CASTING A PROTECTIVE FORCE
Balak
Everyday at the very start of our davening, we say one of the Pesukim from the nevuos of Bilam; Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov mishkenosecha Yisroel – “How goodly are your tents Yaakov, your camps Yisroel”. This verse, like modeh ani, lays the foundation for the avodah of the day that lies ahead.
In introducing this prophesy, the Torah describes “and Bilam lifted his eyes and saw Yisroel camped in their tribes and the spirit of Hashem was upon him”. Bilam raised his eyes to cast an ayin hora upon Bnei Yisroel, to curse and to destroy them. Yet something he saw made him unable to curse them. Instead, the spirit of Hashem was upon him to shower them with blessings that were even greater than those of Moshe Rabbeinu!
What did he see? Vayar es Yisroel shochen lishvatav – he saw the Jewish people camped in their tribes.
Rashi teaches us that Bilam saw how the Jewish people camped in their tribes without ‘mixing’. This alludes to the modesty of the Jewish people in preserving their yichus, the sanctity of marital life and the purity of their offspring. In addition, the doors of their tents were positioned so that they did not face one another, another expression of modesty. This is what Bilam was alluding to in the posuk Mah tovu – the true goodness of the Jewish home, its Tznius and modesty.
Based on this, the Rebbe explains that Mah tovu is neither a nevua nor a brocha. It is Bilam explaining why he was unable to curse the Jewish people. Seeing their great modesty, he realized that his efforts to curse would be fruitless. His curses were simply no match for such holiness.
The lesson is clear. Our modesty is so powerful that it was able to protect the Jewish people from Bilam’s curses. This protection did not just come in the merit of keeping the major principles of modesty such as the laws of family purity. It also came from the smallest and seemingly insignificant details such as the direction of their tent doors.
The Shelah hakodosh writes that Bilam was a gilgul of Lavan. When chasing after Yaakov, Lavan declared habanos bnosai vehabonim bonai. Lavan was trying to lay claim to the souls of the daughters and sons of Yaakov, saying that they belong to him.
Bilam manifests himself today in the values of contemporary secular culture, which challenges our unique sense of modesty and morality. Our children are most vulnerable.
Raising children with traditional morals, not to mention raising a child to be G-d fearing and Torah observant, is a growing challenge. Each time that we step out into this world we are bombarded with an atmosphere of permissiveness. Subtle (or not so subtle) messages of self-gratification and emphasis on externalities, subliminally affect us. This is all the more impressionable on the neshomo of a child.
In our times, the protection afforded by modesty is needed more than ever. This includes modesty in our clothing, lifestyles, values and outlook.
It also includes being careful to protect our eyes. Tiferes Shlomo on the beginning of our Parsha explains why Balak feared the Jewish people so greatly. He told Bilam הנה העם היוצא ממצרים ויכס את עין הארץ. “Behold the people who have come out of Egypt and (now) cover the face of the earth”. The words ויכס את עין can also be translated to mean “and they covered the eye”. Egypt was a place of depravity and immorality. Yet after 210 years in Exile there, the Jewish people came out unaffected, because they covered their eyes and preserved their modesty.
Every extra step we take to increase our personal level of Tznius and the Kedusha in our homes, magnifies the G-dly protection we give to our families.
When our tents are ‘good’ and our homes radiate modesty, purity and kedusha, we protect provide a bastion of safety and strength to face the challenges of the outside world.
As we start each day with Mah tovu, let’s stop and reflect on its message. In this zechus may all of the curses be transformed into blessings and may we shepp true Yiddishe Chassidishe Nachas from our children. And may we merit the Mah tovu ohalecha of the third Beis Hamikdosh with the imminent hisgalus of Moshiach Tzidkeinu.
In introducing this prophesy, the Torah describes “and Bilam lifted his eyes and saw Yisroel camped in their tribes and the spirit of Hashem was upon him”. Bilam raised his eyes to cast an ayin hora upon Bnei Yisroel, to curse and to destroy them. Yet something he saw made him unable to curse them. Instead, the spirit of Hashem was upon him to shower them with blessings that were even greater than those of Moshe Rabbeinu!
What did he see? Vayar es Yisroel shochen lishvatav – he saw the Jewish people camped in their tribes.
Rashi teaches us that Bilam saw how the Jewish people camped in their tribes without ‘mixing’. This alludes to the modesty of the Jewish people in preserving their yichus, the sanctity of marital life and the purity of their offspring. In addition, the doors of their tents were positioned so that they did not face one another, another expression of modesty. This is what Bilam was alluding to in the posuk Mah tovu – the true goodness of the Jewish home, its Tznius and modesty.
Based on this, the Rebbe explains that Mah tovu is neither a nevua nor a brocha. It is Bilam explaining why he was unable to curse the Jewish people. Seeing their great modesty, he realized that his efforts to curse would be fruitless. His curses were simply no match for such holiness.
The lesson is clear. Our modesty is so powerful that it was able to protect the Jewish people from Bilam’s curses. This protection did not just come in the merit of keeping the major principles of modesty such as the laws of family purity. It also came from the smallest and seemingly insignificant details such as the direction of their tent doors.
The Shelah hakodosh writes that Bilam was a gilgul of Lavan. When chasing after Yaakov, Lavan declared habanos bnosai vehabonim bonai. Lavan was trying to lay claim to the souls of the daughters and sons of Yaakov, saying that they belong to him.
Bilam manifests himself today in the values of contemporary secular culture, which challenges our unique sense of modesty and morality. Our children are most vulnerable.
Raising children with traditional morals, not to mention raising a child to be G-d fearing and Torah observant, is a growing challenge. Each time that we step out into this world we are bombarded with an atmosphere of permissiveness. Subtle (or not so subtle) messages of self-gratification and emphasis on externalities, subliminally affect us. This is all the more impressionable on the neshomo of a child.
In our times, the protection afforded by modesty is needed more than ever. This includes modesty in our clothing, lifestyles, values and outlook.
It also includes being careful to protect our eyes. Tiferes Shlomo on the beginning of our Parsha explains why Balak feared the Jewish people so greatly. He told Bilam הנה העם היוצא ממצרים ויכס את עין הארץ. “Behold the people who have come out of Egypt and (now) cover the face of the earth”. The words ויכס את עין can also be translated to mean “and they covered the eye”. Egypt was a place of depravity and immorality. Yet after 210 years in Exile there, the Jewish people came out unaffected, because they covered their eyes and preserved their modesty.
Every extra step we take to increase our personal level of Tznius and the Kedusha in our homes, magnifies the G-dly protection we give to our families.
When our tents are ‘good’ and our homes radiate modesty, purity and kedusha, we protect provide a bastion of safety and strength to face the challenges of the outside world.
As we start each day with Mah tovu, let’s stop and reflect on its message. In this zechus may all of the curses be transformed into blessings and may we shepp true Yiddishe Chassidishe Nachas from our children. And may we merit the Mah tovu ohalecha of the third Beis Hamikdosh with the imminent hisgalus of Moshiach Tzidkeinu.