* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
The following are some reflections for the day after Israel’s attack on its enemies in distant Yemen:
Two non-Jewish people were rewarded by having a Torah portion named after them: Yitro and Balak. We find many similarities between these two individuals. Both were very curious about the new nation that had been freed from Egypt and both arrived at conclusions regarding its impact. But their conclusions were radically different: Yitro was thrilled about the emergence of this new nation and was eager to support and even join them; Balak, on the other hand, concluded that this nation posed a dangerous threat and decided to curse and attack them. Each of these men will be remembered in history for the choice that he made at that pivotal time.
Whenever something dramatic occurs, we need to decide what part we will play in the story. Balak could have chosen to follow in Yitro’s footsteps, and then the beginning of his parsha would have read: “And Balak heard all that God had done for Moshe and the people of Israel… and Balak and his sons came to meet Moshe…” By the same token, Yitro could have arrived at Yitro’s conclusion and then his parsha would have read: “And Yitro sent messengers to Bilaam”— in order to curse the Jewish people.
Rabbi Shmuel Pollack writes that there is an important message here: when faced with the ultimate truth, it is impossible for people to remain indifferent. We are witnessing this phenomenon today as we observe the attitudes of different nations towards Jewish people—how they address the rise of antisemitism, their response to the terror unleashed by Hamas, and their reaction to the hostage crisis. But we too are always facing choices: what we should pray for, what cause to support, and what to dream about for the future.
May we always strive to make the proper choices. And may the world do likewise.
