(Ep.37) Parshas Chukas-Balak: Upstander vs Bystander

So in this week's double Parsha, Chuka's Balak and Parsha's Balak read about a strange story about a king named Balak.

who is terrified of the Jewish people.

Instead of fighting them with an army, he hires a famous Navi named Balaam to curse them.

Deep down, Balaam knew that Hashem loved the Jewish people and that cursing them was wrong.

Hashem even told him directly not to go.

But Balak offered Balaam a lot of money, honor, and respect.

Because of that peer pressure, Balam ignored what he knew was right and went anyway.

He became a bystander to Balak's hatred and even tried to help him.

I think this can teach us a huge lesson about our own lives.

Every day we see things happen around us, in school, online, or with friends.

Sometimes we see someone being left out, teased, or talked about behind their back.

It's very easy just to stand there and not do anything.

We might think it's none of my business, or if I say something, my friends will laugh at me.

That is called being a bystander.

But Hashem wants us to be upstanders.

Being an upstander doesn't mean you have to do something crazy or dramatic.

It just means you don't look the other way.

It means having the courage to say, hey, let's not talk about them, or simply going over to sit next to the kid who is eating lunch all alone.

Balaam failed because he cared more about what people thought about him than what Hashem thought of him.

We can choose to be different by standing up for what is right, even in small ways, we bring Hashem's light into the world.

So now that summer is finally here and we are all enjoying camp, it's easy to get caught up in our own friend groups.

But if you look closely, there's almost always that one kid who seems a bit lost, quiet, or left out.

Let's make it a personal goal this summer to change that.

It doesn't take much.

Just invite them into your conversation or ask them if they want to jump into the sports game you're playing.

So in this week's double Parsha, Chuka's Balak and Parsha's Balak read about a strange story about a king named Balak.

who is terrified of the Jewish people.

Instead of fighting them with an army, he hires a famous Navi named Balaam to curse them.

Deep down, Balaam knew that Hashem loved the Jewish people and that cursing them was wrong.

Hashem even told him directly not to go.

But Balak offered Balaam a lot of money, honor, and respect.

Because of that peer pressure, Balam ignored what he knew was right and went anyway.

He became a bystander to Balak's hatred and even tried to help him.

I think this can teach us a huge lesson about our own lives.

Every day we see things happen around us, in school, online, or with friends.

Sometimes we see someone being left out, teased, or talked about behind their back.

It's very easy just to stand there and not do anything.

We might think it's none of my business, or if I say something, my friends will laugh at me.

That is called being a bystander.

But Hashem wants us to be upstanders.

Being an upstander doesn't mean you have to do something crazy or dramatic.

It just means you don't look the other way.

It means having the courage to say, hey, let's not talk about them, or simply going over to sit next to the kid who is eating lunch all alone.

Balaam failed because he cared more about what people thought about him than what Hashem thought of him.

We can choose to be different by standing up for what is right, even in small ways, we bring Hashem's light into the world.

So now that summer is finally here and we are all enjoying camp, it's easy to get caught up in our own friend groups.

But if you look closely, there's almost always that one kid who seems a bit lost, quiet, or left out.

Let's make it a personal goal this summer to change that.

It doesn't take much.

Just invite them into your conversation or ask them if they want to jump into the sports game you're playing.