Rabbi Hillel Eisenberg shares an anecdote in his book The Parsha on Fire.
He relates that his father suffered a serious and life threatening heart attack. It was so serious that he was only given a 5% chance of survival. A few weeks after the event, his father left the hospital completely cured. Shortly after returning home, his father was walking in the neighborhood and he encountered a Jewish neighbor who had often expressed his negative views on Judaism and faith.
When they met, the neighbor told Rabbi Eisenberg’s father that he owed him a debt of thanks.
When he was met with surprise, the neighbor said when he heard about the cardiac arrest he offered a heartfelt prayer to Gd. The neighbor continued to say that Gd must have been so shocked and surprised to hear from him in an actual prayer - that Gd must have answered this powerful entreaty.
This week’s Torah portion is called Balak.
It’s an interesting reality that the Torah portion is named after a very evil person.
Balak was a true hater of Jews.
He did everything in his power to destroy the Jewish people.
(Isn’t it ironic how contemporary this story is? Virulent Jew hatred was fomenting in Biblical times and although it continues to this day we are still here surviving and thriving! Boruch Hashem)
So why should such a person be accorded the honor of having a Parsha named for him?
Not only did Balak receive an epynomous portion he received an even greater gift.
Balak had a Grandaughter whose name is Rus or Ruth.
Rus was not only one of the greatest women in Jewish history, she was also the forebear of King David and ultimately Messiach.
This is truly confounding.
Balak dedicated his life, using any means at his disposal, offering fervent prayers and multiple sacrifices to Gd, beseeching for the destruction of the Jewish people, why would he be so rewarded?
As Rabbi Eisenberg teaches us, all of of Balak’s actions were forms of passionate prayer.
“Prayer uttered in sincerity can turn Gd away from the stature of the person talking. It can overshadow previous deeds and external scenarios. The passion and meaning injected into those prayers, the fire burning in the soul of the one praying, can pierce the very heavens”.

Our family used to travel up to the Catskill Mountains to work in a summer camp. Every year part of the journey included buying fireworks.
In those days fireworks were sold in the South in warehouses, and my husband would buy a large selection to use for different parts of the summer program in camp, including July 4 festivities.
I always had a really hard time with this. The idea of transporting fireworks over state lines with a car full of children never seemed like a great idea to me.
When I look back on those halcyon days I remember myself exercising great restraint and not expressing my fears.
Until I read our family chat tonight and learned that I had shared those feelings more than I realized.
My adult (?!?) children were taking about the fireworks that were exploding in their various neighborhoods.
One asked: why was I always afraid when Dad bought the fireworks?
One after another agreed they had anxiety over those fireworks.
One of them asked why do they all have so much anxiety?
At the same moment my husband and I replied.
He wrote: not from me.
I wrote: probably from me.
Our philosophical daughter
then shared:
“It’s genetic. Generations of Jews carrying the weight of the world and the fear of threat on a consistent basis”.
Gulp. I was part of the problem. I had transmitted my fears to the next generation!
In this week’s Torah portion Moshe seems to have a fear too.
After successfully conquering a mighty king called Sichon who did not allow the Jewish nation passage through his country on the way to the land of Israel, Moses is faced with another challenge.
It would be necessary to deal with another king called Og who was also refusing passage through his land.
Gd says to Moses, “Do not fear”.
Why would Moshe be afraid?
He had just successfully dealt with Sichon who was a much more powerful adversary?
The commentator Rashi explains that Moshe was afraid because he thought that Og had a secret weapon.
What was that weapon?
It was actual a metaphysical armor.

This week’s Torah portion is called Korach.
It’s named for a man, Korach, who called into question the authority of Moses and Aaron’s leadership.
The rebellion Korach incited did not end well for him.
Gd made clear in no uncertain terms that Moses and Aaron were indeed the proper leaders.
Gd opened the earth beneath Korach and his assembly and swallowed them alive. The portion begins with the words
“And Korach took” which Rashi, the super commentary, explains to mean that Korach took himself aside.
He split away, he separated.
He removed himself from the community.
This dispute that Korach engendered was not a fight.
Instead it was the lack of understanding of the unique role belonging to each individual.
Korach felt they were all equal and many were capable of fulfilling the leadership roles.
It was not a logical disagreement, Korach forgot that there are roles designed for each person and he set his sights on someone else’s role instead of fulfilling his own.
Throughout the course of the dispute and even after the earth opened up to swallow Korach, there were a number of signs to prove that Moses and Aaron were chosen by Gd to fulfill these specific roles.
It culminated in Gd commanding Moses to instruct the leader of each Tribe to place their staffs in the Tabernacle and the one who is chosen by Gd, his staff will miraculously blossom. This will be the ultimate proof that Aaron was properly chosen to be the High Priest. The next day, it was indeed Aaron’s staff that blossomed.
When this miracle was revealed, Aaron’s rightful leadership was validated and the other leaders of the Tribe took their staffs.
Rabbi Dovid Trenk, one of our beloved teachers whose yahrzeit just passed, always spoke about the blossoming staff.
He asked, why did Gd choose this medium to relay the message?
Rabbi Trenk devoted his life to educating and caring for students who were challenged in many ways.
This portion was one of his mantras.
He said that Gd was teaching us that even a “dead” stick of wood, a severed branch which seems to be lifeless and without potential, actually has the ability to blossom and bear fruit.
Even a child who seems “dried out” and lost, is in fact a wellspring of opportunity, there is so much more than meets the eye. This seemingly dried out stick can actually be the source of greatness.

