Question

Good morning,
When I spoke in the synagogue last Friday night, I used an idea I heard from the Rabbi about the explanation of an “evil eye” (a trait of Balaam according to Mishnah Avot 5:19), based on the passage
in the introduction to Sha’arei Yosher, “Go serve me,” (together with examples from Parashat Shelach, first and last, regarding good and bad seeing). I ended my remarks with the following short addition:
…That is, a simplistic, superficial way of seeing, without reflection, is an “evil eye,” whereas seeing that also incorporates intellectual analysis is a good eye.
 
Based on this we can understand something else in our parashah as well. We are used to the Torah portions having an internal division into open and closed sections. Rashi, at the beginning of the book of Leviticus, explains that the breaks between sections, which we call open and closed sections, were meant to give Moses an opportunity to reflect on what the Holy One, blessed be He, had taught him.
One of the unusual things about our parashah is that it has no such break at all. The entire parashah is one single unit. Perhaps this hints at Balaam’s lack of reflection. And as we explained earlier, an evil eye, or bad seeing, is looking without reflection.
We, as descendants of our father Abraham, should try to be not only his descendants but also his disciples. To adopt the good eye, which is reflection accompanying sight. The sense of sight is the one we rely on most, because ostensibly it immediately grasps a comprehensive picture of the reality before us. It is important that we remember that things are not always as they appear on the surface, and that very often deeper reflection is required in order to arrive at the truth.
 
By the way, I also liked the Rabbi’s idea that seeing from a distance (physically and emotionally) makes it possible even for someone with an evil eye to see good things. In any case, out of a desire to keep it short and focus on one point, I didn’t share that idea with them.
Have a good week.