Upsetting the Natural Order of the World Through Love©
Parashat Balak 2021- Pride Month
by Rabbi David Baum
This week, as I picked my kids up from carpool, they asked me: so what’s the news of the day? Usually, their eyes glaze over after a minute of headlines, but I had some rare sports-related information to share with them that affected society. An NFL football player, Carl Nassib, a player on the Las Vegas Raiders, came out as gay making him the first openly gay active player in NFL history. In his public announcement, he pledged $100,000 to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention program for LGBTQ youth.
What did they say in response?
How is that news? What’s the big deal?
I was surprised by their response, but I shouldn’t have been, after all, one of my son’s best friends has two dads, something I never experienced when I was his age.
We are about to end Pride Month as June comes to a close, and it is incredible to see how this month has changed from when it started in
At gay Pride parades of the past, we heard the chant, “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it.” Bill Maher, in a segment on his show touting how far America has come regarding inclusion quipped, “well, we did, this is Pride month and it’s not even a big deal anymore.” It is no small thing that we have reached this moment where almost every company celebrates Pride month.
But still, why is a football player coming out as gay a big deal? Because, it will literally save lives, and it will help many in society view the LGBTQI+ community differently.
This week’s parasha, Balak, gives us insight into how perceptions can change, and how we should use our eyes for the betterment of humanity.
Balak, king of Moab, feeling threatened by the newly freed slaves of Hebrews, engages a prophet for hire named Balaam whom he wants to curse Israel. He attempts to curse them numerous times, but every time he tries to curse them, it backfires, and he blesses them, even against his own will. Not only that, but the curses that he was supposed to impose on Israel get imposed on Moab.
Who was Balaam anyway? The Midrash does not look too kindly on Balaam - he is a charlatan, a person who has the rare gift to speak to God, and yet he uses this gift to fill his pockets, with no convictions or moral compass. But I believe the text itself reveals something different about Balaam that we can all learn from. What is important is not necessarily what Balaam says, but what he sees with his eyes.
Balak, the king of Moab, tells Balaam what he is going to see before he sees it:
“There is a people that came out of Egypt; it hides the earth from view, and it is settled next to me. Come then, put a curse upon this people for me, since they are too numerous for me; perhaps I can thus defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed indeed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” (Numbers 22:5-6)
It’s similar to how Pharaoh saw us, a swarm of insects that devour all the good in the land. This is what Balaam is prepared to see; God even asks him, what did King Balak tell you, and he reports to God, “Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: Here is a people that came out from Egypt and hides the earth from view. Come now and curse them for me; perhaps I can engage them in battle and drive them off.”
In Mishnah Avot, 5:19, Balaam is compared to Abraham, the first prophet because they both have an interesting connection: both saddle their own donkeys.
כָּל מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּיָדוֹ שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הַלָּלוּ, מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. וּשְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים אֲחֵרִים, מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע. עַיִן טוֹבָה, וְרוּחַ נְמוּכָה, וְנֶפֶשׁ שְׁפָלָה, מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. עַיִן רָעָה, וְרוּחַ גְּבוֹהָה, וְנֶפֶשׁ רְחָבָה, מִתַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע.
Whoever possesses these three things, he is of the disciples of Abraham, our father; and [whoever possesses] three other things, he is of the disciples of Balaam, the wicked. A good eye, a humble spirit and a moderate appetite he is of the disciples of Abraham, our father. An evil eye, a haughty spirit and a limitless appetite he is of the disciples of Balaam, the wicked.
Abraham has a good eye, in other words, a generous eye when he looks at others. When he saw three strangers coming to his tent, he didn’t look at them as threats, but as angels of God. When he saw the people of Sodom and Gemorrah, he didn’t see unredeemable sinners, rather, he saw the potential for goodness in at least some of them. On the other hand, Balaam sees economic opportunity in cursing a group of people whom he has never encountered before.
Balaam tries to curse them, over and over, but he blesses them. Balak cannot understand what’s going on. He keeps taking him to different vantage points, he sets up alters thinking, why doesn’t Balaam see in these people what I see?!?
I believe it is on Balaam’s third attempt when something changes in what he sees.