This week’s Torah portion is called Shelach, which means Send.
It starts off with the story of Moshe being instructed to send Leaders of the nation, the leader of each Tribe, to tour the Land of Israel to see if it is a beautiful Land and if it can be conquered.
Rashi explains that Moshe was given the choice to send spies.
Why did he do it?
Perhaps he felt it would build consensus.
As was reported in the last portion, people were complaining about the lack of meat and about Moshe’s leadership.
(Mom’s take heart, even Moses himself couldn’t keep enough meat in the house or provide the kind of leadership the kids wanted!)
So perhaps if the leaders of the Tribes would bring back good reports about the Land, everyone would band together to shoulder the challenges of conquering the Land.
But unfortunately the mission backfired.
The Leaders return scared, worried and unsure of the outcome.
They bring a report that frightens the people.
They do not want to enter the Land of Israel.
The Jews had sudden onset amnesia.
They forgot Gd’s promise to the Jewish nation that they would inherit the Land. The miracles they witnessed in Egypt somehow slipped their minds.
And so they sat in their tents and cried.
The decree for this sin was death.
Those that cried that night on the 9th of Av, were decreed to die.
During the 40 years of travel in the desert, every year on the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, the generation of the desert dug their own graves and lay down in those graves.
The next morning some of the people did not arise from that grave. This continued yearly until the desert sojourn concluded.
This decree did not it include those under twenty years old or those over sixty.
It did not include Joshua and Caleb, two of the twelve spies who contradicted their colleagues and fought on behalf of entering the Land.
It did not include the Levites who also stayed positive.
And, it did not include the women.
The women proved their loyalty and faith yet again.
Just as they did not participate in the sin of the Golden Calf, so too did they not despair or cry upon hearing the negative report.
They remained steadfast in their belief.
They merited entering the Land because they had faith that Israel was home, no matter the challenges.
Throughout our challenging history, women have maintained the spiritual connection and have overcome, with faith, the most difficult moments.
Before October 7, there was a lot of disparaging talk about our present generation.
They were labeled as selfish, self serving, and self absorbed.
They seemed not to have a connection to the Land.

Every week I wait for the inspiration that will be the basis of my Parsha musings.
Sometimes I have to wait till late Thursday night for an idea, a moving story or a nugget of wisdom to much tied in to the weekly Parsha.
It never fails.
Because the Parsha is always relevant.
If I can’t find a connection it’s only because I haven’t tried hard enough.
Tonight there is only one message.
As Israel fights for its existence and endangers itself to protect the world from nuclear threat, we must pray.
The prayers can be the verses of Tehillim or Psalms, or heartfelt prayers from the heart.
So what’s the message to strengthen us in this week’s portion.
It’s actually mind blowing.
In this week’s portion there is a once in the Torah phenomenon.
Parentheses.
No where else in the Torah are there any parentheses.
That might not sound so earth shattering but it is unique.
Now, if you have ever looked into a Torah scroll you will immediately question my assertion.
There are no parentheses or brackets in the Torah script.
In our portion the letter NUN, written upside down serves as”brackets”.
These nuns are inserted around a number of verses.
They serve to separate and highlight those particular verses.
These verses are actually quite familiar as they are the ones which are often sung as the Torah scrolls are removed from the Ark in the synagogue.
“Vayehi Binsoa HaAron VaYomer Moshe. Kuma Hashem Veyafutzu Oyvecha vYanusu Miponecha.”
When the Ark was ready to move Moses would intone these words which mean:
“Arise Hashem, scatter Your enemies and make those that hate You flee”
In the desert, when the Israelite encampment would begin to move with the Ark leading the way, the enemies would scatter. This particular Ark went in front to smooth the path and ensure safety. This Ark is one that specifically housed the broken tablets, the shards of the Tablets Moses had destroyed.
What protected the Jewish people with this Ark in front, the broken tablets?
Even though we made a mistake as portrayed by the broken tablets, even when we are broken, we still have the ability to turn to Gd to request Gd destroy our enemies.
As long as we remain connected to our spiritual source, to the Torah and one another, even if we aren’t perfect the power of that connection will prevail.
This could not be a more relevant request at such a daunting time.
Now we call upon Hashem again and beg for the destruction of our enemies.

