In the court of law, a witness who is related to any parties can't testify. Why? Because it is understood if someone is related to the case he can't be an objective observer. It stands to reason that the less related one is to the parties, the more objective he can be. Therefore, when it comes to seeing our self, we are our own worst witness. When we look at who we are, we have an inkling of what we could be and are not at the moment. It is hard to celebrate what ‘feels’ like a failure. We see our latent potential that is not being actualized and that diminishes our vision for what we could be and who we are. In contrast, someone who is at a distance can see what the person is accomplishing and can appreciate that greatness.
It is for this reason that it is Bilaam’s words that make it into our liturgy. As an enemy, he stood at a distance from us and he had a great interest, albeit negative ones, for knowing exactly who we are. He originally intended to curse our essence and G-d ensured that it would be our essence that is blessed. So what is our essence? When we enter a synagogue, the siddur quotes Bilaam, ‘how great are the tents of Yaakov’. What is it about our tents that define our strengths? There are two qualities that a tent captures, internality and study. A tent can be the only hidden place within a large, exposed field. It is a retreat where one can go inside. That is strength one- it is our inner world that comes first. Second, a tent is also a reference for a place of study as it says about Yaakov he was a person 'who sat in tents'. Our sages learn this to mean a house of study. Our other strength is that each Jewish person is required to study every single day- no exceptions. That is the fuel that keeps us fresh and growing. Our greatest enemy saw our real strengths and it would be wise to take note.