Numbers 22:31-
וַיְגַל יְי אֶת־עֵינֵי בִלְעָם וַיַּרְא אֶת־מַלְאַךְ יְי נִצָּב בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְחַרְבּוֹ שְׁלֻפָה בְּיָדוֹ וַיִּקֹּד וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לְאַפָּיו׃
Then the LORD uncovered Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, his drawn sword in his hand; thereupon he bowed right down to the ground.
I read an interesting commentary on this pasuk by a board member of AJWS, Nathalie Rubens:
“Here, perhaps, marks the first step of Balaam’s evolution—the first sign that his eyes are starting to open and that he is beginning to follow his inner moral compass when he sees God’s messenger. Even after seeing this vision, Balaam is still “forced” by God’s hand to bless the Israelites. But after looking down on the people from three vantage points, on the third try, at the top of Peor overlooking Jeshimon, Balaam is moved to bless the people of his own volition, representing the completion of this evolution and the achievement of a genuine shift in his beliefs.”
These teachings from our parasha can give us some insight into how we have seen the LGBTQI+ community over the years. Like Balaam, the more he saw of the people, the more his mindset changed. This is why an NFL football player coming out as gay is so important, even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal, and it can save lives.
Nassib wrote in his post, “Studies have shown that all it takes is one accepting adult to decrease the risk of an LGBTQ kid attempting suicide by 40%. Whether you’re a friend, a parent, a coach, or a teammate — you can be that person.”
We have come a long way when it comes to LGBTQI+ inclusion, but we as Americans can have an even greater impact in other countries. For example, there are close to 80 countries, or almost one-third of the world, where homosexuality is illegal, including 10 countries where it is punishable by death.
This week, I took part in a day of virtual lobbying with American Jewish World Services where we advocated for the repeal of the Global Gag rule.
The global gag rule (also known as the Mexico City Policy or Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy) is a policy that prohibits foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) who receive U.S. global health assistance from providing information, services, or referrals for abortion services, and prevents them from advocating for abortion law reform – even with their own non-US funds. But, it also prevents organizations from serving the LGBTQI+ population, preventing individuals from accessing mental health resources, maternal health services and HIV treatment and prevention all in the middle of a global pandemic. The rule was first enacted by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Whenever a President from the Democratic party takes over, it is repealed, as President Biden did, but when a Republican president takes over, it is reinstated.
Along with rabbis, cantors, and fellow human rights advocates, we lobbied our representatives for the permanent repeal of the gag rule. Not only does it discriminate against the LGBTQI+ population and prevent women from receiving vital sexual health resources, but studies also show that abortions and mortality rates of women and infants all rise when the gag order is in place.
The Gag Rule is not pro-life when it kills more mothers and leads to more abortions.
The Gag Rule is not pro-life when it leads to the deaths and suffering of LGBTQI+ individuals.
If we can lift this discriminatory rule, perhaps other countries will also change their views of the LGBTQI+ community.
LGBTQI+ individuals aren’t a seedy group of people trying to convert your children to a deviant lifestyle; they are individuals created in the image of God, Betzelem Elohim, endowed with the divine spirit, and therefore every human being has basic human rights. As Jews, we have an obligation to stand for human rights, and we are forbidden from 'standing idly by the blood of our neighbor'(Leviticus 16:19; Mishneh Torah, Murderer and the Preservation of Life 1:14), and in a global and increasingly interdependent world, our neighbor can be across the world.
And, they're our neighbors at home: our family members, our friends, and fellow community members; they are in all parts of society, and now, they are on the football field.
Pride month is important because we see a different view and can better support our brothers and sisters as allies, but we cannot shield our eyes from what is happening to this population both here and around the world.
The Midrash draws another comparison between Abraham and Balaam. Both of them saddled their donkeys by themselves when they could have had their servants do it, which upset the natural order of the world.
Rabbi Simeon b. Yohai said: Love upsets the natural order, and hate upsets the natural order. Abraham upset the natural order out of love; Balaam did so out of hate (Bereshit Rabbah 55). When we are silent and just go along with hatred and bigotry, we act like Balaam who did not stand up to Balak, but the children of Abraham, with our generous eye, can upset the natural order to allow for more inclusion, saving the lives of millions of people, and protecting the dignity for our most vulnerable.
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