Numbers 22:2–25:9
Parshat Balak
Balak, king of Moab, hires the prophet Bilaam to curse the Jewish people camped on his border. Bilaam's donkey sees an angel he cannot, and each time he opens his mouth to curse, blessings come out instead, among them “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob” and the prophecy of “a star from Jacob,” which the Rambam reads as a prophecy of Moshiach. The portion ends with the sin at Peor and the zealotry of Pinchas.
Essays
Parsha Chukas Balak – Mezuzah Power The Jewish nation stood on the cusp of their conquest of Canaan, situated in close proximity to the Moabite Kingdom. Balak, the… Parsha 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 His infinite kindness, has allowed us to access both forms of good. We will fully experience that in the Messianic Age Parsha 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, but to serve G-d’s purpose in creation. And therefore, ultimately, even the curses will be transformed into blessings. Parsha 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 “Stockholm Syndrome.” When a Jew identifies with and pays homage to exile forces (or in the language of this week’s parsha, “Bilam’s honey”), he digs hi Parsha 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 possible in the realm of goodness. One person can unleash the positive energy lying dormant in humanity. Parsha 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 they are on the surface without probing for some hidden agenda. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Frequently, the superficial begins to seep in an Parsha 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 ripple and snowballing effect all the good that we do has on the world. Parsha 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 that our messianic fervor takes us in that direction it is the fulfillment of Judaism’s directive that we “anticipate (and prepare for) Moshiach’s coming Parsha 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 his limited understanding of G-d’s existence. Bilam’s was also spiritually blind; blind to his own state of lowliness. We defeat the Bilams of the world Parsha 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 thoughts with us. This expresses dramatically His love for us because He allows us to learn and absorb His most intimate knowledge. While prayer expresses Parsha 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: mamosh- substance, benefit and hope. We must realize that Moshiach and Redemption are reality. We must also recognize that our actions benefit the world. Parsha 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 produced an unprecedented amount of scholarly literature as well as voluminous correspondence with tens of thousands of Jews. It is estimated that th Parsha 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 will characterize the entire world in the Messianic Era that will be ushered in by Moshiach. Parsha 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 ideals of Judaism. On the contrary, Torah study is the greatest Mitzvah of them all. Parsha 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 the appointed time, rather than sooner, and will also occur in a natural and non-dramatic way. If we are meritorious and deserving, Moshiach’s coming w Parsha 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 moments of exile. When a person is engaged in the higher form of conquest and seeks to spread the awareness of G-d to the entire world, that individual w Parsha 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 history, being the farthest removed from the defining experience of Sinai. It is also the most powerful generation that can uplift and bring fulfillment to Parsha 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 enter into the Age of Redemption is one seemingly insignificant mitzvah that takes perhaps one moment to do. That lone mitzvah can be the proverbial “st