Getting Down and Dirty

Summer is a nice time to slow down just a little bit. With the big kids away at sleep away camp, the little ones at day camp and the weather in the morning most days here in Atlanta being just right, I like to enjoy a cup of coffee with Dena on our front porch.

This Monday as we were sitting there the garbage truck pulled up and the garbage men in full shvitz were going about their work with a skip in their step. We both marvelled at the dedication and hard work of the garbage men as they did this down and dirty work.

In this week’s Torah portion Bilaam, the evil prophet sets about to curse the Jewish People. The Torah tells us that Bilaam saddles his donkey by himself instead of finding someone else to do this lowly work.

The Midrash comments, that we see from here that hatred causes a person to step out of the bounds of what is normal. G-d says, you wicked one; the righteous Abraham preceded you when he saddles his own donkey when he set about to do the Akeida – the binding of Isaac.

Bilaam in saddling his own donkey was trying to convey a message to G-d; the Jewish People have stepped away from the normal and have behaved in a sinful way. In other words his actions were intended to arouse Divine judgement.

G-d’s response to Bilaam was that our forefather Abraham already remedied your judgement of the Jewish People and their own shortcomings by engaging in a non normal act of saddling his own donkey.

There are actions that are truly lowly and there are actions that are lowly only if the intention behind them is lowly. Abraham’s act of saddling his own donkey had holy intentions, Bilaams did not.

In life it’s often not the action but the intention behind it that makes it a lowly or lofty act.

So do you get down and dirty? I hope so, for holy things!

Have a great Shabbos!

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