In the 1800s in Russia, Jewish young men lived in fear of forcible enlistment into the army.
It was the law.
The fear of being in the army was the threat of a violent death coupled with the knowledge that it was impossible to maintain any form of Jewish identity.
The only way out of this awful situation was an exemption.
A young student, a protege of a famous Rabbi applied for such an exemption. The student’s friends and family, as well as the Rabbi, waited on pins and needles to hear if the exemption would be granted.
One day, the Rabbi, who was called Rabbi Yitzchok Elchonon Spektor, was engaged in a complex judicial matter. All of a sudden the door opened and one of his students brought the much anticipated news that the exemption was granted.
The Rabbi thanked his student with great joy and blessed him for being the bearer of good tidings.
A few moments later, the door opened again. Another student apologized for interrupting and shared the same news. Again the Rabbi expressed his joy and showered the student with blessings.
The same scene repeated itself over and over as students came to share the news and each time the Rabbi reacted as if he was hearing it for the first time.
Again and again, the Rabbi took care to make each student feel important.
Our Sages teach us that the attention to the honor of another is one of the most important lessons we can learn.
This is evidenced in this week’s Torah portion which is Naso.
If this is your Torah portion you need a lot of stamina, for it’s the longest Torah portion of all, clocking in at an impressive 176 verses.
But there is something really bizarre about this Portion.
As we have mentioned often, the Torah is succinct.
Brevity is the order of the day.
If a narrative is repetitive or longer than necessary, it instantly begs a question.
We immediately ask why is this letter, or word or verse repeated.
In Parshat Naso the Torah tells us about the offerings that were brought by the leaders of each Tribe. In a six verse narrative, the items brought for the offering are enumerated.

We just arrived in Cincinatti Ohio to spend Shabbat and the upcoming holiday of Shavuot with family.
Although I have been here a number of times, I was just taught that the slogan of the state is “Ohio, the heart of it all”
Apparently, the state’s shape is reminiscent of a heart and its place in the USA is to the left, as it would appear in a human body.
While I was cogitating over this new information it made me think about this week’s Torah portion.
This week we begin the book of Bamidbar which means “in the desert”.
The portion describes the hierarchy of the Jewish nation and the formation in which they traveled and camped in the desert.
The twelve tribes were divided into four camps, with three tribes in each encampment. They were set out in a square. The twelve tribes surrounded the next encampment which were the Levites. The most inner encampment was the Mishkan or the Tabernacle.
This is also very interesting information.
It’s important to know how the Jews encamped during their deset wandering.
But is it so applicable to us?
Our Sages teach us that we are taught about this hierarchy and formation to teach us the importance of having the Mishkan in the center of our lives.
The Mishkan brought the actual presence of Gd into the lives of the Jewish people. And by placing the Mishkan in the center of the people it becomes the focal point around which they revolve.
Since their lives are Gdcentric, jealousy and competition are laid to rest, each person, each tribe, has its unique place in the circle with the Tabernacle at the center.
Rabbi Noach Weinberg teaches us that the real measure of a person is not their details, what they do or how much they earn. Rather the measure of a person is in the choices they make. If those choices have Gd at the center then spiritual growth has no limit.
The Mishkan was placed in the center of the formation as Gd was giving the message that power and prestige are not what is important, but having a relationship with Gd and growing spiritually is the core.

Turning on the news has become an act of bravery.
Nothing can be more disheartening than seeing the latest act of antisemitism turning lethal.
It’s hard to smile in these difficult times.
Yet, our lives are a study in contrasts.
A couple was gunned down last night and another celebrated their marriage today.
Are we supposed to smile?
There have been studies that look into the science of smiling and the effect smiling has on others.
A study in the Frontiers of Behavioral Neuroscience measured the impact of smiling at others in the course of conversation.
“the study also found that speakers’ feelings of friendliness towards the listeners and their enjoyment of the conversations increased in conditions where the listeners smiled more frequently. This suggests that not only do we tend to mirror the smiles of others, but that these smiles genuinely influence our emotional experience of the interaction”.
As they say “smile and the world smiles with you”.
This is why certain retailers employ greeters who smile and welcome customers as they enter. It seems to have a positive impact on sales.
Greeting someone positively makes them feel good because they are seen.
We humanize and validate the other with a smile and greeting.
This week’s Torah portions of Behar and Bechukosai address this issue.
“If your brother becomes impoverished and his hand falters in your proximity, you shall grab hold of him…” (Leviticus 25:35).
The sages teach us that if we don’t help our poor brethren we are actually stealing from them.
That is confusing.
How could not helping a poor person be considered stealing from them?
We are enjoined to provide charity, but if we don’t is that stealing?
Rabbi Yitzchok Zweig explains
“This is referring to a situation where someone greets you and you purposefully ignore him.”
It seems that we take something from a person when we don’t greet that person, or smile at that individual, or recognize the person’s presence.
That person feels invisible.
You’ve stolen their self worth.
How do we fix this problem?
The Torah portion tells us how to adjust our mindset.
If we look at every person as a brother we will interact with that person in a completely different way.
We won’t see that person as a charity case who we deign to lower ourselves to help.
Rather this is a family member who has fallen on hard times and it is our privilege to extend a hand, a smile.
By doing so we grant the greatest gift of all, love and self esteem. The person feels lifted by the love.
This is practical on many levels.
Often we may have charity collectors who appear at our door. This may happen in real time with a physical human asking for help, or it may be in the form of an individual asking virtually for help for themselves or an organization.
When this individual appears there are many choices we can make, and many responses we can provide.
Obviously the financial support is what is needed and it is incumbent upon us to give generously according to our situation.
But how do we give it?

