NUM291 The tzaddikim despise the wicked, as the pasuk says (Mishlei 29:27), "A man of iniquity is an abomination to the righteous." One who is not a member of the tzaddikim, even if he does not despise and curse the wicked, at least he should not bless them [this verse].

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NUM292 R. Yehudah said in the name of Rav: Let one always occupy himself with Torah and with mitzvot, even not for the sake of Heaven, for "not for the sake of Heaven" will succeed to "for the sake of Heaven." For in reward for the forty-two sacrifices offered up by Balak, the king of Moav, he merited that Ruth issue forth from him, from home there descended Solomon, of whom it is written (I Kings 3:4): "a thousand burnt-offerings did he offer" (Sotah 47a)

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NUM293 Any person who knows Yiddish, or even just a few Yiddish expressions, is familiar with the expression "K'neiyna Hara" (or a similar pronunciation of that expression), which is used whenever speaking about something good or that one is proud of. These words actually are "K'neged Ayin Hara" -- which are intended to be used against or to prevent the evil eye. Even people who do not believe in the occult or amulets use this expression regularly. While it is not strictly speaking of "alternative medicine," fighting off the evil eye seems to be something very mainstream to Judaism and is regarded as keeping Jews healthy and joyous. This concept is much more prevalent in Judaism than one might think. ... When Bilaam tried to curse the Jewish people and he gazed at them, Rashi says he tried to cast the evil eye upon them (this verse with Rashi commentary). The mystical book, the Zohar, explains that Bilaam had this special power of being able to cast the evil eye upon people and cause them harm (Zohar 1:68b). ... When the Mishna in Ethics of the Fathers explains that a person should have the quality of an Ayin Tova -- a good eye, and not an Ayin Hara -- an evil eye, this usually signifies that a person should be generous and not stingy in how he treats and gives to others (Mishna Avot 2:11). Rabbeinu Yonah explains that this element of stinginess is derived when someone is jealous of the good that others have (Rabbeinu Yonah commentary on Mishna Avot 2:11). When the jealous person has this Ayin Hara, or evil eye feeling against another person's success, this causes Heaven to take away the good from the person who feels jealous, but it also sometimes results in the removal of the bountiful gifts that the other person enjoys. But how and why does it work that jealousy can cause harm to a person who did nothing wrong? Apparently when people are judged on Rosh Hashana, when their worldly goods and other benefits for that year are determined, they are judged with mercy. When someone "casts an evil eye" on someone else through jealousy, it causes Heaven to "take a second look" at this person and judge him or her again, but this time more objectively. If the person is not deserving of the gifts he or she enjoys, it is possible that Heaven will decide at that point to remove some or all of these intended gifts.... Today, Jews use the expression "K'neiyna Hara" whenever they express pride in something or a special gift from God. That, in effect, signifies that Jews are asking God not to look again at their situation and change them more harshly. That is, Jews should not do anything that would draw attention to themselves and cause God to "take a second look" at them. So, for example, when people ask how many grandchildren or great-grandchildren one has, some people refuse to answer with specific number, in order not to invite the Ayin Hara so that God will not reject them and consider taking away one of those children or great-grandchildren. The same is true when speaking about a person's wealth or anything else that is good in a person's life. A Jew should simply not call attention to any benefits in his or her life.

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NUM294 What did he see? He saw that their tent-openings were not opposite each other, and he said: Such as these [who practice such modesty] deserve to have the Shechinah rest upon them (Bava Bathra 80a)

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NUM296 Whoever has with him these three qualities, is of the disciples of Abraham our Father; but [if he has] three "other" qualities, he is of the disciples of the wicked Balaam. … Pirkei Avot, Perek V, mishnah 22. … the Midrash distinguishes between the "pairs" by noting their actions. Yet our long history has known of great resemblance between "pairs," between conflicting leaders and contending groups, where Jewry cannot decide by their respective actions: both may act piously; both may claim to be on Heaven's side. Our mishnah's view is longer and more penetrating: By their disciples, it suggests, you shall know them. Balaam was an excellent prophet. When we enter the synagogue of a morning, the first words we utter in prayer are, "How goodly we are your tents, O Jacob; your dwelling-places, O Israel"--from Balaam's oracular apostrophe recorded in Scripture [this verse]. But to judge him, look at his "disciples," those who learned from him to bring Heaven's death to 24,000 Hebrews at Shittim, by enticing them to the greatest sin (Numbers 25:1-9. T.B. Sanhedrin 106a). Down to our day the problem continues: How do you tell the good from the bad when all seem equally worthy? And the mishnah's formula remains valid: watch the disciples. Many believed Moses Mendelson and Avraham Geiger worthy, perhaps eminent links in the chain of developing tradition. Yet see the "disciples" their philosophies spawned! Today we have Jewish academies of study and schools of thought, all claiming the mantle of authority and authenticity. Where does the truth lie? Again, watch the disciples. Note which produce half-baked "leaders" who make up in arrogance what they lack in knowledge, and walk through the garden of sacred values with spiked shoes, blithely unaware.

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NUM295 The Bible depicts Balaam as having genuine prophetic ability and, like Moses, of being in personal contact with God. Though King Balak is willing to pay him well to curse the Israelites, Balaam, inspired by God, praises and blesses them instead [this verse, 24:9]. Why then is Balaam regarded as a villain? Because of an incident that happens a short time later. Perhaps to win back the favor of the highly irritated Balak, Balaam invites the Midianites to send out attractive women to seduce the Israelite men and lure them away from their attachment to God (See Numbers 31:16 and 25:1–3). Ever since, he has been regarded as an exemplar of someone blessed by God with great gifts, which he uses to oppose God's will instead of supporting it.

