Privacy and Community: The Tension and the Blessings

 In this week’s Parsha, King Balak hires the prophet Bilam to curse the Jewish People. Hashem does not allow Bilam to do so; instead God puts into Bilam’s mouth a series of blessings directed at Bnai Yisrael. One of those blessings is recited daily in our morning prayers (24:5):

מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹֽהָלֶ֖יךָ יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:

How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!          

Rashi understands the first clause in this statement as referring to the value of privacy that Bnai Yisrael maintained. Rashi explains that Bilam was praising the fact that within the Jewish encampment in the desert, no tent openings faced each other. This allowed for privacy, even under cramped and crowded living conditions. Even when the physical area is more spacious, there is the danger within close knit communities of overlooking the value of privacy. The US Constitution ensures a right to privacy.  The Jewish value of tzniut teaches us that not everything is meant for public consumption. There is a value and a need for some things to remain private. Sometimes people have a desire to become entangled in other people’s lives, even when it is not necessary nor requested. While the motivation to get involved in people’s business may sometimes come from a place of love and concern, the outcomes can often be detrimental. Here are a few suggestions for how to mind our own business and avoid impinging on other’s privacy: Avoid gossiping. Accept other people as they are. Don’t form unnecessary opinions. Bilam saw that the Jewish People appreciated the value of privacy, and we must continue to appreciate that value today.

At the same time Judaism believes in the importance of community and helping our neighbors. We do not subscribe to a “live and let live” worldview. Chesed teaches us that we must help others whenever we can. The notion of Arvut is that each Jew is responsible for his/ her fellow Jews. If someone is ignorant we are called upon to teach them. If someone is acting incorrectly we are supposed to help them correct their ways. It seems that Rashi understood that Bilam’s blessing here could not be only an endorsement of privacy, since Judaism also values community and mutual aid. Perhaps that is why Rashi offers a second interpretation of the word “tents”: “How goodly are the tent of Shiloh and the eternal Temple.” According to Rashi’s second interpretation, Bilam is praising the Mishkan/ Bet Hamikdash, i.e. the national spiritual center and symbol of the unity of the Jewish People.

From a Jewish perspective, privacy and community are complementary values. Perhaps the real blessing that Bilam alludes to is striking that balance that allows us to benefit from both privacy and community. I am thinking about this balance between privacy and community as I encourage you to attend the RENEWAL event on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Social Hall. Our longtime esteemed community member Gary Bloom is in need of a kidney transplant. Publicizing one’s medical condition can be difficult for someone, as it encroaches upon one’s privacy. This can be especially difficult for those of us who view ourselves in general as helping others and rarely on the receiving end of assistance. Even as privacy is a value, the essence of Am Yisrael is helping our fellow Jew whenever we can and in whatever way we can. Please attend the RENEWAL event on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. to demonstrate our concern for Gary and our commitment to community.