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This week we read a double portion of the Torah, Parashat Chukat-Balak. In the section of Balak, we come across the very unusual story of a non Jewish Prophet and his talking donkey. Neither of these are things we might expect to find in our Torah. And yet, perhaps we should not be surprised to discover that wisdom and inspiration can come in all forms and from various sources.
When we think of our great Biblical Prophets we probably conjure up such revered names as Abraham, Rachel, Jacob, Samuel and, of course, Moses. But the rabbis suggest that just as we, the Jewish people, need and are blessed with the Prophets among us, other nations too can benefit from this sort of leadership.
This parsha revolves around the character of Balaam, the ultimate Prophet of the Nations. We find that Balaam has close access to God, and is able even to confer with the Almighty. When Balaam is asked and hired to curse the Jewish people, God comes to him and commands that Balaam never curse these ancient Israelites. Instead, he is commanded to bless them, which Balaam does not once or twice, but three times over!
In our lives today we should always be searching for blessings. Sometimes blessings may come from unlikely and unexpected sources. Sometimes we may even expect a curse but find that a blessing comes in its place. We human beings can even have the power to turn what seems like a curse into a blessing, if only we can find the perspective and determination to turn a challenge into a reward.
We may not ever hear a talking donkey or any other animal speaking to us. But it is likely that we will encounter situations in our lives which may, at first, seem like curses. Let us all be able to make the best of these situations by finding the blessing embedded inside what had seemed to be a curse.
Shabbat Shalom.
Cantor Zachary Konigsberg
cantorzkonigsberg@gmail.com
917-696-0749
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