Voices of WRJ: Parashat Balak

by Rachel Lambermont This week’s Torah portion Balak contains the story of Balak who hires Balaam to curse the Israelite people because they are getting too large in number. Balaam sets forth to locate the Israelites on his donkey and along the way, the donkey swerves three times and tries to turn around to change their path. After Balaam then beats the donkey, God intervenes and allows Balaam to see the angel that has been placed before the donkey, which allows him to learn that God does not want him to curse the Israelites but rather to bless them. This story resonates with me because the donkey’s actions offer different perspectives. This is something that comes up in our sisterhoods all of the time, and even comes in our lives. How many times are we put in a position to make a decision and we only think of one way of doing things? Maybe it is the voice in our heads saying it’s never been done this way before. Or maybe it is self-doubt at our own abilities to rise to a new challenge. Only when we look to our peers do we see that there may be another way and that others have a different perspective on the situation that may be important. This need for perspective has helped me on my sisterhood journey from the outset. The first person I met when I joined a new temple was the sisterhood president who became my good friend and introduced me to sisterhood. Early on, she saw my potential as a leader and although I was nervous, I trusted her perspective. I soon became Sisterhood President, which initially intimidated me. And then a few years later, I got a phone call asking me to serve as an Area Director for my WRJ District. Again, I was intimidated and only saw my lack of experience, but the woman on the other end of the phone saw my potential. I accepted and have never been sorry I did. After serving for a couple of years as an Area Director, I was invited to apply to serve on the WRJ Board of Directors. This was such a surprise for me. I thought, "Wow! Me? What do I bring to the table?" I admit I had listened intently to the stories of service at this level with great interest but I thought, maybe in 10 years. After all, I am just a stay-at-home mom of a three-year-old and I only became active in Jewish life in my 30s and felt I was too inexperienced. But I was wrong as I was not seeing what others saw in me. They saw through my nervousness and self-doubt. I did apply to the WRJ Board of Directors and was installed in 2011. Since then, I have stretched with each new challenge and experience. I have met and become close with inspiring and, dare I say, brilliant women. I have learned new skills and surprised myself again and again with what I can do. All of this has occurred because I saw beyond my own narrow perspective of myself to what others saw in me. Balaam beat the donkey because he could not see what was apparent to the donkey—another perspective. But once he could see what had been placed before the donkey, he changed and followed another path. So too I wouldn’t have had the rewarding and amazing experiences with sisterhood and WRJ had I not trusted the perspective of the others around me. Rachel Lambermont is a WRJ Board member, WRJ Program Co-Chair for the WRJ 50th Assembly in Orlando, FL, an Area Director of WRJ Central District in central Ohio and a Past Sisterhood President of Congregation Beth Tikvah in Worthington, OH.