The people at the MPAA who determine what rating a film gets – G, PG, R, etc. - are the Classification and Ratings Administration, or CARA. What I find curious about this acronym is that the first letter of “and” is included. I think the Midrashic interpretation of this is that no detail goes overlooked. The standard for determining what is pornography was famously established by Justice Potter Stewart of the Supreme Court when he stated, “I know it when I see it.” That standard is still used today. Pornography can’t be defined. You only know it when you see it.
A few weeks ago, Israel apprehended the Gaza flotilla at sea. I’m sure most of you saw the footage. But each of you probably saw only one of two events. You either saw Israeli soldiers attacking a peaceful mission, or you saw combatants clubbing paintball-armed Israelis. We all saw the same footage, but we – and I mean the whole world – saw the event largely through the lens of how we perceive the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Seeing this event probably did nothing but reinforce how we feel about the conflict.
When the spies were sent into Eretz Yisrael, they came back with two different reports. Did they report on what they saw or on what they expected to see? Did they see the reality or the possibilities?
How people see things plays a big role in today’s parsha. First, Balak “saw” all that Israel had done to the Amorites. He never sends an envoy to speak with them – he makes a judgment based upon his sight. If he had sent an envoy to Moshe, he would have discovered that there was no threat for God told Moshe explicitly, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war. For I will not give you any of their land as a possession…”[1] The Moabites were descendants of Moab, Lot’s son. Israel wouldn’t have fought the Moabites and, in fact, never did.
Balak engages the help of Balaam from Midian. Balaam’s family also had a history with Israel. He was an Aramean and, according to tradition, was a descendant of Laban. If you remember, Laban and Jacob put a mound and pillar between them that they wouldn’t cross. That line wasn’t crossed until Balaam did so here. (Think about that at your next Seder.)
Balaam’s donkey “caught sight” of the angel of the Lord standing in the way. But Balaam doesn’t notice the angel, just the talking donkey. Then, “...the Lord uncovered Balaam’s eyes…”[2] Only then did Balaam see the angel.
Sight continues to play an important role in the story. Each time there’s a blessing, Balak takes Balaam to a vantage point so he can see the people he’s supposed to curse. Balak is careful – the first time only a portion of the people is visible and the second time Balak makes sure a smaller portion of the people if visible. The third time, Balak took Balaam to the “peak of Peor which overlooks the wasteland.”[3] (There are many commentaries about the word “wasteland” – was it so he couldn’t any of the people? So he could see all of them?)
“As Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe; the spirit of God came upon him.”[4] His blessing begins with, “Word of Balaam son of Beor, Word of the man whose eye is true.” Only once God’s spirit came upon him was his eye “true.”
Is Judaism we don’t rely upon our sight – we rely upon sounds. We speak the words when we pray. It matters not whether we see them. We listen to the sound of the shofar. It matters not whether we see it.
And when we utter the central prayer, the Sh’ma, we go so far as to close our eyes.
As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks points out, there was a profound difference between the 2 civilizations of antiquity that between them shaped the culture of the West:
Ancient
Greece and ancient Israel. The Greeks were the supreme masters of the visual
arts: art, sculpture, architecture and the theatre.
Jews, as a matter of profound religious principle, were not. G-d, the sole object of worship, is invisible. He transcends nature. He created the universe and is therefore beyond the universe. He cannot be seen. He reveals Himself only in speech. Therefore the supreme religious act in Judaism is to listen. Ancient Greece was a culture of the eye; ancient Israel a culture of the ear. The Greeks worshipped what they saw; Israel worshipped what they heard.
Years ago, I worked for the National Captioning Institute, a non-profit entity which was influential in getting closed captioning mandated in the US. When I worked there, I got to know a number of people in the hearing-impaired community. What I learned was that the deaf feel much more closed off from society than the visually impaired. I’m sure that text messaging and email have helped a lot in recent years, but speech is still the most important form of communication between people. If you’re deaf, you’re often closed off from casual conversation with those who don’t know how to sign.
Hearing brings us together. My father’s career was based upon this – he’s a choir director. When people sing together, we are as one.
Balaam continued with this 3rd blessing. He “hears God’s speech…” and thus “beholds visions from the Almighty, prostrate but with eyes unveiled.”[5] This isn’t simple sight. As Balaam says this, he’s standing on a hillside far from the family feuds, the tribal division and the dissention – and what he says may not be referring to the present, but the future. Maybe that’s why his eyes were unveiled.
I’d like to divide the room into 4 groups. Here is group A, here is group B, here is group C here is group D. Please close your eyes.
While our eyes are open, we allow ourselves to be skeptical. We may say, “I’ll know it when I see it.” But is that what we’re really saying? When we see something right in front of us, we have to acknowledge its existence and find further proof that what we’re seeing is worth believing. Any fan of magic knows how easily our eyes are fooled.
When our eyes are open, we can see the Jewish people as divided. We see our country divided. We see our loyalties challenged.
With your eyes closed, try to believe that there is no Left or Right, no Republicans, no Democrats, and no Independents.
When our eyes are open, we are all Balaam – unable to see the angel standing in front of us. We are all spies, who are afraid of what stands before us – we often put our fears in front of us, and not our hope; the possibilities.
But with our eyes closed, we may be able to see more clearly – like when we say the Shema.
Balaam, a non-Jew hired by our enemies said one of the most beautiful things about us. We are asked every day to say it about ourselves. If you don’t believe it to be true, then think of it as something that can be true. Think of it as a spirit or dream.
Let’s sing Ma Tovu in a round starting with Group A. Trust in sounds, not sights. And let’s become of one voice.
How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel!
Shabbat Shalom.
[1] D’varim 2:9
[2] Numbers 22:31
[3] Numbers 23:28
[4] Numbers 24:2
[5] Numbers 24:4