This week's reading contains 73 commandments, more than any other in the Torah and one of them is the prohibition of a Jewish woman marrying a convert from Moab. The Torah even gives a reason (22:5) "...because they (Moab) hired Bilam to curse you."
But the Torah does not stop there, the next sentence continues (22:6): "And G-d did not listen to Bilam, and G-d transformed for you the curse into a blessing because G-d loves you."
At first glance this last sentence is unnecessary. We already know this from an entire chapter in the book of Numbers (22-24); that G-d loves us, hated Bilam and overturned his plans. Why say it again? And what does it have to do with not marrying a Moabite?
Also, at the end of this week's Torah portion is the commandment to destroy Amalek: the ultimate anti-Semitic nation. Is there a connection between this and Moab?
To help understand, here is a story that occurred over 50 years ago.
It was three thirty A.M. Friday and pitch-black outside when a middle-aged Jewish couple knocked at Rabbi Kalmanson's apartment door.
The Rabbi was the director of the Chabad house in Cincinnati Ohio and although guests and visitors always filled his house this was the first time that some arrived at this time, three hours before sunrise.
"Hello, please come in." the Rabbi opened the door and said in a half whisper. "Just don't talk too loud. My wife and children are asleep. Come in, come in. Here just take a seat, would you like something to drink?" He said quietly as he led them into his front room. He hoped this would be over soon so he could go back to sleep.
They looked like a typical, secular, American couple but he noticed that the man was blind.
They introduced themselves as Jews in trouble. He had become blind years ago but that wasn't their main problem
About a month ago they found a 'New Testament' under their oldest daughter's pillow and when they asked her about it, she suddenly transformed into a woman possessed; screaming curses against Judaism and how only her newfound way would save her from hell.
Till then she had been pleasant and sensitive girl but one of her teachers in college, himself a 'newborn', had been working on her for months and now their daughter was 'saved'.
True, they themselves were very far from being observant Jews, but they were Jews and they knew that what she was doing was very wrong. Not only that, they felt she was drifting toward insanity.
"We used to be so close and now she has become hypnotized. She's like a stranger, she won't even listen to us and only talks about her religion. In fact, she is trying to convince us that we are sinners and we must join her and be saved. Can you help Rabbi? Please, we have no one else to turn to." They took turns talking and now were both crying.
The Rabbi hadn't forgotten about going back to sleep and his mind wasn't working. What could he do? He had a busy day before him and he had no experience in deprogramming or being an anti-missionary. In fact, generally speaking, that is not the Chabad approach. Then suddenly, from nowhere, he had an idea.
"Tell me, are you still on speaking terms?"
"Yes" the father replied. "At first we argued. But then she ran away from home for a few days and the only way we could get her back was by promising that we wouldn't talk about it anymore. So now we in stalemate; we don't talk and she doesn't leave. But yesterday we happened to overhear her on the phone saying that soon, maybe a few days, she is going to become one of 'them' and that's why we came here; we're going crazy."
"Will she be willing to come with you to my house tomorrow night for the Shabbat meal?" The Rabbi continued, "Or maybe I should first ask if you would be willing to come? Have you ever kept a Shabbat?"
They admitted that they hadn't but promised they would come and were fairly sure that she would join them, being as it would be the first time for all of them. The Rabbi bade them farewell and returned to sleep.
The next night they were again sitting in the Rabbi's house but with a few changes. The Rabbi wasn't in pajamas; he was dressed like a Rabbi, their daughter was with them, the house looked like something from another, bright and beautiful, world. And finally, the Rabbi did some Jewish rituals like Kiddush on wine and washing hands before eating bread.
After a rather pleasant hour together (save a few acidic comments from their daughter that he pretended not to hear) Rabbi Kalmanson began phase two of his idea. He told the girl that, being as he didn't understand anything about her religion and she probably didn't know much about his, he would like to exchange ideas. First, he would listen and she would teach him.
She enthusiastically accepted. She was so excited about a Rabbi (or anyone else for that matter) actually listening to her that she began talking and lost track of the time until...six in the morning.
When they finished, she requested another session, he agreed and in the course of the next few weeks they met four more times; she did the talking and Rabbi Kalmanson listened.
Then on their fifth meeting the Rabbi asked if he could say something.
She was so sure that he was in her camp that she was all ears.
And truly he was in her camp. He explained to her in the calmest and friendliest way possible that her religious experiences were exactly what Jews felt when they worshiped the Golden Calf. But no matter what she did she was a daughter of Sara, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah and G-d would always love and forgive her.
Then, totally ignoring everything she said for the last weeks, he pointed out that G-d creates everything constantly, including her and all the 'holy' spirits that she believes in, and there is no reason to pray to any other power.
He just wants us to observe His Torah.
