He obtained the services of Bilaam – a prophet, intellectual, royal advisor, sociologist, seer, and leader among men. Bilaam was retained to convey a curse upon the Jews that would be heard in the halls of the Heavenly Court and would prevent, by mere declaration, the settlement of the Jews in their homeland in Israel.
In addition to his sterling qualities and his intellect, Bilaam was also decidedly evil. He knew nothing of the Jews but what he heard, and yet he had a deep seated hatred for them. He desired only to do them harm, and it was hoped therefore, that he could use his considerable powers to exactly that end. But G-d prevented him from accomplishing this aim.
When Bilaam cast his gaze on the Jewish camp, he saw their tents, their meeting places, and that they conducted their lives in the utmost modesty and in fear and service to G-d. He saw that they really did deserve the land they were about to enter. Instead of a curse, Bilaam blessed the Jews.
Today, we see the same story being repeated. Today, the archenemy of the Jews who refuses to allow the Jews safety as they – in his view – occupy his land, has resurfaced. But Yasser Arafat is powerless when faced alone with a Jewish nation that lives in modesty and in fear and service of G-d. So, he employs the services of a leader among men, someone with intelligence, foresight, acumen, and an understanding of how people deal with each other. He chooses a man who is a lawyer and a statesmen, a man of the world and a student of men.
Bill Clinton stands and casts his eye on the Jewish camp in Israel. He sees the Jewish camp and he begins his curse. Israel must cancel the Phalcon deal or risk its aid being cut off by the US. Israel must grant the Moabites, or today’s Palestinians, free reign over the land and the right to an army with which the Jews will be forced to fight before reclaiming their homeland. Israel must allow the Moabite terrorists to attack freely while the Jews live in their tents and conduct their service peacefully. And lastly, Israel must fund these terrorists as they attempt to rid the land of the Jews.
At this critical threshold, the question remains whether the utterance will rend the nation, or whether it will compliment the tents and meeting places of the Jews. Ehud Barak must remember, before it is too late to forget, that strength begins at home. If the archenemy of the Jews could once behold our nation and claim that ours was too strong to defeat because we had our homes in order, that our goodly tents were enough to ward off murderous attack by those who would prevent us from inhabiting our land, that lesson is surely applicable today.
Alas, Barak has seen fit to ignore the defects in the goodly tent of Israel. He has neglected the fact that most of the people no longer support his actions. He has failed to fulfill his campaign promises to lower unemployment or to improve the social and economic standing of the less advantaged in Israeli society. He has ignored the plight of the disabled, and failed to intervene and ensure that doctors are paid their due. He has not worked to heal the rifts in Israel’s social fabric. By canceling the Phalcon deal, he has acquiesced to continued Israeli servitude to the United States with the coin of increased influence for Israel’s industry. And above all, Barak has seen fit to ignore the fact that he enjoys the support of barely one third of the Knesset.
Ehud Barak has not learned the lesson of Bilaam. How goodly are thy tents and thy meeting places. But Barak has not given low-income earners the means to maintain their homes, and has ignored the Knesset’s lack of support. Instead, Barak has cast his gaze on distant shores. He is pursuing the abandonment of Israel’s sanctuary in the Holy Land, while ignoring the strength of the homes and meeting places in Israel.
And yet, there is always the story of Bilaam to remind us. The tents and meeting places were strong enough to withstand onslaught from many allied and neighbouring nations thousands of years ago, and it is those homes and those meeting places that will spawn a renewed Jewish strength, a renewed Jewish purity of purpose, and a renewed Jewish presence in the Land to which we all aspire.
Copyright 2000. Yehuda Poch is a writer living in Israel. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
