“What Were the Rabbis Thinking?,” Rabbi Elaine Zecher’s Shabbat Awakenings

June 26, 2026 | 11 Tamuz 5786

Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings, a weekly reflection as we move toward Shabbat on this holiday of Shavuot, actually happening today! You can also listen to it as a podcast.

Centuries ago, the rabbis of their time organized the Torah into different sections so that the Torah could be read each week to ensure the entire scroll could be read over the course of the year There was also a triennial cycle, but that is for another time. As they broke up each of the five books into portions, they took the most prominent word or name in the first or sometimes second verse as the title.

When they examined where to make the section for the part when Moses and hence the people would receive the commandments, they made an interesting choice They began the portion with Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law. The moment at Mt. Sinai that transformed the Jewish people forever holds the name of a Midianite priest. Though we don’t have the rabbis’ conversation recorded, I wonder if they wanted to honor Yitro because his interaction with Moses and Judaism brings respect and grace. Perhaps, he would be the complement to Torah by the way he acted with kindness and wisdom.

For the portion last week, the rabbis chose to highlight Korah as its name. As a member of the tribe of Levi, Korah garnered support from others to rail against Moses and Aaron challenging their leadership. It didn’t end up well for Korah. The earth swallowed him and all his followers. Perhaps the rabbis wanted to show what happens when someone from the inside seeks to arouse dissent and perhaps destruction. Then again, this portion provokes much discussion at Temple Israel Torah study. We have many active supporters for Korah’s point of view.

Then we arrive to this week with the title, “Balak.” I would compare him to Pharaoh (who didn’t get a portion named after him).

“Moab was alarmed because that [Israelite] people was so numerous. Moab dreaded the Israelites, and Moab said to the elders, ‘Now this horde will lick clean all that is about us as an ox licks up the grass of the field.’” (Numbers 22:3-4)

Pharaoh compared us to locusts. Here, the Israelites are regarded as an ox able to clear all that is in its path. As a result of Balak’s dread, he chose to hire a seer to curse the Israelites in order to neutralize the threat he felt from their impending presence in his land. Instead of cursing, the seer named Bilaam ended up blessing the Israelites. Wouldn’t it seem more reasonable to ensure that the name of the portion would be Bilaam if they felt the need to name it after a person? But they did not.

I wish they had. The story of Bilaam is one that reminds us that although there are those who, like the King of Moab, turn their fear into violence, there are still others who, like Bilaam, abided by a divine message that the Israelites were and are worthy of blessing. But it wasn’t just divine intervention, though that is a very important piece to the story. There on those hills, Bilaam came to understand particular characteristics of the Jewish people, of community, of our ethical foundation, and our dedication to understanding. A newfound familiarity altered an attitude and intention.

It seems to me that basic human nature demands that whatever it is that pushes to gain understanding and overcome assumptions of another makes all the difference. Though the rabbis of the Talmud would never find a reason to like Bilaam, I know what I think even though they didn’t ask me. We can’t know what the rabbis were thinking, nevertheless, anyone able to transform curses into blessings deserves a named portion or at least consideration.

Shabbat Shalom! שבת שלום

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Rabbi Elaine Zecher