In couples therapy, a method of bridging divides is to get each individual to articulate the perspective of the other, even using the first person, to step right into their shoes. Powerfully, I've been part of a similar conversation on Israeli and Palestinian perspectives - a life-changing experience.
Our parasha is the Torah's equivalent, in which the narrative perspective switches radically to that of an enemy nation - the Moabites. By the end of this parasha, the Torah has given us a glimpse of the internal Moabite fears, their vantage point, and even their poetic ways of speaking. And crucially, we're given an insight into the fact that their prophet Bilaam speaks to the same God as us. May we learn from the Torah in taking time to see others through their own eyes, even if just for one parasha.
Bril