Rabbi's Blog

As many of you know, I grew up in Borough Park, which is a section in Brooklyn New York. Boro Park (as it is spelled today) is a very different place than it was when I was growing up. My family was the first Jews on our block. We were surrounded by fair and usually nice Italians. While my block was safe, that was not the case of all of the blocks near our home. At the time we moved in, private houses were owned by the Italians and the apartment buildings housed the Puerto Rican population. The one common thing the Italians shared with the Puerto Ricans was that they all disliked the Jews.

I vividly remember having to cross the street on more than one occasion to avoid a direct encounter with the ‘Goyim’ or ‘Shkutzim’, as we would often refer to them. Jogging my memory, I recall being chased a few times or at least running away after the goyim attempted to chase me or deceive me into thinking they were coming after me. Baruch Hashem, I don’t recall ever getting into an actual fist fight or getting hurt. Nevertheless, something that did happen on a regular basis was getting cursed at and being called a ‘Dirty Jew’. Forty-five years ago the language used even by the Goyim did not use expletives when cursing me out. Language was a lot cleaner; vulgarity was rarely used back then. Truth be told, it did not affect me one way or another Vis a Vis the Jew component, other than I was afraid. I was not particularly insulted and nor did I comprehend the message they were trying to send me.

Fast forward fifteen years. I remember my Rebbi telling me how he would walk wearing his tallis on Shabbos morning, hearing insults and curses from the drive-by ‘Goyim’. I asked him, “So what did you do?” He replied: “I stood up taller and realized that I have something special that they don’t have.” Jews, throughout the ages have reacted in sharply different ways to such situations, some running for cover when being cursed, others feeling unique and special, straightening up and keeping their heads high. Since those incidents, life has been relatively quiet with regard to outright anti-Semitism. Most of the time such outbursts and threats have been stifled, with only an occasional slur or slipping out of the mouths of angry protagonists.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned how I get stopped by people asking me if I am Jewish/ Rabbi etc. That is enough to get me nervous about what may follow. Just last week I experienced a different kind of scare and surprise. As I was walking back from the bank, a sketchy -looking person yelled out to me, “Hey! Are you Jewish?” After I nodded in the positive he blurted out, “I am also Jewish!” I wondered at how quickly my initial sensation of fear switched to feeling delighted. I inwardly wondered whether this overt change occurred over time. Hashem did tell Avraham Avinu in Bereishis 12:3 “That I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you, I will curse”. Perhaps, the gentiles realize it’s not so bad to bless the Jews; as a result they, too, might be blessed. Then again, this vignette is only a small sample of a long history whereby the liking and disliking of the Jews has come full circle many times.

In this week’s Parsha Ki Savo we read about the blessings and curses that were instructed by Moshe. In Devarim 27:15 a series of eleven generic curses, followed later in 28:15 by a description of horrific calamities which will befall the Jewish people if they stray. Many of those predictions came true and terrible things happened. On the surface and to the average person who only can see a piece of history, this appears to be bad. We are not to judge whether something was good or bad if our convictions support the notion that whatever happens is for the best. To reiterate, “the best” may not be how I may view a given situation from a myopic view. When taken globally or historically, it may turn out to be for the best. There is a comment in last week’s Torah portion that highlights this concept. In Devarim 23:6 the Torah states: “V’Lo Avah Hashem Elokecha Lishmoa El Bilaam, Vayahafoch Hashem Elokecha L’Cha Es Haklala Livracha, Ki Aheivcha Hashem Elokecha”. “Of course, God did not consent to listen to Bilaam, and God your Lord transformed the curse into a blessing for you, since God your Lord loves you”.

The Kli Yakar writes: “But God altered the curse to a blessing”. This requires explanation and understanding. How is it possible to say that the curse itself would be a blessing? Even though the blessings came from the place of curses, meaning from the substance of the words that Bilaam wanted to use in order to curse the Jewish people. How can one say the curse turned into a blessing? It is also interesting to note that the Torah mentions that only one, a single curse, was changed to a blessing. This does not refer to all the attempted curses of Bilaam, only this one. To paraphrase the Kli Yakar, the curse was the proclamation by Bilaam that the Jews would not possess any synagogues and their kingdom would not continue, and so forth. Now it is known that Hashem does not violate or change the natural array of life concerning the merits of the Jewish people except in a place where there is no other way to turn the face of the array for good. Therefore, in all the other curses of Bilaam, God needed to encroach upon that collection of curses in every way possible. However, concerning the assertion that they would not retain any Synagogues and study halls, Hashem did not want to disrupt the curse if there was a way to bring it out as a blessing. As Rashi commented: “Mishkinosecha Yisrael/your dwelling places, oh Israel” and connecting it to Eicha 4:11: “God has accomplished His fury….and He has kindled a fire in Zion,” referencing the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash. That was certainly a great favor that Hashem, with His fury, would destroy the trees and stones but we would be rescued as a people and not destroyed. So, when it says Hashem turned the denunciation of Bilaam into a blessing, it indicates that the text itself which was “they would not possess synagogues” was reversed to a blessing. That they would possess no synagogues, yet the souls would be rescued and the Jewish people were spared. What Bilaam meant to state: Your goodness is that they are your dwelling places. These dwelling places are used as an exchange so that the Jewish people could be rescued and not annihilated.

There is more than meets the eyes, mouths and ears when it comes to damaging or negative speech. We should only merit the blessings of life, and if the curses and insults are hurled at us we should recognize and believe that somehow, in some way, it will all turn out to be a Bracha for Am Yisrael. Amen!

Ah Gut Shabbos Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky