We are taught that life is like a bank account—you can only take out what you have put in. This is true for ourselves (we cannot expect success if we don’t work hard), as well as our relationships, such as with a spouse, child, co-worker, etc. If you want to receive something, you have to first make a deposit.
Yet, at times we may feel that we have exhausted all of our options and we have no more assets to draw upon. When that happens, despair can settle in. We wonder, what now? What good can I do to be able to overcome my challenge? Why should G-d be good to me?
The Torah teaches us that we can draw upon the merit of our ancestors. We come from good stock and although our personal bank accounts might be empty, we have inherited from G-d an account that is linked to ours, and therefore an account from which we can still draw.
If we cannot stand on our own merit, at least we have the virtue of our heritage.
We learn this idea from this week’s Torah portion, Balak. In the fascinating story of Billam – who tries to curse the Jews and fails – the parshah says that Billam “woke up early in the morning to fasten the saddle to his donkey.” Where did he learn this? From Abraham. The Torah tells us that Abraham did the same on the morning that he took Isaac to his binding.
Rashi, in his commentary on this verse, says that Billam failed because Abraham already upped him on this by doing it first. But this is not a competition to determine who can think of a better way to show G-d that we are sincere in what we are trying to accomplish. Rather, this is about the merit of Abraham protecting the Jews.
Billam wanted to curse the Jews so badly, he thought of every technique to persuade G-d to be on his side. What he didn’t realize was that he could have tried from today to tomorrow, but even if the Jews were deserving of a curse because of their own behavior, at the end of the day they had Abraham (and the rest of our ancestors) to protect them. This is as true for us today as ever before.
We can question our own good deeds and whether or not we are deserving of G-d’s blessings. But we have to always keep in mind that even if we are not deserving, we are still linked to our past. We are another link in a very long chain of the Jewish people.
Be proud and be strong!