Balak, Bilaam and Barak

According to Rabbi Berel Wein, “The Bible is replete with what can be called ‘peripheral characters.’ These people flit in and out of the biblical narrative having impact but are always mysterious to those of us who study the Bible. Most of the time these characters are shown in a less than positive light. Lot, Potiphar, Avimelech, even Yitro, are somewhat damaged goods in the eyes of the Torah. But the two main characters in this week’s parsha, Balak and Bilaam, are just plain evil.”

They present two very distinct character prototypes – very different from each other – and yet, completely dependant upon one another. Both are the quintessence of evil. They just go about their evilness differently.

Balak is brutal, direct and minces no words. He is up front in his hatred of the Jewish people – whose very existence he sees as a lethal threat to his nation of Moab. Bilaam, on the other hand, is suave, cunning, full of sweet words and blessings, but behind this punctilious mask he is equally threatened by and hostile towards the existence of the Jewish people.

Bilaam’s combination of greed and hatred of the Jews makes him a dangerous foe. All the more so because it comes in such a seductive disguise of sincerity. Pretending to love us, it is easy for him to gain our trust and our favour. We don’t see him coming. We are taken by surprise.

Hmm. Who does this remind you of? For me, it is President Barak Obama.

Rabbi Wein, in discussing the parsha, gives us chilling insight into the duping of the Jewish people by the biblical Bilaam. In today’s world, substitute Bilaam with Obama – and you have a truly incredible modern-day prophesy.

Rabbi Wein writes, “Apparently there is no human force possessed by the Jewish people that can safely counteract Bilaam’s venom. He is a prophet, a soothsayer, a “holy” person, a man of great charisma and intelligence. But behind that veneer of sincerity and good intentions lies the real villain of the story – the greedy, frustrated, amoral hater. Only later, when the Jewish people fully realize Bilaam’s hatred of them and 24,000 Jews are killed as a result of that hatred, does Bilaam finally come to justice and retribution.”

In an article written in her blog, Carolyn Glick (June 24, 2011 – Liberal American Jewish Suckers) talks about a fundraiser for Obama last week in Washington where 80 Jewish donors paid between $25,000 and $35,800 to hear the Great One speak. She writes, “As has become his habit, Obama opened his remarks by talking about his commitment to Israel's security. And as has become his habit, Obama went on to say that it is his job to force Israelis to bow to his demands because he knows what is best for Israel.

Speaking of his ongoing efforts to force Israel to concede its right to defensible borders before entering into negotiations with the Hamas-Fatah unity government, Obama said, "There are going to be moments over the course of the next six months or the next 12 months or the next 24 months in which there may be tactical disagreements [between the US and Israel] in terms of how we approach these difficult problems."

Obama went on to say that he expects his American Jewish supporters to take his side in his attacks on Israel.

As he put it, the quest for peace between Israel and the Hamas-Fatah government is, "going to require that not only this administration employs all of its creative powers to try to bring about peace in the region, but it's also going to require all of you as engaged citizens of the United States who are friends of Israel making sure...that you're helping to shape how both Americans and Israelis think about the opportunities and challenges."

And how did the Jewish donors respond to Obama's presentation? They loved it. They were, in the words of Obama donor Marilyn Victor, "reassured."

Speaking with Politico, New York businessman Jack Bendheim said, "I think he nailed and renailed his commitment to the security of the State of Israel." Other attendees interviewed in the article echoed his sentiments.

Imagine how they would have swooned if Obama had confessed a secret love for bagels and lox.

What does Obama have to do for these liberal American Jews to accept that he is no friend of Israel's?

Apparently the answer is that there is nothing Obama can do that will convince his many American Jewish supporters that he is not Israel's friend. They will never believe such a thing because doing so will require them to choose between two unacceptable options. The first option is to admit to themselves that in voting for Obama, they are voting against Israel.”

Balak and Bilaam are recurring characters in the Jewish story throughout the ages. Balak threatens us with extermination and, speaks in the name of skewed justice and human rights. Bilaam gains major media attention and the sympathy of the deluded, the ignorant and the naïve. But he represents great danger and eventual catastrophe.

Rabbi Wein writes, “Without Bilaam, Balak cannot function, let alone succeed. And therefore the Torah nowhere describes for us the demise of Balak; it only deals with the killing of Bilaam. For the end of Bilaam is in fact the end of Balak as well.”

In a modern perspective – it takes an Obama in order for a Hamas-Fatah run Palestinian State to flourish. Without Obama, the Hamas-Fatah stronghold in Gaza would have no legitimacy at all – but somehow – American Liberal Jews are blinded by Bilaam-Obama and are therefore as guilty as he is in trying to destroy Israel. G-d help us.