Shalom Friends,

This week’s Torah portion, Balak, is one of my favorites. I know, I say that about a lot of Torah portions! But really, how can you go wrong with a talking donkey? Besides the seemingly magical donkey, this parasha contains the magnificent liturgy with which we begin every weekday, Shabbat, and holiday morning service – “Mah tovu ohalecha, Ya’akov; mishk’notecha, Yisra’el! How goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your dwelling places, O Israel!” You’ll hear more about this blessing in my D’var Torah this evening. In the meantime, you can read Parashat Balak here.
 
Back to the talking donkey. Balak, king of Moab, hires the seer, Bilaam to curse the Israelites. God tells him not to go, but eventually relents, admonishing Bilaam to only say the words God puts in his mouth.
 
While on the journey, God – apparently ticked off that Bilaam decided to go – sends an angel tp stand in front of the donkey. Although Bilaam doesn’t see the angel, the donkey does and swerves around it. Bilaam beats the donkey for reacting to something he cannot see. It happens again, and the donkey squeezes along the wall, pressing Bilaam’s foot in the process. Bilaam beats the donkey again. The third time the donkey sees the angel, she lays down with Bilaam on her back; he’s becomes furious and beats her yet again. God finally intervenes, giving voice to the donkey, who says, “Why do you strike me? What have I done to you? Am I accustomed to stopping and blocking your path?” Only then does Bilaam see the angel. He cries out, “I erred because I did not know…”
 
How many times do we err because we don’t know? How often do we jump to conclusions without stopping to get all the facts? We’re human; we too often judge and gossip instead of responding with kindness, compassion, and understanding. I know I’m guilty of this on occasion. I’ve grown much more cognizant of it in recent years and I work hard to stop myself and make sure I’m considering all facets of a situation before responding or drawing a conclusion. I’ve gotten so much better, and I still have work to do.
 
We need to recognize the impact our actions can have in any situation. We can cause real harm by claiming ignorance after acting carelessly. All of us have been Bilaam and all of us have been the donkey. Like Bilaam, we are all guilty of doing something harmful because we did not know or understand the situation or circumstances. Like the donkey, we have all dealt with something no one else could see or understand and received harsh judgment as a result. When we truly understand that life is always more complicated than what most people project publicly, we understand the value and impact of always acting kindly and compassionately as a first response in every interaction.

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Last Shabbat morning, our Jewish community was confronted with the threat of a possible attack against one of our synagogues. The synagogue was not named in the threat; the entire community was encouraged to call off any and all formal Jewish gatherings until the threat was eliminated, which it was by the next day.

The advice to call off Jewish gatherings was met with mixed reactions. There were some institutions who responded as requested, feeling that the safety of their members rose to the highest level of concern and all other concerns were secondary. Others felt that to cave to the threat was to give in to antisemitism and to encourage additional such acts in the future. Therefore they raised their level of security and awareness and went ahead with their scheduled Shabbat services and activities.

Whatever your belief, there is no doubt that in the face of antisemitism, the only response can be solidarity. Therefore, I urge you to join in solidarity as we come together in worship this evening - even though we are still on Zoom tonight and for two more Friday nights - at 6:45 pm. As I've said before, there is strength in community, and this is a time when strength and solidarity are most definitely needed and desired!

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Lisa Goldstein