Balaam, Jethro And JobBalak274 Greenspan 1

TORAH-FAX 5774 BALAK

BALAK274
BALAAM, JETHRO, AND JOB AND THE CHALLENGE OF FAITH
BY RABBI MARK B GREENSPAN

Talking donkes! "#rses that t#rn into blessings! A gentile prophet $ho had a
dire%t line to God& 't doesn(t get an stranger than this& Toda)s parashah %ontains
the stor o* one o* the most msterio#s %hara%ters in the Bible+ Balaam ben Beor!
't %hallenges #s to %onsider $hat it means to belie,e, and ho$ o#r *aith %hanges
o#r pla%e in the $orld!
-e .#st heard the stor+ Balak be%omes terri*ied $hen he sees 'srael passing
thro#gh his region on their $a to "anaan! /ather than atta%king them, he tries to
hire Balaam to %#rse them so he $ill s#%%eed in his militar e**orts against them!
-ho is Balaam0 1ther than his name, $e kno$ nothing abo#t him! 2ome s#ggest
that his name %omes *rom the 3ebre$, b)li am, lit 4 $itho#t a nation! Balaam is a
man $itho#t a people o* his o$n! 3e)s a mer%enar 4 a,ailable *or hire *or the best
pri%e!
5ost people are *as%inated b Balaam)s talking donke b#t realit is stranger than
this literar *i%tion! 'n 1677 8#t%h ar%heologists, digging in a pla%e %alled 8eir
Allah in Jordan, %ame a%ross a 6th %ent#r B"9 ins%ription $hi%h mentions
Balaam b name& "onsidering that $e don(t ha,e ins%riptions o#tside the Bible
that mention Abraham, 5oses, or King 8a,id is :#ite e;traordinar! Altho#gh this
$as 4<< ears a*ter the 9;od#s, the ,er *a%t that $e ha,e an ins%ription
mentioning Balaam is signi*i%ant! 't s#ggests that Balaam $as a histori%al
personalit or, at least, that there $as a %hara%ter b this name kno$n among other
nations in the An%ient =ear 9ast!
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1* %o#rse, there are important di**eren%es bet$een o#r Balaam and the one in 8eir
Allah 4 starting $ith the *a%t that the ar%heologi%al Balaam $as an adherent o*
Ashtar $hile the bibli%al Balaam belie,ed in God! Balaam *aith*#ll %ons#lts $ith
God $hen Balak)s representati,es %ome to see him! 3e e,en sas+ >' %annot do
anthing, big or little, %ontrar to the Lord m God!>
2o $ho is Balaam0 's he a pagan or a monotheist0 's he a sinner or a saint, a
mer%enar or man o* prin%iple0 Later Je$ish tradition %ondemned him as Balaam
3a/asha, Balaam the -i%ked, b#t Balaam is a *ar more %ompli%ated %hara%ter!
8ail, $e open o#r 2idd#r to his $ords+ >3o$ goodl are o#r tents 1 Ja%ob, o#r
d$elling pla%es 1 'srael!> And et $e %ondemn him as the most $i%ked o* the
$i%ked&
1ne o* m *a,orite midrashim abo#t Balaam %on%erns t$o other bibli%al
personalities $ho the sages belie,ed $ere his %ontemporaries! A%%ording to the
sages, ?haraoh had three ad,isors $ho he %ons#lted regarding the people o* 'srael!
The $ere Balaam, Jethro and Job! Balaam ad,ised ?haraoh to destro 'srael! @or
this he $as e,ent#all p#nished! Job remained silent! The sages s#ggested that Job
s#**ered *or being a silent bstander and not speaking #p against in.#sti%e! Jethro
opposed ?haraoh and had to *lee *or his li*e and settle in 5idian! @or this, Jethro
$as re$arded $ith a son4in4la$ 4 5oses& A2otah 11aB
-h did the sages single o#t these bibli%al %hara%ters0 The sages re%ogniCed that
ea%h o* these three men had reason to belie,e in God! Balaam belie,ed in God
be%a#se he $as a prophetD he $asn(t a prophet be%a#se he belie,ed in God& God
literall spoke to him!
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Jethro belie,ed be%a#se he kne$ 5oses personall and $itnessed the 9;od#s *rom
a*ar! -hen he ,isits the people o* 'srael he tells 5oses >=o$ ' kno$ that the Lord
is greater than all the other gods&>
And Job is depi%ted as e,erman 4 someone $ho %on,enientl belie,es in God
be%a#se o* his good *ort#ne!
All three men had reason to belie,e in God 4 b#t $hat did the do $ith this
kno$ledge0 8id the #se it *or the betterment o* others0 8id it %hange the $a
the li,ed their li,es0 This midrash ma be a %reati,e take on the bibli%al stor b#t
it asks #s to %onsider $hat $e sho#ld do $ith o#r kno$ledge o* God!
't $o#ld ha,e been easier to depi%t Balaam as a non4belie,er and magi%ian 4 the
$a 'srael)s neighbors sa$ him! The Torah %hose to depi%t Balaam as a man o*
*aith 4 a non4'sraelite $ho belie,ed in God be%a#se it %hallenged their o$n *aith! 't
s#ggested that ha,ing this insight or *aith is no g#arantee o* goodness or righteo#s
beha,ior!
Balaam tries to #se his kno$ledge as an instr#ment o* po$er rather than a means
*or good! 2imilarl, Job had kno$ledge o* God b#t $as sel*4satis*iedD he $as
basi%all a de%ent man $ho didn(t *eel the need to share $hat he had beond his
*amil! 1nl Jethro #sed his kno$ledge and insight to make a di**eren%e in the
$orld b ad,ising 5oses and a**irming his *aith $ith the people o* 'srael!
'* there is a problem $ith religion toda, it is that there are too man people in the
$orld 4 Je$s among them 4 $ho ha,e *aith b#t don(t seem to #nderstand that
ha,ing s#%h *aith o#ght to make a di**eren%e!
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The real %hallenge is not ha,ing *aith 4 it is %hoosing $hat o# do $ith it! 'n $hat
$a does o#r *aith tea%h o# ho$ to respond to the $orld0 3o$ does it %hange
o# and others0
@aith %an be a po$er *or good in the $orld or it %an be a means o* manip#lationD it
%an e,en be a $eapon o* mass destr#%tion! Fo#r *aith %an lea,e o# sel*4satis*ied
and sel*ish 4 it %an make o# hate*#l and intolerant 4 or it %an %hallenge o# to tr
to %hange the $orld *or the good o* others!
5abe that)s $h the sages %hoose this parti%#lar ha*torah as the propheti% reading
as the ha*torah *rom the book o* 5i%ah *or this 2habbat! The prophet sas+
-ith $hat shall ' approa%h the LordD paing homage to God on high0 2hall '
approa%h $ith b#rnt o**erings and ear4old %al,es0 -o#ld God be pleased $ith
tho#sands o* rams and ri,ers o* oil0 2hall ' gi,e God m *irst born *or m
transgressions or the *r#it o* m bod *or m sins0
God has told o# $hat is good and $hat is re:#ired o* o#+ To do .#sti%e, to lo,e
kindness and to $alk h#mbl $ith o#r God!
This is the real %hallenge o* *aith! 't is so eas to get *o%#s on one)s relationship
$ith God $itho#t %onsidering its greater impli%ations!
2o the real :#estion is not, do o# belie,e0 1r, $hat do o# belie,e0 The real
:#estion is, do o#r belie*s make a di**eren%e0
2habbat 2halom