Parashat Balak

Dennis Bueno de Mesquita

“The Jew has made a marvelous flight in the world, in all ages: and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away… The Jew saw them all, beat them… All things are mortal but the Jew: all other forces pass, but he remains.” (Mark Twain, Concerning the Jews, written March 1898)

Strange to open a Dvar Tora with such words, is as strange as our Parasha is documented within the whole of Tora. The obvious answer given is: “There has arisen no prophet in Israel comparable to Moshe (Devarim 34-10) – “but in the gentile world there has arisen. And who is he? Bil’am the son of Be’or”, answers Yalkut Shimoni 996.

The Talmud in Berachot 12B relates that the Sages contemplated of incorporating Parashat Balak into the daily prayers, alongside the recitation of Shema! With these exact words:
“בקשו לקבוע פרשת בלק בקריאת שמע” – “They sought to establish the portion of Balak in the reading of the Shema”.

First, the Talmud almost never speaks about a specific Parasha with its name! When the Talmud discusses which portions to read for the Chagim for specific purposes, to set a good example, one goes over to Tractate Megilla Chapter 4 and one will see none of the names would be the precise Parasha-name as we give to our weekly portion.

Second, what were the Sages thinking of incorporating Parashat Balak alongside the Shema? Leave out that the Sages didn’t incorporated the portion, because of the burden it would impose on the congregation to read such a lengthy portion. The question is still a valid one! Aren’t there more fitting parts? Do we davka need to have a portion called Balak within the Tora? With the sorcerer Bil’am blessing us? We would think: “Es passcht nicht!”

Let’s have a look into one of the parables of Bil’am:
“כרע שכב כארי, וכלביא מי יקימנו?” “He (Israel) crouched and lay down like a lion, and like a lion cub. Who dares rouse him” (Bamidbar 24-9). A beautiful metaphor describing the timeless strength and vitality of the Jewish people. Okay, back to the question what is justifying that alongside Shema, this would be one of the many Pesukim to be incorporated in the Shema?

A page further, Berachot 13A, the Sages teach what we all know: the first part of Shema is to express God’s unity, the second part is the acceptance of the Mitzwot, the third part is “an example” of one of the many Mitzwot. The missing link here is: Who would be the advocacy of God’s unity? Who is willing to accept the yoke of the Mitzwot? And furthermore: under which difficulties would continue with her duties?

The lion sleeps; the lion of Israel might have been expelled from her land, in Diaspora, under extreme difficult situations, but we survived against all odds. Who else then us Am Israel is able to sanctify God with such proven devotion?

If we aren’t able to see this truth as a nation, then sometimes we need to be reminded by a complete foreign person, a Bil’am or a Mark Twain, that we are unique.