Parashat Balak 5784

by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields

In this week’s Torah Reading, Parashat Balak, Balaam, the non-Israelite prophet and diviner, describes the Children of Israel, B’nai Yisrael, as “a people that rises like a lioness and lifts itself up like a lion.” (Numbers 23:24) One might think that this imagery denotes a nation that rises up and defends itself like a lion. A nation full of heroes.  We see many heroic efforts in our communities. There are many stories of heroic behavior on October 7 and since that horrific day. Many of us have family members who have served in the military, both here in North America, as well as in the IDF, Israel Defense Forces.  However, Am Yisrael, the people of Israel, can be described like “a people that rises like a lioness and lifts itself like a lion,” not only because of our strength in terms of ‘fighting’, but also as a people with passion for good deeds and doing mitzvot, commandments. The medieval Biblical commentator Rashi states, “When the Jewish people wake up in the morning, they demonstrate the vigor of a lion in grabbing mitzvot. They put on tzitzit, recite the Shema, and don their tefillin.”  This teaches us that we should wake up each day looking to perform mitzvot. Am Yisrael Chai!  The People of Israel Live!