We live in challenging times.
Granted, we live in far better times than Jews did throughout most of history, yet it’s still far from perfect. There’s anti-Semitism in many places that we look. Israel, our beloved homeland, is fighting on multiple fronts, defending the Jewish people from those who have sworn to destroy us. This is what the Torah calls “Galut,” exile, a time when we’re unable to live freely and observe the mitzvot without resistance or fear.
When it comes to Israel and the war in Gaza, it’s critical that we think beyond the present moment. We need to ask so many questions: How does this end? What is the plan for peace? The return of the hostages to their families must be a priority, but how do we get there? Do we destroy the enemy so there’s no one left in Gaza? Or do we abandon the goal of removing Hamas and learn to live with a sworn enemy at our border? Do we hope and pray that the Palestinians come to realize we don’t hate them, and that maybe, just maybe, they can stop hating us?
I don’t have the answer to this dilemma. But perhaps we can find some insight in this week’s Torah portion, Balak, and allow it to shed some light on our perspective.
In Parshat Balak, we read how Balak, the king of Moav, hired the prophet Bilaam to curse the Jewish people. Bilaam, try as he might, couldn’t curse them. Instead, he blessed them repeatedly. Not only did he bless the Jews, but he also went so far as to describe how incredible life will be when Moshiach comes.
His words are poetic and mysterious, so we have to look deeper to truly understand them.
Amongst the statements that Bilaam, a known anti-Semite, says, is that when Moshiach comes, the enemies of the Jews will be destroyed.
As you read this verse, it is hard to believe that he really said that.
A – Even if he was unable to curse the Jews, would he really say that his own people would be wiped out?
B – The Torah teaches in multiple places that non-Jews, too, will experience the redemption of Moshiach.
So how do we make sense of Bilaam’s words?
One perspective is this: The Jewish people’s enemies won’t be destroyed physically, but their traits will be. They’ll no longer be anti-Semitic. They’ll no longer see Jews as enemies. They’ll recognize G-d and the Jewish people for who we truly are. They, too, will even join in building a more G-dly world.
“Galut” isn’t just a dark time for us—it’s also a time of confusion for the nations of the world. Just like we can sometimes lose our spiritual focus and push G-d and Torah to the side, the rest of the world does, too.
By understanding our current reality—the confusion, the chaos, the lack of spiritual clarity—we can see that most likely, true peace won’t come from political deals or military victories alone. True peace will come with the coming of Moshiach.
May we merit to see that day—soon.
Shabbat Shalom.
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