Light from the Future: Parshas Balak

1. Balak – Covert Operations There are two dimensions of good: The good that is overt and easily accessed and the dimension of good that is covert and is hard to access. G-d, in…
2. Balak – Curses and Blessings Transforming curses into blessings is the ultimate expression of G-d’s true unity because it proves that not even the evil has any power of its own,…
3. Balak – Honey or a Sting? The phenomenon of identifying with our enemies when we receive some measure of good from them is a well-known psychological phenomenon known as the…
4. Balak – Just for Now Earth shattering events are indeed very appealing to us. But, even the most insignificant act can forever change the world. We cannot fathom the…
5. Balak – Misplaced Spirituality Our quest for Moshiach—the descendent of Moab—is for the Moshiach who will, in Maimonides’ words, facilitate total Torah observance. To the extent…
6. Balak – Moshiach If one evil person was able to galvanize a nation of tens of millions to carry out the worst genocide in history, how much more so, is the same…
7. Balak – No Paragraphs We have become a society in which everything has to be analyzed. There are times when we should allow positive statements of people to remain the way…
8. Balak – Removing the Bilam Curse of Galus Bilam suffered from two impediments. He was lame and partially blind. He lacked healthy spiritual legs i.e. faith. Bilams spirituality was based on…
9. Balak – Singular Blessing Prayer is complemented by Torah study. If prayer is the story of our relationship with G-d then Torah study is where G-d shares His most intimate…
10. Balak – Substance, Profit and Hope To counter the power of the modern day Bila’ams who attempt to distance us from the Messianic Age we must connect ourselves to the three elements:…
11. Balak – The Twelfth and Thirteenth of Tammuz It is incredible that the Previous Rebbe—as well as the Rebbe, his successor—in addition to their leadership of the Jewish people in all matters, have…
12. Balak – The Visually Challenged Seer Moses and Moshiach’s commanding the respect of the entire world lies in their ability to see with “both” eyes. This clarity of vision is also what…
13. Balak – Torah, Gold and Silver Torah must be augmented by good deeds. However, the emphasis on Mitzvos over Torah study is not because Torah study is less significant than other…
14. Balak – Two Scenarios There are two distinct scenarios for the unfolding of the Messianic drama. If we are not worthy, Moshiach will still come, but his coming will be at…
15. Balak – Two Tiered Conquest Jealousy will only be erased in the more advanced stages of the Messianic Age. Nevertheless there are ways of tempering it even now, in these last…
16. Balak – Walk! The last generation of exile has been compared by our Sages as the “heels of Moshiach.” Our generation is paradoxically the lowest generation of…
17. Balak – What Can We Accomplish in One Instant? In the current “bridge” to the Messianic Age we have the accumulated good of the past at our disposal. All it takes to finally cross the bridge and…

← All books