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    PARASHAT BALAK: THE JEWISH HOME

    In this weeks

    parasha, Parashat

    Balak, the prophet

    Bilam, who

    intended to curse

    the Jewish people,

    looked out upon

    them and declared

    “How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your

    dwellings, O Israel” (Bamidbar 24:5). In many

    prayer books, the siddur begins with this verse.

    Although Bilam was a wicked man, he was a

    prophet, and these words were a prophecy.

    Bilam mentions two characteristics which are,

    in essence, the secret of Jewish existence. He

    relates to the “tent” (ohalekha) and the

    “dwelling” (mishkenotekha). The “tents” refer

    to the Jewish home, and “dwellings” represent

    the synagogues, the places of congregation,

    where the Shekhina rests.

    Bilam observed that the two institutions which

    are integral to the Jewish people are the Jewish

    homes (ohalekha), and the home of God

    (mishkenotekha). Why did Balak connect these

    two concepts, i.e. the Jewish home and the

    home of God?

    Interestingly, the Rambam, at the beginning of

    Sefer Shemot, notes that four parshiyot of Sefer

    Shemot discuss the building of the Mishkan.

    The purpose of the Mishkan, as the verse says,

    “And they shall make for Me a sanctuary, and I

    will dwell among them” (Shemot 25:8), is that

    Gods presence should rest among the people.

    The Ramban writes the original sanctuaries

    were the homes of the avot, our forefathers.

    God’s presence dwelled in the homes of the

    avot; their homes were “temples,” and the

    Mishkan is a replication, a duplicate of the

    homes of our forefathers. God’s presence

    dwelled in their homes, i.e. the home’s of the

    avot, and later, in the Mishkan.

    R. Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev (1740–1809)

    explains that Jewish homes are actually holier

    than synagogues. He explains that while

    synagogues are used only for prayers, the

    Jewish home is filled with many Biblical

    mitzvoth, such as mezuzah, raising Jewish

    children, chessed, etc.

    If so we can understand why Bilam mentioned

    the homes and then the mishkan. While they

    are both similar, Bilam was apparently more

    impressed with the Jewish home, the primary

    place of the resting of the Shekhina.

    Interestingly, we might note that just as the

    Torah relates that the inauguration of the

    mishkan last seven days, known as the shivat

    yemei hamilu’im, so too the chatan and kallah

    are instructed to dedicate the first seven days

    after their marriage to rejoicing together, during

    the shivat yemei mishtei, as they begin building

    their very own mishkan.

    This understanding presents us with a great

    sense of responsibility. A husband and wife are

    actually ministering their home. Nowadays, the

    Jewish home is under attack; anything is

    allowed and there is no supervision. Just as

    there are there are things that we would not

    allow into a synagogue, so too we should not let

    certain things into a Jewish home.

    The Jewish home is integral for our survival.

    We have lived without a Beit HaMikdash for

    thousands of years; what has ensured our

    survival is the home. We pray that a young

    couple should build a bayit neeman- a “loyal

    house”- loyal to the laws, and loyal to tradition.

    Just as the mishkan merits the ‘presence of

    God’, so too God is meant to be present in a

    Jewish home.

    In this context, I wish to mention that the

    women have a special responsibility in the

    home. In the Torah, women are referred to as

    the “tents.” Thus, after separating from their

    wives for three days before the giving of the

    Torah, after Matan Torah the men are told to

    “return to their tents” (Devarim 5:27). Here too,

    Bilam refers to their “tents” – primarily

    administered by their wives. The akeret habayit

    has a special responsibility to ensure that the

    home is a welcoming place for God, and that is

    should be deserving of the presence of the

    Shechina.