At the beginning of the daily morning prayers we recite: How pleasing are your tents, O Jacob, your sanctuaries, O Israel. The first to articulate this beautiful passage was none other than the biblical virulent Jew hater Bilaam. In this week’s parsha we learn that the Moabite king Balak, possessed with a misplaced paranoia of the Israelites, hired Bilaam to use his prophetic powers to destroy the Jews through a curse.
Initially, G-d warned Bilaam not to accept the challenge, but when Bilaam insisted, he was notified that he would be allowed to utter only the words G-d will dictate to him. The venture turned out to be an absolute disaster for the enemies of the Jews. The Israelites merited to receive magnificent blessings from the mouths of their most dangerous enemies.
The particular blessing pertaining to the Israelite tents was prompted as a result of Bilaam noticing the unique structure of the Israelite camp. The tribes camped in a specific order and the tents were pitched strategically so that one could not see into his/her neighbor’s home. This refined and aristocratic behavior inspired Bilaam to articulate those words.
It may have been anticipated that a nation that had recently been granted freedom from abject and brutal slavery would not be occupied with such issues as privacy and modesty. Yet it was very clear that after receiving the Torah and being trained in the observance of the mitzvoth we had developed into a dignified and proper society.
Privacy is a fundamental Jewish value. Unfortunately, a common cause of the destruction of many families and relationships is the obsession of “peeking into the neighbor’s window” and competing with the lifestyle of others. Life becomes a frustrating marathon of “keeping up with the Jones’,” a lose of focus on one’s individual blessings and gifts. This may be expressed in the need to keep with the newest trends and fashions despite the financial strain it may cause. Another expression of this malice is the notion that if Mr. X earns X amount each year and donates to charity such a small sum, surely my obligations are met with far less.
Upon realizing that the Jewish lifestyle engenders a lifestyle of privacy where vain social pressures are frowned upon and intense personal improvement and investment is encouraged, Bilaam was inspired to blessing. We therefore repeat these hollowed words each morning to remind us of this vital message. By investing in and nurturing our own home we will surely achieve the greatest potential we possess as individuals, families and communities.
However, there is much to learn from each other. The other’s success should not evoke negative competitiveness, rather motivate us to invest more time, energy and resources to cultivate the best in our own home turf.
Friends, in the past few weeks I have visited communities in Detroit, Santa Fe and New York. Some with greener grass than others. Large impressive shuls and others with less impressive institutions. Each one a reflection of the local investment and involvement.
We in El Paso can do better. We need to appreciate the needs of our community and invest now to properly serve our diverse demographics. Together we can establish a larger and nicer “tent” and “sanctuary” as the pride and joy of our community. Now is the time to prepare the greener grass for ourselves and generations to come.