A View to (a) Kill
Shalom Orzach
Senior Educator at The iCenter for Israel Education. Author of the recently published book, Telling Times.A weekly exploration of the Torah Portion in the context of its modern day echoes
Being in the book of Bamidbar, which records our travels in the desert, we have been animated not only by the destination but also and perhaps more so, by the stops on the journey. The names given to the places where events occurred or were yet to occur are striking. Last week we were struck (excuse the pun) by what occurred in Kadesh.?
In his efforts to win over the sympathy and support of Bilaam, Balak employs many economic incentives and also works hard to play on the emotions. In the on-going negotiations, they arrive at ,22:39
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Balaam went with Balak and they came to Kiriath-Huzoth.
Rashi, quoting the Midrash Tanchuma expounds a city (????) full of streets and courtyards (????), women, men and children thronging the streets, as much as to say: Look and have pity that these should not be exterminated. The name Chutzot also evokes “Chutzot Hayotzer”, the annual arts and crafts fair in Jerusalem teeming with stalls, tourists and residents of Jerusalem. An image of better times…
In sinister contrast when showing Bilaam the Jewish people he wishes Balak to curse he views them,22:41;
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In the morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth-baal. From there he could see a portion of the people.
Sforno, the Italian commentator, expounds on the curious reference to “a portion” of the people, in order to harm them by focusing his evil eye on them. Of course also noteworthy is the name of the place.
Despite much of the story revolving around the antics of Bilaam, the portion is named after Balak. The Torah wishes to draw our attention to him. He appeals to Balaam to curse a people he has not encountered. He pleads to save his people, shown in an idyllic mode, from “extermination”. These loathsome tropes are all too familiar. He is driven by baseless hatred, a precursor perhaps of the antisemitism we witness today, where the compassion felt as he looks at his own people is starkly lacking when he looks at the Jewish people. So obsessed with detstation, rather than secure a blessing for his people whom he ostensibly loves, he pursues a sorcerer to curse a people he has yet to meet. In the on-going attempts, once again, frustrated and resentful, Balak brings Bilaam to a place where,23:13;
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Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place from which you can see them—you will see only a portion of them; you will not see all of them—and damn them for me from there.”?
When that does not succeed, there is another attempt to find a place, a perspective, a view that enables the Jewish people to be cursed. The compulsion to pervert reality through this form of depraved lies or propaganda appears irrational, but we cannot be deluded. Balak is obsessed not with the welfare of his own people, rather with destruction of another. Bilaam can seemingly be bought off, Balak and his ilk, cannot and has to be called out, as our aptly called portion does.
Shabbat shalom