My husband was shaking his head as he was scrolling down the text on his cellphone. “Who do you think Greece blames for the collapse of its economy?” “I dunno…” I replied offhandedly, “must be the Jews.” I thought I was being sarcastic. My husband then read to me the most vile invectives spewed by political and “religious” Greek leaders against the Jews, laying the blame not just for Greece’s financial woes, but pretty much all of the problems of the world – since time immemorial – at their feet.
These days the news in general seems pretty bad; the news related to Jews, however, is once again reaching unimaginable lows. For example, a new adventure is being advertised, entitled, “Auschwitz Tag,” which allows “fun-seeking” participants to play tag – while frolicking in the nude – at Auschwitz. Seriously? Playing tag in the buff at a concentration camp – as a summer outing? What kind of mind conceives of this? What kind of people attend? And what kind of world allows this?
Last week’s Torah portion, Balak, is named after one of the most paranoid and mentally disordered anti-Semites recorded in the Torah. This week’s Torah portion, Pinchas, is named after the Jewish hero who foiled Balak’s attempt to destroy the Jews in the dessert. Pinchas was not originally included in the priestly class, but as a result of his zealous courage, he was elevated into the priesthood and bestowed with an eternal covenant of peace, kinda like the Nobel Peace prize, but much better.
Is it a “coincidence”, however, that Pinchas follows Balak? I never noticed this before, and now I am wondering whether these two Torah portions are best understood as being a pair, and that somehow “evil” and “peace” are package deals.
Like “growth” through “adversity”, Balak’s plot to destroy the Jewish people gave Pinchas the opportunity to rise to the occasion, and in so doing, Pinchas changed the fate of the Jewish people as well as his own destiny.
Practicing Unilateral Virtue
In times like this, when the news brings us daily reports of implacable hatred and inhuman brutality, how do we react with a response that is nevertheless rooted in humanity? And is there a way not just to retain our humanity in the face of an evil that wants to seduce us away from it, but can we use that very evil to bring out our personal best?
Says Rick Hanson, a psychologist famous for using neuroplasticity to create positivity in people’s lives, “One of the hardest things to do is to remain reasonable, responsible, and ethical ourselves when others don’t”. In a challenging situation, how do you want to be? Can you live by your personal code even when it’s hard? What is your own code? What is your integrity system? What kind of honorable person are you moved to be from the inside out?
Personal Power
As a relationship coach, I teach people a fundamental concept that when we blame someone or something for our problems, then we are out-sourcing the solution as well. For example, if it’s Balak’s fault that the Jews in the desert were suffering, then only Balak could change the situation. This is the disempowerment of the victim mentality. Pinchas didn’t waste any time on the blame game. Instead, he took action where he could and focused on remedying the negative behavior he was witnessing in the Jewish people. Pinchas fought an external enemy by correcting an internal fault in the Jewish people.
The very purpose of negativity is for us to change it. We change “it”, however, when we change ourselves. Just like the slogan, “Think globally – act locally”, when you work on yourself you are affecting the world. If you stop feeding negativity anywhere, it will starve everywhere.
When Jacob was preparing for his famous encounter with his brother, Esau, whom Jacob feared could still want to kill him, Jacob prepared in three ways: he brought gifts, he prayed, and he equipped himself for war. And so dealing with evil is never a one solution fits all kind of approach. While politics and military operations may be necessary, at the same time, we must also regard the spiritual realm as every bit as real and powerful – if not more so. Isn’t that the realm where most of us have access to anyway?
May we use these times surrounded by the evil of modern day Balaks to rise to the occasion and actualize our potential of unilateral virtue, integrity and courage. We can all be winners of the peace prize, and in so doing, we may change not only our own fate, but the destiny of the whole world.