Balak: Svenskt Perspektiv på Samtal

Well folks, I made it here to Sweden, as you can see from the pictures in this week's post. And to answer the question you are all wondering, no, I will not be writing this blog post in Swedish... I thought about it briefly, but the number of readers who would understand anything is minimal, so the gimmick would wear thin pretty quickly. But having spent a few days now back in bilingual-mode, constantly switching between Swedish and English, I will admit that the subject of language has really been on my mind.

Language and communication feature heavily in this week's Torah portion as well, so I couldn't help but focus on it in my blog. In our parasha, Bilaam, a powerful non-Jewish prophet, is summoned by King Balak to curse the Israelites. Bilaam, however, tries to tell Balak that he can only say whatever God wants him to say; he can't decide to curse Israel against God's will. Balak doesn't get it, the two of them continue to talk past one another, and throughout the Torah portion misunderstandings abound. At one point we even witness a talking donkey speaking to Bilaam; seeing and understanding things that Bilaam himself can't (or won't) perceive. Language sometimes highlights for us all the things we don't understand, even more than the things we do.

While I'm here in Sweden, I will also be visiting my new niece, Tamarah, with whom I will probably have great difficulty communicating, given that she is ten days old. And my sister-in-law's family is from Italy, so once again language is usually a bit of a barrier. Yet we are all family, and somehow when we get together it truly feels like family. Speaking is only one way to relate to people, and when it is taken away, you find others. This is even the message of our Torah portion. Last week, we read about the rebellious Israelites, and how God was angry with them. Communication between the two sides might even have ceased for a time. But this week, in a story all about lack of understanding and absence of speech, the main message is that God still loves and protects the people.

Life is about relationships, and speech is only one way to build - or destroy - those relationships. You may not be bilingual, and you may not have a family spread across several continents or speaking multiple languages, but barriers, obstacles, challenges, and miscommunication are all still major risks and common pitfalls. Sometimes we feel like Bilaam, trying to get through to a stubborn King Balak. Sometimes we're Balak, trying to get our way, and foiled at every turn. And yes, sometimes we're also the donkey.