The truth hurts. That is why when you want to curse someone, you look for their weak points. You find something that they did wrong, and you use that weakness against them.
That is the way Balaam acts toward the Jewish people when Balak hires him to curse the Jews in this week’s Torah portion, Balak.
You see, Balaam was a sought-after prophet, not of the Jewish persuasion. He was hired by the feared leader of the Moabite people, Balak, with the task of getting rid of the Jewish people. “Not with might, not with war or with spears, but with words. If you curse the Jewish people,” he claimed, “their G-d will have no choice but to fulfill your command.”
Balaam looked at the Jewish people’s future and saw that that the Temple would be a place where they would serve G-d. However, he wanted to exploit their weakness. Within their services there were sacrifices, repentance, and atonement. “Aha,” he said to himself. “If there are repentance, atonement, and sacrifices, then there must be a ‘sin’ hiding there as well. Let me curse the Jews for the sins they commit, and they will be doomed.”
However, Balaam was not able to curse the Jewish people—he tried from every angle he could, to no avail. Why? Because he saw how the Jews lived amongst themselves as such a respectful community—each family living in their tent without looking over their shoulder to see how the “Cohens next door” were decorating their home. The level of modesty, respect, and admiration that one family had for the next was so great that Balaam, in his attempt to curse the Jews, blessed them instead.
Here we can take two lessons from this story. First, it is true that we can find each other’s weaknesses, but we can also find each other’s strengths. If you look for the bad in another person, you will end up cursing them (unless G-d steps in to stop you), but if you look for the good, then you will find ways to bless them.
Another lesson: Dress for success. There is no need to draw undue attention to ourselves so that people will want to look into our homes, or into our lives. There is no need to tempt the Balaks and Balaams of the world.
Are we perfect? Highly unlikely, but there is also no need to draw attention to that fact.