This all got her attention but what really struck home was when he pointed out that in our generation there is a Jew called the Lubavitcher Rebbe who does big miracles, really big miracles, but encourages Jews to do commandments.
She was quiet for a few minutes and then asked seriously, "Big miracles? Could he make my father see again?".
"I don't know" answered the Rabbi, "But maybe. I know that he has done such things and even bigger things in the past and I'm sure that if you begin doing commandments as Jewish women have been doing for over three thousand years, you'll have better chances for a miracle.
What he said made sense. Little by little her Jewish soul began thawing out. She began lighting Shabbat Candles. Then she made her parent's home kosher and a few months after that she went with a group of girls to the Rebbe's synagogue for Simchat Torah and afterwards left her cult forever.
But all that time she reminded Rabbi Kalmanson about her father and what he said about the Rebbe doing a miracle. So together they wrote the Rebbe a letter asking to restore his sight.
A week later they received an answer.
The Rebbe gave his blessing and advised that the father should put on Tefillin every day, put mezuzahs on the doors of his house and afterwards to consult a doctor who is a friend of the family.
She was so excited! But her parents weren’t.
In fact, they wanted no part of it. They had suffered enough. All the doctors said the blindness was incurable and they accepted their lot. And as far as buying Tefillin and mezuzos, they cost too much money.
So together she and Rabbi Kalmanson got up the money, bought the Tefillin and mezuzos (no small task as there were forty (!) doors in their home), convinced her father to put the Tefillin on every day put up the mezuzas and a week later, expecting a miracle, went together to the family doctor for his opinion.
But when the doctor heard what they wanted he thought they were crazy. "First of all, Rabbi," he said, "I'm not an eye doctor. Why come to me? Second; expert eye doctors said that there is no cure, look, here are all their prognoses. Third, why build up this poor man's hopes for nothing, hasn't he suffered enough? And finally ......with all due respect, who does this Lubavitcher Rebbe think he is anyway!?! He knows anything about medicine??"
In short, he almost kicked them out of the office.
Things weren't looking good. But a month later the phone in Rabbi Kalmanson's office rang. It was the same family doctor. He happened to pick up a medical Journal and noticed that there was some professor in New York that had developed a new technique for curing eye problems like her fathers. He even contacted this professor, discussed the problem and made an appointment.
Rabbi Kalmanson took the girl's father to New York, the professor there made the examination and set the operation for a day or two away. It was to take at least four or five hours, perhaps more. His wife and daughter joined the Rabbi and when the day came and they took her husband in for the operation they all sat nervously in the waiting room reading Psalms.
Suddenly, after only a half-hour, the professor burst out of the operating room and ran past them into his office. Had something gone wrong? Moments later, as he rushed back to the operating table he smiled to them and said. "Everything is fine. Keep praying."
A few minutes later the professor again came out this time followed by his patient, wheeled out on an operating table unconscious with bandages covering his eyes.
Two days later they were all there for the professor to remove the bandages and were tense; they had no idea what to expect. He admitted that the reason he ran out of the operating room so early was because the operation finished hours earlier than expected; he thought that perhaps there had been some mistake.
He removed the bandages.
"OYYY!" her father yelled. "OYYYY my eyes!!!"
"What is it?" The doctor asked. "What's wrong?"
"I CAN SEE!!!" He shouted. "I CAN SEE AGAIN!!"
Now they were all in tears...including the doctor.
Two months later the father renewed his driver's license and he and his wife joined their daughter in Torah Judaism.
That answers the above questions. Why does the Torah tell us that Bilam's curse became a blessing and is there a connection to Amalek?
Bilam was an infallible destroyer. That is why the Moabites, who were also destroyers, hired him to curse and eliminate the Jewish people because the purpose of the Jews is to build and improve the world, and they couldn’t bear that.
That is why it is forbidden for a Jew to marry with Moav; destruction is the opposite of Judaism.
But here the Torah is telling us that paradoxically it is specifically this Moabite trait of destruction that, when transformed by Moshiach, will save the world.
King David, the first Moshiach (Maimonides Laws of Kings 11:1), came from Ruth the Moabite.
And the greatest prophecies about the final Moshiach (who will destroy Amalek see Laws of Kings 1:1) were made by Bilam (Num. 24:17-20).
So the Torah is letting us know here that G-d can and will transform even the worst and most destructive evils: Moav, Bilam and Amalek, to blessings. And ONLY through such evil can good be revealed.
As we saw in our story, the family wouldn't have become observant and the father would not have regained his eyesight if his daughter hadn't been snared by the missionaries.
But it all depends on us to begin this transformation.
And the Lubavitcher Rebbe says this should happen at any moment. We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish hopes, prayers and suffering. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought can bring the Geula.
Wishing all our readers a healthy, happy, successful, sweet, New Year with Moshiach NOW
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel
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