FOR BALAK
TIME TO SEND LIONS AGAINST EVIL
It was always a possibility. Very few, though, actually expressed it. In any case, why dwell on the negativity when there was equal possibility for it to be positive?
Alas, it could not have been “equal” when dealing with pure, unadulterated, unfathomable evil.
And so, earlier this week the shocking news reverberated across the world: the three young men, teenagers, who were kidnapped on their way home from school a few weeks ago, had been murdered, exterminated, in cold blood, within minutes of their abduction. Their bodies dumped beneath some rocks in an empty field.
Can you possibly imagine, anywhere even in the deepest recesses of the mind, pulling out a gun on three strangers sitting in your car’s back seat, and simply blowing those people’s brains out? The barbarism, the savage brutality, the cruelty of ending a human life, for no reason other than loathsome hatred, is difficult even to imagine.
Heartless, ruthless, and vicious criminals roam the earth. Some, many, have decided that Jewish people – men, women, and children, young and old, infants, babies, and the elderly – are vermin to be destroyed and eradicated. This is how the Nazis operated before today’s evil, the Communists before them, the Cossacks before them, and the long list of human wickedness before them. And they have all gone, rightfully so, into the trash dumps of history. The Jewish people, on the other hand, are still here. And they will continue to be here forever.
Make no mistake: This is not about land, about territory, about war, peace, haves versus have-nots, or even the pitiful and shameful United Nations. This has nothing to do with disputes, with misunderstandings, or even with the fabricated deceitfulness of “apartheid.” This is about the complete opposite of good, of life. This malicious hatred has been around since the beginning of time.
There is no culture, no religion, and certainly no god, which could possibly inspire human beings to abduct three schoolchildren and, at point blank range, shoot them, watching their blood, their holy lives, spill on to the ground, one by one. Peace can never be achieved with members of this culture, because hatred cultivates and promotes more hatred. Hitler, Arafat, and all their ilk, do not deserve negotiations. It is evil, in and of itself, to allow such dregs of humanity to express their views and desires. Any good, moral and decent person must do everything in his or her power to remove the leaders and teachers of such wickedness from ever rearing their ugly heads again. Anything less than that encourages, empowers, and enables their followers to continue murdering children.
As long as this exists in this world, the entire world is under the threat of darkness.
Most people will not be directly involved in dealing with this terrible problem. Yet, fine and decent people want to do something. It is not merely about revenge, it is about shining light into the world to brush away and overwhelm the darkness.
A message from this week’s Torah portion, “Balak,” provides a perspective and a message. The Moabite king, Balak, hired a wicked man, Balaam, to curse the Jewish people. Balaam, ever eager to spread his darkness upon the Jewish people, finagled permission from the Almighty, on the condition that he would communicate only that which he would hear from On High.
When Balaam approached the camp of the Jewish people, his intended curses were, indeed, transformed into blessings. These are, in fact, some of the more beautiful blessings found in the Torah. The blessings are poetic, complimentary, and possess many future prophecies, including the Messianic era.
One description of the Jewish people is repeated. The words are: “Behold, a nation that rises like a lioness and raises itself like a (male) lion.” (Bamidbar (Numbers) 23:24.) Later, he says: “He will crouch and lie down like a lion and a lioness; who will dare rouse him?” (24:9.)
The lion is a symbol of strength and of power. No one tells the lion what to do. It rules the territory. The metaphor of the lion to praise and bless the Jewish people makes, therefore, sense. The fact that this allegory is used twice, however, seems to be unusual.
A closer look at both descriptions shows that the first is the power of the rising lion. The second is the crouching and lying down lion.
The first mention is regarding the strength of action. The Almighty in His Torah mandates His people to perform many deeds. These require strength, stamina, tenacity, finance, and consistency. Without the strength of a lion, it could be highly challenging to keep at it. Balaam comparison to the strength of the lion is a great praise.
The second mention, however, is when the lion is crouching, even lying down. The majesty and the power are no longer apparent. The ferociousness, the determination, and the dominion – all seem to be lost. This is a metaphor for times of submission and exile. It is about a time when the Jewish people are not in full control. They may even be crouched, or even lying down, stepped upon by powers who wish to eradicate them. These wicked people would love nothing more than the extinction of the species called Jewish.
Even then, agrees the evil prophet, the Jewish people possess the strength of the lion. This is because only the externalities of the Jewish people can be stepped on. The internal areas of the people, the spirit, is strong, determined, and indomitable. This is the true lion’s den.
Jewish law forbids a person from keeping animals of the lion kingdom in a private home, even if tamed. No human, explains Jewish law, has control over the lion species. The lion, at most, will tolerate or even befriend the person, but not submit itself. The lion is therefore considered a constant threat to humans, which is why Jewish law forbids a person to keep one in a house. Ultimately, Balaam passed along the words of the Almighty: the Jewish people will never submit their control to an enemy. They will always be here and they will always persevere.
History has shown how the second example, of the crouching lion, has proven to be true. Prior to that, though, is the first example, which also must be true: The staunch upkeep, like a lion, of the Torah’s commandments. Each time one of the Torah’s precepts is fulfilled, the person introduces majesty, royalty, and light into the world.
In these times, every single Jewish person should be able to accesses his or her lion-sized potential to fulfil the tasks emplaced by the almighty. Put on those Tefillin, light that Shabbos candle, observe the Shabbos and Kosher. In this way, the Jewish people, and their Father in Heaven, are lionized by standing tall in splendor, in grandeur and in sovereign control of themselves.
SUMMARY: While those in charge must take charge of evil in this world, the rest of the world must behave like a lion: To stand strong and do what it takes.