For the past week my
wife, three children and I have been waking up in Kibbutz Gonen which is located
just south east of Kiryat Shmoneh up in Hula Valley of Israel. We drove
throughout the Golan Heights and the north shore of the Kinneret. We hiked
along the Nahal Senir, a tributary of Jordan River. We rafted along the Dan
River, another tributary of the Jordan, and eventually we drifted along the
Jordan River itself. We saw Mt. Hermon. We tasted the wine of the Golan. As we drove along the winding roads up the
Golan and saw absolutely magnificent views, our children notice just how neat
the fields and kibbutzim looked in the valley. Yet the most emotionally
powerful sight was our tour through the kibbutz El Ram, located in the Emek
HaBacha, the Valley of Tears. It is the Kibbutz that has the highest elevation,
some 1500ft above sea level. It lies
approximately 60 Kilometers from Damascus. It was established in 1971 and with
the outbreak of the Yom Kippur war, the women and children on Kibbutz El Ram
were among the first to be evacuated. The Kibbutz itself was completely
destroyed by the Syrian during the first few hours of Syria’s attack upon
Israel. Several hours later and for the next three days, Oz 77, a tank brigade
composed of roughly 45 tanks managed to hold off nearly 800 tanks before
reinforcements came and an Israeli counter attack brought the Israeli tanks to
within nearly 12 Kilometers from Damascus. The Kibbutz has since rebuilt
itself. It is known throughout Israel as the leader in Television and movie
production specializing in English subtitles, dubbing and film editing. It also
bottles and markets its own wine.
This Shabbat we read
from Parsha Balak. Balak was a King of Moab. He heard of Bnai Yisroel’s most
recent victory against the Amorites and he understood that fighting Bnai
Yisroel would mean certain defeat. Balak
decided that invoking God and cursing Bnai Yisroel would be better way of
defeating Bnai Yisroel. So Balak hired a prophet named Balaam to curse Bnai
Yisroel. Balak paid a large sum for Balaam’s curse. However try as he might,
Balaam was unable to curse Bnai Yisroel. Since Balaam's donkey wouldn't even
move, Balaam could not even get close enough to issue a curse. Finally, when
Balaam actually drew near enough, made the necessary offerings and then tried
to curse Bnai Yisroel, only brachot (blessing) came out of his mouth. The Parsha concludes with Bnai Yisroel
encamped on the Eastern side of the Jordan River on the plains of Moab and
Balak thinking of another way to weaken Bnai Yisroel. He had the Moabite women
to seduce the men of Bnai Yisroel. Once seduced, the men would start engaging
in idolatry and the result was God grew angry with Bnai Yisroel and indeed,
they were punished with a horrible plague. Only Pinchas’s (Aharon's grandson)
vigilance stopped the plague.
As Balaam
attempts to curse Bnai Yisroel, one imagines that he is on top of hills and
small mountains looking down upon the Jews and the way they settled
themselves. Overcome by the sheer beauty
of the way they arranged themselves in the valley, Balaam makes the following
statement. Mah Tovu Ohalech Yaakov
Mishkenotecha Yisroel. How Goodly are
your tents O’ Jacob and your dwelling places O’ Israel. Kinchalim Ntayu kGanot Alei Nahar Kahaleim
Nata Adoshem KArazim Alei Mayim – stretching
out like brooks, like gardens by a river like aloes planted by Hashem, Like
cedars by water. The Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin 105b explains that Balaam’s
statement regarding brooks and gardens planted by a river is symbolic of the
types of leaders that Bnai Yisroel would eventually have. “Brooks” alludes to
kings who will “stretch out” meaning they will reign for a long time. The
“gardens” refer to the vineyards and olive orchards that embody Israel’s
blessing.
However,
all one has to do is drive throughout the Golan, taste the wine, look out onto
the Hula Valley and realize that Balaam was talking about something much
simpler than Torah and Jewish leadership. Balaam was talking about how the
Jewish people improve the land, how they neatly organize themselves in a manner
that allows them to add value, to improve upon the natural beauty. As we
drove along winding roads that scaled these mountains, our kids realized just
how special Israel is and as our son points out, it truly is God’s Miracle. Balaam
thought so too.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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