Dear Friends,
Sometimes we don’t see the world as others around us see it, and vice versa.
Clearly, in the tense political world of today, such is the case. Witness the jockeying around the January 6 insurrection – some call it a riot or some other term – as a case in point. Two persons can view the same video, and one will see anti-government violence, while the other will see righteous indignation.
In today’s world, seeing the world through another person’s eyes is not only difficult, but can be upsetting, let alone, for many, nearly impossible.
Hence, the fascinating episode in this week’s Torah portion, titled, Balak. In the portion, Balak, the fearful king of the Moabites, was alarmed at the Israelites passing through his territory, and he enlisted the aid of Balaam, a soothsayer, to curse the coming Israelites. Balaam was beseeched, but resisted the task, even though God allowed him to go to Moab, but to do God’s bidding. Thus, in the morning Balaam arose, saddled his ass, and set off towards Moab. This is where it gets interesting…
Along the way, God sent an invisible armed adversary to block the road – like a figure in a video game – whom Balaam could not see, but who was visible to Balaam’s donkey. The donkey swerved to avoid the threatening figure, but Balaam, unaware, only beat the ass to return it to the road. This happened repeatedly, until God allowed the ass to miraculously speak, and he reproached Balaam for his faithless beatings.
Eventually, God allowed Balaam to see what the donkey had seen, and Balaam was contrite and determined to heed God’s instructions.
Aside from the rest of the exotic plot, the vignette demonstrates how we often are blinded to that which stands right before us, and moreover, that we cannot see the world clearly through another being’s eyes, let alone through our own eyes. The Torah text clearly challenges us to step back and look for the unseen element, to challenge our own perspective.
Yes, it is difficult to do, yet it is the secret to success in so many fields – from finance to family management to political discourse. (Warren Buffett is famous for instructing that when others are greedy, he is fearful, and when others are fearful, he is greedy). I would surmise that the most able people see the world through multiple perspectives, and that those who only have their own lens, may be more limited.
Let’s try to see that which is otherwise not so clear!
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Sometimes we don’t see the world as others around us see it, and vice versa.
Clearly, in the tense political world of today, such is the case. Witness the jockeying around the January 6 insurrection – some call it a riot or some other term – as a case in point. Two persons can view the same video, and one will see anti-government violence, while the other will see righteous indignation.
In today’s world, seeing the world through another person’s eyes is not only difficult, but can be upsetting, let alone, for many, nearly impossible.
Hence, the fascinating episode in this week’s Torah portion, titled, Balak. In the portion, Balak, the fearful king of the Moabites, was alarmed at the Israelites passing through his territory, and he enlisted the aid of Balaam, a soothsayer, to curse the coming Israelites. Balaam was beseeched, but resisted the task, even though God allowed him to go to Moab, but to do God’s bidding. Thus, in the morning Balaam arose, saddled his ass, and set off towards Moab. This is where it gets interesting…
Along the way, God sent an invisible armed adversary to block the road – like a figure in a video game – whom Balaam could not see, but who was visible to Balaam’s donkey. The donkey swerved to avoid the threatening figure, but Balaam, unaware, only beat the ass to return it to the road. This happened repeatedly, until God allowed the ass to miraculously speak, and he reproached Balaam for his faithless beatings.
Eventually, God allowed Balaam to see what the donkey had seen, and Balaam was contrite and determined to heed God’s instructions.
Aside from the rest of the exotic plot, the vignette demonstrates how we often are blinded to that which stands right before us, and moreover, that we cannot see the world clearly through another being’s eyes, let alone through our own eyes. The Torah text clearly challenges us to step back and look for the unseen element, to challenge our own perspective.
Yes, it is difficult to do, yet it is the secret to success in so many fields – from finance to family management to political discourse. (Warren Buffett is famous for instructing that when others are greedy, he is fearful, and when others are fearful, he is greedy). I would surmise that the most able people see the world through multiple perspectives, and that those who only have their own lens, may be more limited.
Let’s try to see that which is otherwise not so clear!
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
