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July 15, 2022 (16 Tammuz 5782) Our Holy Brothers & Sisters Dear Holy Friends, I hope that you are enjoying a relaxing and rejuvenating summer. Please join us this Shabbat morning for our in-person services which will also be available on our regular zoom prayer link. We also thank Bruce Minkoff, who is sponsoring this week's Kiddush in honor & memory of his late father, Joseph Minkoff. In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Balak, we encounter a talking donkey as the ruler of Moav calls on Bilam, the prophet, to curse Israel. God, however, ends up putting words of blessing in his mouth, and he speaks prophetically and positively about the people of Israel. The episode raises questions about prophecy—when it is and isn’t present, and for whom. Interpreters across generations and genres have wondered why God is speaking to a prophet other than Moshe, in particular, one who isn’t even part of Israel. Does Torah suggest that other nations have authentic prophets, and if so, does that in some way detract from Israel’s authenticity and relationship with God? The fact that God speaks through Bilam could be theologically destabilizing, even though the story “ends well” with blessing. Many interpretations point out differences in Bilamʼs prophecy, to assert that he wasnʼt a “real” prophet like Moshe because he was not always inspired by compassion. While these interpretations reflect a sense of insecurity about God having a relationship with prophets from other nations, the plain text itself seems to harbor no self-consciousness regarding God speaking to Bilam. The Hassidic teacher R. Yehudah Aryeh Leib (Sefat Emet) engages a Midrash that takes a different approach to Bilam the prophet. In the local narrative, the story of Bilam is mostly about how God saved Israel from potential curse, but in this Midrash, Bilam represents something much larger. Godʼs fairness is at stake. The Midrash assumes it was only fair that God should speak to prophets in other nations. There is a paradoxical interplay between universalism and particularism here. In theory, there is a universalist picture of prophecy. However, in the end, only Israel has prophecy because they use this privilege to express universal compassion. This interplay between universalism and particularism explains both why God spoke to Bilam and why God does not always speak to prophets from other nations. Nonetheless, coupled with the concluding eschatological vision of the Aleinu prayer (on that day, God’s name will be one), these texts remind us that there are other religions and paths to holiness. Whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, our hope should be that through any given spiritual journey, a proud member of any group should reflect the best values and ethics, love, and holiness that a tradition has to offer. As we enter Shabbat, I pray that our ears and hearts are always open to others and that we, ourselves, represent the best that Judaism has to offer for our community and our congregation. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Eric Wasser, EdD, Hon.DM
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