Balak

THE BIG IDEA

Take time this weekend to sit with an ancient reality that holds just as true now as it did in the time of the bible. Whether it is Balak, the king of Moav, or the nut-job currently running Iran, there are national leaders that will do whatever it takes to try to curse the Jewish people and cause our downfall. 

Trust that they can’t. 

This Shabbat deeply internalize two essential spiritual principles ; first — when the Creator Of the World gives his blessing — (as God gave to the descendants of Israel) nothing in the universe can overturn that blessing. Feel the divine protective force in your bones, around your being and as a shield covering the entire nation of Israel. All of Bilam’s attempted curses were immediately transformed into blessings because nothing can go against the will of the Creator. 

However…. just because a people is “blessed” does NOT MAKE US IMMUNE to negative karmic consequences that result from their our actions. This week’s second spiritual principle reminds us all that - the ONLY thing that CAN bring negative karmic consequences on a blessed people is OUR OWN MISDEEDS and spiritually violating actions. 

So, please, for the sake of Jewish survival on this land, and in the world at large, examine your thoughts, judgements, and actions. As we step into the three weeks that mark the destruction of our two holy temples in Jerusalem, Jewish exiles from the promised land, and the historically harshest time for the Jewish People, let’s all do our best to reaffirm our faith in the divine, and respect for one another.

Let’s become active participants in our own blessings.