Did you ever wonder what you responsibility is as a Jew?
Our Sages answer that question based on a verse from this week’s Torah portion. The ArtScroll commentary on Parshat Emor says “it is the primary privilege and responsibility of every Jew, great or small, to sanctify Gd’s name through his behavior, whether among Jews or gentiles - by studying Torah, and performing the commandments, and by treating others kindly, considerately and honestly, so that people say of him, ‘fortunate are the parents and teachers who raised such a person’”.
The verse that is the source is teaching the commandment that one is to give up one’s life to sanctify Gd’s name. But we are also taught that one can sanctify Gd’s name by living in a proper way, while traversing the daily walkways of life.
There is a story I share annually in conjunction with this week’s Parsha because it is so inspiring.
It’s a true story and I am privileged to know the protagonists.
They are the Muroff family and they lived in Atlanta for a few years.
Once they purchased a used desk through Craig’s List. In order to get the large desk through the door of their home, Rabbi Muroff had to dismantle it. Upon doing so he was shocked to discover an envelope containing $98,000 in cash. The woman who sold him the desk had no idea it was there, and no one would have been the wiser if he pocketed the money. But the Muroffs decided to return the money. Bringing their children along for the ride, the Muroffs returned the money to a very grateful and shocked woman. The money had been an inheritance from her father and she had stashed it in the desk, but somehow it had gotten wedged in between the drawers and she had no idea of its whereabouts.
This was what the women wrote to the rabbi after he returned the money:
“ I do not think there are too many people in this world that would have done what you did by calling me. I do like to believe that there are still good people left in this crazy world we live in. You certainly are one of them," the woman wrote. "I cannot thank you enough for your honesty and integrity."
That’s called making a Kiddush Hashem, sanctifying Gd’s name.

This week we have another double Torah portion, Achrei Mot and Kedoshim.
The first portion means after the death and alludes to the time after the death of the sons of Aaron.
Kedoshim, the second portion, talks about holiness.
Kaddosh means holy.
There is a cynical statement that plays on the juxtaposition of these two portions.
After death, all is holy.
In other more understandable words, after one passes away, we remember that person as “holy”, someone who could do no wrong.
At a funeral we always laud the deceased, it seems that here lies a holy person, we will never focus on any lacking or deficiency.
The Torah portions are teaching us a deeper message.
In order to live life, one must be holy. So that after one has passed from this world they have not only become the best version of themselves, they have used their unique strengths and talents so make this world a better place.
After the death, holiness is left behind.
The portion of Kedoshim is replete with Mitzvot to help us attain holiness.
You might be surprised to learn that the 51 commandments listed are those that regulate behavior between people so that we can refine and improve ourselves to become a holy person in the image of Gd. They include giving gifts to the poor, refinement of language and behavior, honesty in business dealings and the ultimate loving one’s neighbor as oneself.
These are commandments that are intertwined in warp and woof of the tapestry of life.
The Torah teaches that holiness does not result from asceticism or distance from the physical world. Rather we are meant to be fully involved in the physical but use it as a stepping stone to spirituality.
One of the commandments is the injunction not to curse a deaf person.
At first blush, this commandment seems somewhat unnecessary.
If one curses a deaf person, they will perforce not hear it.
Why should one be commanded in such a matter?
Our Sages teach us that the injured party in this equation is actually the one who does the cursing.
The deaf person is not injured, they cannot hear.
But the one who does the cursing debases themselves, allowing themselves to sink so low as to insult a defenseless person. This takes a chunk of humanity out of the person who is slinging the insults and distances that person from Gdliness, from the essence of the portion of Gd that rests within.