08 Jul BE LIKE A LION

In this week’s parsha, we meet Balak, king
of Moav. Though he was a king, the Chumash
introduces him as Balak, son of Tzipor –
sans the title melech, king. Ramban explains
that Balak was an ordinary man, who upon
seeing the encampments of Bnei Yisroel,
became filled with feelings of fear, hatred
and disgust. Strong, powerful emotions, that
Balak exploited to incite the Moavites
against the Jewish nation. He successfully
built up a strong following, and ultimately
became their king.
Balak saw in Bnei Yisroel a nation that grew
and flourished, despite enduring the most
difficult conditions in Egypt. A nation who
even though were weakened by their
seemingly endless travel through the desert,
were able to defeat those who dared to
confront and challenge them.
Balak realized that Bnei Yisroel’s strength
and survival were a divine gift. They were
HaShem’s people, led by Moshe, a spiritual
leader, not a warrior. Balak decided that the
only way to fight them was with spiritual

power, and sought out the services of Bilaam,
a sorcerer and practitioner of black magic.
Balak’s hatred was so all-encompassing, that
he offered to compensate Bilaam, both
financially and with great honor. All Bilaam
had to do was curse Bnei Yisroel.
“Moav became very frightened of the
people… ki rav hu… because they were
many, and Moav was disgusted because of
Bnei Yisroel…” (Bamidbar 22:2-3)
Ki rav hu, because they were many. It is now

over three thousand years later, but the anti-
Semitism, the feelings of “they are many”

still exists. Our nation is a minority, yet the
majority of the world sees us as “many”. The
chants of “from the river to the sea” doesn’t
tolerate the existence of the Jewish nation.
Even one minuscule strip of land is
considered too much.
Even though it was more than a half-century
ago, I can still visualize the picture in my
mind. It was during the Yom Kippur War. A
political cartoon appeared in one of the
papers. It portrayed Arab leaders standing on
the map of Israel, with one of them kicking
an Israeli towards the sea.

Ki rav hu, because they are many.
How often have we heard that the
Jews control Wall Street, the Jews
control Hollywood, the Jews control
the media, the Jews control
Washington. Ki rav hu, because they
are many. For some, even one Jew is
a Jew too many.
Balak recognized that our existence
was beyond natural – it was a
miracle, and it bothered him to no
end. A miracle that has continued
throughout the ages. What other
nation has faced so many enemies,
yet has survived and is here to prove it.
B’chol dor vador, in every generation, there
are those who try to destroy us, to knock us
down, to do us in. Babylonians, Greeks,
Romans, Crusaders, The Inquisition,
pogroms, the Holocaust. And today’s
merciless enemies, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran,
Houthis, and the terrorists they inspire
throughout the world – even at our own
doorstep.
But the miracle of our existence endures.
Am Yisroel Chai. Our people are here. We
are a nation of survivors.
What is our secret? In Tehillim we say,
“Eileh va’rechev, v’eileh va’susim, some
by chariot, and some by horse, va’anachnu
b’shem HaShem Elokeinu nazkir, but we
call out in the name of HaShem, our G-d.”
To live one’s life being part of HaShem’s
nation. To live life knowing that we are a
miracle. That there is a HaShem above who
watches over us. To really believe that
although we may not always understand
His ways, there is a reason for everything.
HaShem appeared to Bilaam, telling him
not to heed King Balak’s request, yet
Bilaam couldn’t resist. But, the King of
kings had other plans.
“There came upon him a Ruach Elokim, a
spirit of G-d” (Bamidbar 24:2). Rashi cites
a Midrash which says that despite Bilaam’s
malevolent intentions, a spirit entered his
heart, warning him not to curse Bnei
Yisroel. Thereupon, Bilaam’s words
became words of blessing.
“Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov, How goodly
are your tents, (children of)
Jacob, mish’ke’nosecha Yisroel, your
dwelling places, (children of) Israel”.
(Bamidbar 24:5) Words said by Bilaam – a
curse turned into blessing. A bracha so
eloquent, so meaningful, so intrinsic to our
faith, that we begin Shacharis prayers with
these very words.
Rashi explains that Bilaam was referring to
the beautiful way Bnei Yisroel built their

tents. No two openings faced one another.
Each family respected the privacy of their
neighbor, never looking in, or even taking a
peek. Man is by nature a curious creature.
Just think of all the traffic backups caused by
rubbernecking – people just having the urge
to see what’s going on.
A powerful lesson to internalize. To not only
respect our neighbor’s privacy, but to honor
our family’s privacy, and even our own. Not
everything has to be out there.
Mah tovu ohalecha, how goodly are your
tents. When I think of tents, two “tents”
come to mind. The tent of Avraham Avinu,
and the tent of Yaakov Avinu. Avrohom was
known for his tent of chesed. His tent stood
alone in the desert, and was built with
openings on all four sides, making it
accessible to people approaching it from all
directions. A tent of true hachnossas orchim.
Yaakov was known as an “ish taam, yosheiv
ohalim, a complete, pure man, who sat in his
tents. “Ohalim”, tents. Our sages have many
explanations regarding the tents of Yaakov.
One explanation is this alludes to the two
tents housing the study halls of Shem and
Ever. Another understanding is that one was
a tent for learning, and a second for prayer. A
third teaching is that one tent was for study
and the other symbolized the tent of “real
life” – Yaakov taking the lessons home and
living them.
My mother would always say in her classes
that one can see references to current events
in the weekly parsha. We are all so grateful
to HaShem at the success of Operation Am
KeLavi Yakum, meaning a people who arise
like a lion. How uncanny it is that amongst
the many phrases expressed by Bilaam in
this week’s parshas Balak, is the verse “Hen
am kelavie yakum, Behold, the people arise
like a lion.” (Bamidbar 23:24) Each of us
can take a cue from these powerful words.
Each of us has opportunities to rise like a
lion. To build our own tents of Torah, chesed,
emunah, and proper midos. To stand tall and
proud in our faith, and to be relentless in
defending our values and way of life.