Balak
THE BIG IDEA
This week’s Torah Omens come from the peculiar story of Balak (the Moabite king wanting to destroy the Israelites in war) and his efforts to employ Biliam (the local sorcerer/prophet) to curse the Israelites.
For those that argue that spiritual powers exist amongst the nations of the world, and it is possible to curse others… this is your week! The torah clearly confirms that there are people (outside of the Jewish people) that have the spiritual skills to access divine energy and direct it at will.
But don’t worry, this week also reveals another important spiritual principle; it is impossible to curse those blessed by God.
So, if you are born into the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, (or have chosen to consciously bind your soul to Torah living), this week is an excellent time to affirm the safety of your protected spiritual status.
However….. don’t make the mistake of thinking you are immune to bad stuff happening. ‘The blessed’ can (easily) be seduced into committing an offense that bring the wrath of divinity upon themselves, (as we see with the Israelite men who transgress )—- making this a highly favorable time to look into your sexual energy and make sure you aren’t living a life that brings negative karmic consequences upon yourself.
OBJECTIFICATION inquiry
While Bilam was unable to curse the Israelites with his words, it is said that he was still able to bring harm to the Israelites. The midrash points to Bilam as the one that advised Balak to instruct the women seduce the Israelite men into sex, and lure them into the worship of idols. He understood that the Israelites will only be harmed when they bring God’s wrath upon themselves.
Bilam also understood another important spiritual principle; sexuality, without a sacred container, requires the same type of objectification as idol worship. Both demand a disconnection from the absolute oneness of divine presence and sacred structure.
This weekend, take an hour or two to really examine your own relationship to sexuality.
Are you a person cherishing and protecting the embodied space where the divine flows? Or are you a person seduced into objectification of the other, and experience sexuality separate from God?