Summer Time
Greetings from Los Angeles! I’m here on a Shabbaton (weekend retreat) with our “Bar Mitzvah Discovery Course” students. Together, we are experiencing Jewish life in LA and having the “time of our lives”!
Since we’re in ‘summer mode’ (we are actually headed out to ocean for some speed boating right now!), and we’re soaking up the summer’s sun, allow me to share a thought related to the season
This week, the Torah tells us of a man named Bilaam who is hired by a Moabite King to curse the Jewish People. Yet instead of curses, G‑d causes praises and blessing to issue forth from his mouth. His most famous praise of Israel is found in the following words:
“O Jacob, your tents are so good. Your dwellings (are good), O Israel”.
What do these words mean? Was he referring to their luxurious homes/tents in the desert?
The Torah commentaries explain that when Bilaam saw the lifestyle of the Jewish people he was highly impressed. He noticed something peculiar about the Jewish camp. The entrance to one tent never faced the entrance to another, thus maintaining modesty and respect within the Jewish camp. This is what he meant when he said Israel’s tent was “good”.
Might I suggest that each of us take a moment and think: What would happen if Bilaam came for a visit this summer? Would he praise my home? Is modesty, in and out of the home, still a real concept in my live or is it old-fashioned?
It’s summer & it’s hot (and I don’t expect everyone to dress like me!) but perhaps we ought not to shed almost all our clothing! The Torah teaches us that the virtue of modesty was something that even the evil Bilaam was able to recognize. Certainly we should give it a try!
A little self-respect and modest attire go a long way. Enjoy a healthy summer!
Shabbat Shalom from Los Angeles,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick
