Making sense of the sedra: Balak
We must value our privacy
As the Jewish nation wanders the desert, in this week’s parsha, Balak, we read that the Midianite King Balak retains the services of occult magician-cum-prophet Bilaam to curse the Jewish nation into destruction. Bilaam tries to utter curses, but all that exit his mouth are words of praise, famously: “Ma Tovu, how good are your tents, oh [house of] Jacob?” Words so powerful that they have achieved inclusion in our daily liturgy.
Tents? Really? Rashi identifies that it wasn’t the canvas of the Jewish dwellings but the configuration that was so impressive. No two tent entrances faced each other, affording every family privacy, dignity, and respect for each other’s familial space. This value of modesty and mutual respect was enough to buffer us against the curses of a wicked and twisted man who would see us destroyed. Bilaam goes on to devise a plan to eat away at the very heart of our shield – sending Midianite women to seduce Jewish men into immorality, desecrating our values of modesty and sacred relationships.
Fuelled by social media, today’s world erroneously values personal transparency and openness. We ‘invite’ people – perhaps unknowingly, frequently strangers – into the sphere of our lives. Our relationships, opinions, traumas and successes are often broadcast, leaving us prone to voyeuristic strangers or acquaintances alike. Worryingly, we are raising a generation that is unfazed to press pause on privacy – it isn’t unusual to be invited into bedrooms and bathrooms under the hashtags #GRWM #OOTD #AMA*.
Society must relearn the values of privacy, dignity and modesty. Our homes and relationships are sacred. A night in with a partner seems all the more precious when no one else is party to it. A memory exclusive to me and those who experienced it alongside me is privately thrilling and beautiful when not shared widely. An opinion hashed out in person with friends and family becomes less acidic and divisive than when condensed into soundbites delivered outside of personal context. Our home spaces and relationships are more sacred when reserved for our inner sphere.
We can all learn or re-learn to respect our own and others’ privacy in a world where broadcasting our lives is de rigueur. If we are to deserve privacy as a right, we must treat it as a value.
*Get Ready With Me, Outfit Of The Day, Ask Me Anything
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