploy, one that would be followed for generations by all our future detractors. “Look at them,” Balak said, “but from a particular angle, one that is fragmented and deficient. See only some of them and not all of them, and then you will be able to curse them.”
Balak thus told Bilaam to concentrate on finding those individuals who are exceptions to the world’s most ethical and moral of nations. With that jaundiced perspective he would certainly discover Jews who were guilty of serious crimes and improprieties. Sadly enough, even we oftentimes judge our fellow Jews using the same incomplete looking glass. We dissect our neighbors and emphasize their character flaws as if they represent the entire person.
So whether it be your local wizard, anti-semitic authority, or brother-in-law who has a tendency to see others through the prism of a broken lens, be prepared for their biased description and vile curses. But ultimately, even Bilaam could not find the breach that he was looking for: Because Israel as a nation, as well as each individual Jew, cannot be judged by anything less than a total picture. In fact, a complete look at our people produces what the artists call a “Classic” and what our Father in heaven calls, “My Masterpiece.”