The Weekly Parsha- Prophets, and Privacy
In this week’s Torah portion we read about a Moabite king (Balak) and his prophet for hire (Balaam). King Balak hires Balaam to curse the Israelites, but Balaam fails three times and God causes him to bless the Israelites instead. In one famous scene, the Torah portrays Balaam as no smarter than the donkey on which he is riding when Balaam (unlike the donkey) cannot see the angel of God standing right front of him trying to prevent him from continuing on this fool’s errand.
On his third and final attempt to curse the Jews, Balaam utters the famous words that are traditionally recited whenever one walks into a synagogue: Ma Tovu Ohalekha Ya’akov Mishkenotekha Yisrael , How good are your tents , O Jacob, Your dwellings O Israel (Numbers 24:5).
The biblical commentator Rashi (1040-1104, France) explains that Balaam recited this blessing because he saw that their doors were not facing one another. In other words, the Israelites respected one another’s privacy and were therefore deserving of praise.
Over the past few weeks, the issue of balancing privacy and security has been in the news on a national level. What do you think are the limits of privacy on a national and personal level? When should we respect the privacy of our neighbors, friends, family and co-workers, and are their limits on this type of respect?
As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
*For those who are interested in this topic as it relates to national security- check out the series: Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices, “War and National Security” (Dorff, and Ruttenberg)
**I will be away next week and will resume my Tuesday Morning Torah on Tuesday, July 2.