In this week’s Torah portion, Balak the king of Moav becomes frightened as he notices the numerous Israelite population approaching. Balak hires Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balaam tries to curse the Israelites three times but instead bestows blessings upon them. One of the blessings has become one of the most famous lines in all of our scripture besides the shema. Ma Tovu-How good are your tents of Jacob your dwelling places of Israel.
Let us examine this famous blessing. This line uttered by Balaam may not be a blessing after all it might in fact be a curse. Judaism is a religion refinement, we refine our selves by learning Torah, as well as finding new ways to develop our spiritual relationship to God. However, when we become satisfied with the things we have done we rest on our laurels which ultimately leads to inactivity for our inner selves and our spirituality.
Balaam was saying to the Israelites they were already a great nation and couldn’t get any better. Balaam wanted to ruin the Israelites ability to progress and grow as a people. Balaam knew that the soul of a person never really stands still but is always pushing for a deeper connection. We, as people are constantly changing. Our Judaism is evolving as we get older and learning more about the world and ourselves. Even day to day we are different, we go up and we fall down. However we must remember it is our drive as a people that allows us not only survive but to thrive. In order for our soul to be properly fed we must find ways of refining ourselves. We must enrich our lives with the great many ways God has shown us in the Torah and in our many other holy texts. Never stop growing and never stop learning.
One announcement: If you or someone you know likes to sing and would like to be part of the choir for the High Holidays please email me at cantor.kowitz@cbohr.org. Our first rehearsal is at Monday, August 2 at 7pm.
Shabbat Shalom Cantor Kowitz
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