Weekly Torah Commentary Balak
Dr. Philip Bliss
Weekly Commentary Parashah
Balak
Numbers 22.2-24.25 page 1172 Plaut Commentary
Haftarah Balak Micah 5:6-6:8 Page 1272
Rabbi Paul Jacobson Emanuel Synagogue Woollahra Sydney
Shattered Glass
Earlier this week, I had the privilege of attending the wedding of a dear friend whom I have known for the past seven years. As a rabbi, it is always thrilling to “attend” a wedding, rather than “officiate” at a wedding. Along with the joy of celebration comes the opportunity to see “how someone else does it,” what strategies a particular rabbi employs, what words they use, and the very manner in how they make a ceremony meaningful.
On this particular occasion, I was struck by the rabbi’s comments about the shattering of the glass, a traditional obligation for the groom at the conclusion of the chuppah. He said, “Shattering this glass reminds us of the fragility of our lives and just how fleeting moments of joy truly are. Tonight, when we dance, we will dance in the fullness of joy, because we need to. Tonight, when we celebrate, we will celebrate with all of our heart and soul, because we need to. We need moments of joy in our lives, and shattering this glass helps us to remember this idea, and just how fragile our existence truly is.”
In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Balak, the soothsayer Balaam
faces the reality of such an idea.
Seeking conquest of the Israelites, Balak, King of the Moabites, sends
Balaam on a mission to curse the Israelites, because he knows that those blessed
by Balaam are truly blessed, and those cursed by Balaam are truly cursed. Balak believes that a proper curse
uttered by Balaam will lead to the Israelites’ demise.
But try as he might to fulfil Balak’s request, Balaam is unable to curse the Israelites. God reminds Balaam that the Israelites are blessed. His donkey impedes his path, and instructs him that such a task is undeniably fruitless. And on three separate occasions, Balaam gazes upon the Israelites from afar, opens his mouth, and discovers that words of blessing issue forth. Commanded to utter curses, hired for the purpose of damning the Israelites and hastening their defeat, Balaam can only praise the Israelites for their beauty, their pleasantry, their power and prowess.
Much speculation surrounds Balaam’s task in the Torah. Did God place specific words in Balaam’s mouth? Was Balaam speaking for himself? Was Balaam simply overcome by emotion and overwhelmed by what we saw? Did Balaam change his mind en route to the Israelite camp, realising that he could accomplish more by offering blessings than curses?
As with many stories in the Torah, we will never be able to address such a litany of questions fully. But perhaps we should give Balaam the benefit of the doubt. He sought to offer blessings instead of curses because he recognised that cursing the Israelites would lead to no positive end. His curses had a chance to destroy, while his blessings had a chance to uplift and to inspire.
What then does this have to do with a glass at a wedding? We often hear that a glass is either “half-empty” or “half-full.” But we need to remember that a glass, representative of our lives, is also easily shattered, delicate, and fragile. Our words, be they blessings or curses, can have a dramatic effect on others. Words can uplift and inspire, just as easily as they can harm and destroy, shattering a relationship. Balaam’s struggle to speak blessings instead of curses underlies the challenge that we face. But only we can make the effort and the conscious decision to speak blessings. Only we can prevent the glass from shattering. Shabbat Shalom
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