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NUM297 Modesty is a paramount value in Jewish tradition … Jewish law asks us to avert our gaze if we see someone engaging in a private activity, even an innocent activity that is not being concealed. Eighteen-century authority Rav Shneur Zalman of Lyady writes, "Neighbors need to be as careful as possible not to look at one another's activities in their common courtyard." Shulhan Arukh ha-Rav, Nizkei Mammon. Modesty is one of the most important foundations of a Torah personality. Modesty means there are some things that we should keep to ourselves or within a small circle of friends. In order to develop a healthy personality, we need a clear demarcation between ourselves and others; we need to know that there are some things that belong only to ourselves, secrets between the individual and the Creator. One way of expressing the idea of modesty is through modesty interest; men and women alike are encouraged to avoid clothing that is revealing, provocative, or flaunt the anatomy. The identical principle applies to one's character; Jewish tradition discourages being, too, open with private information. Our sages state, for instance, that a person should not flaunt his achievement; conversely, someone who has a shortcoming should be discreet about that, too. Bava Metzia 23b, Shabbat 53b.

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NUM298 In Judaism, it is clear that privacy is a very important value. In trying to curse the Jewish people, Bilaam continually blessed them. His greatest blessing, which was eventually put in the prayerbook (Prayer recited each morning when rising, found in the first few pages of every siddur) was [this] verse describing how good is the tent of Jacob. What was so special about this particular blessing and what was so special about the tents of the Jewish people? Rashi (commentary on this verse) explains that the doors to their tents did not face each other. Why is that so significant? Because by intentionally placing doors that would not face each other, the people were demonstrating that they could not and did not want to see what was happening in their neighbor's tent. This was the greatness of the people and demonstrates to us the importance of maintaining the privacy of each individual Jew. When a poor person owed money and the lender needed a security, the poor person would have to give a security for the loan, such as a blanket, every day (since the poor person was too poor to part with it permanently), and this would be returned each evening. However, when collecting the security, the lender was not permitted to enter the poor man's home, but had to wait outside until the poor man gave it to him (Deuteronomy 24:10–11). This guaranteed that no matter how poor a person was, his privacy was sacred and could not be violated. The Talmud (Pesachim 112a) states that privacy was so important that one was not even permitted to enter one's own house without knocking first, lest he should discover something private his wife would not want him to know about. And, certainly, each person must knock before entering someone else's home. There is even a concept in Judaism of legal damages for invading someone else's privacy, Hezek Re'iyah (Bava Batra 2b), a concept far more sophisticated then any twentieth-century statutes on this issue. This type of damage, invading someone's privacy, was incorporated into Jewish law (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 153:1). To guarantee privacy, one may not even open a window in one's own house if, by doing so, it allows a person to see into his neighbor's home (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 154:3,6). This type of damage was subject to monetary compensation. Later on, in the Middle Ages, when mail was not sealed in envelopes the way it is delivered today, in a famous dictum, Rabbeinu Gershom forbade anyone from looking at another person's mail, as a right of privacy. Therefore, the importance and right to privacy and a private life is paramount in Judaism.

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NUM299 We must respect the privacy of others. When Bilaam saw that the tents of the Jewish people were set up so that the entrance of one did not face the entrance of another, he said this verse. (Rashi) People are naturally curious and are interested in knowing about the comings and goings of their neighbors. That is exactly why our forefathers, during their four years in the desert, encamped in such a manner that would ensure the greatest amount privacy. We have an obligation to respect the right to privacy of others. When passing someone's window, we must resist the temptation to look in. (See Choshen Mishpot 159 for the laws concerning a neighbor's rights to privacy). Because of our obligation to respect the privacy of others, Rabainu Gershom placed a chairem (a ban with the penalty of excommunication) on reading someone else's mail without permission (B'air Hagolah, Yorah Daiah 334:123). Even parents should not read the mail of their children without permission (see Rav Chayim Palaji, p. 18).

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NUM300 The Midrash... asks why God initiated the human species by creating only one man. One reason, the Mishnah suggests, is to impress upon us the greatness of the Holy One, Blessed be He, for when human beings mint coins, they all come out the same, but God made one mold (Adam) and no one of us is exactly like another. This physical pluralism is matched by an intellectual pluralism for which, the Rabbis say, God is to be blessed: “When one sees a crowd of people, he is to say, ‘Blessed is the Master of mysteries,’ for just as their faces are not alike, so are their thoughts not alike.” The Midrash supports this further when it says that when Moses was about to die, he said to the Lord: “Master of the universe, You know the opinions of everyone, and that there are no two among Your children who think alike. I beg of You that after I die, when You appoint a leader for them, appoint one who will bear with [accept, sovel] each one of them as he thinks [on his own terms, lefi da’ato].” We know that Moses said this, the Rabbi said, because Moses describes God as “God of the ruhot (“spirits” [in the plural])” of all flesh.” (Numbers 24:16) It is even the case that righteous non-Jews have a portion in the world to come, for it is only “the nations who ignored God” and who will be denied that -- again, a theological consideration. [M. Sanhedrin 4:5; B. Berachot 58a; Midrash Tanhuma on Numbers 24:16; T. Sanhedrin 13:2 based on Psalms 9:18] Thus God wants pluralism so that people will constantly be reminded of His grandeur. (Continued at [[LEV727]] Leviticus 19:18 yourself DORFFRAG 53).

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