Parashat Balak, which takes place outside of the plot, gives us an opportunity to hear what God says about us when we are not around.
I very much like to hear people talking about me behind my back. The possibility of hearing people talking about me, unaware that I am listening, excites me. It allows me to hear all about myself without the typical roadblocks, without the political correctness, allowing me to know exactly how I present and what exactly they think of me. In so many tales, the king masquerades as a simple person and walks around town to hear how he is talked about. There is a special quality in meeting reality “as it really is”, when you know that there is no lie. Of course, happiness is doubled if it turns out that people say good things about you behind your back.
This is what distinguishes Parashat Balak from all others: the Parasha that takes place outside the plot. Bnei Yisrael do not know what is taking place between Balak and Balaam, no one hears what Balaam has to say about Bnei Yisrael, nor do Balak and Balaam meet Israel up close - there is no direct contact between them. Every time, Balak takes Balaam to a different place so that he may see a little less of the Camp of Israel, doing this to allow him to talk a bit more freely, so that he may not be confused by their presence. Still, words of praise, Bessings, brachot, come out of his mouth.
As readers of the Torah, we have here a unique opportunity to be exposed to what is thought about us from the outside. This opportunity is especially important following the backdrop of what is happening around it. In previous Parashot we were exposed to all kinds of unpleasant events, internal disputes, quarrels, lusts and so on. Even at the end of our Parasha, very unpleasant events occur between Israel and God. And yet it turns out that from the outside, Israel displays unity, stability, and power. Despite all the statements of God that he is interested in destroying the people, from the outside the relationship seems strong and resilient. There is a sense of contentment in this, we can be very focused on the difficulties we are going through, and think that they are everything, but suddenly it turns out that it does not look like that from the outside.
There’s even more to it. The things that Balaam says, God puts in his mouth. The same God who is angry at Israel, who punished them to die in the wilderness, who is constantly being tried and angered - this is what He thinks of us. To me, this causes excitement, to hear how He talks about us from the outside, with Balaam and Balak. Sometimes relations between us and those close to us run ashore, we are convinced that they are angry and do not like us. Suddenly we hear them, without them knowing, talking about us with others, and discovering how much they really love and appreciate us.
Parashat Balak provides us with the opportunity to eavesdrop, to hear what God really thinks of us, to see how we look from the outside, to receive some satisfaction and joy, which will enable us to deal with the hardships of life in the next Parashot.
