You are browsing archives for
The Israelites were encamped outside Moab, just across the Jordan River, where West-Central Jordan would be today. The Moabites were terrified because of the sheer numbers at their border. They had heard the song sung by the bards: “Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh!” (Numbers 21: 29). They had […]
“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions” (Mishlei 10:12) As I read this parashah, I couldn’t help but imagine how Balak and Bilaam rose up out of the darkness against Israel, and as we read in this week’s portion, Israel wasn’t even aware of what was happening in the distance. The name of […]
Can we conquer fear and anxiety on our own? Balak, the name of this week’s parashah, was king of the Moabites. God has such a sense of humor. Balak’s name means destroyer as opposed to Tzippor, his father’s name, which means “bird”, but this destroyer was like a little bird. He was terrified of the […]
12 Tammuz Not all that Glitters is Gold As I read this week’s double portion Chukkat – Balak, as our Ranebi* advised us to do, I stepped back to see this mosaic from a different perspective and realized how the illusion of truth can distort our vision and create false “truths”. The Emmy-winning writer David […]
17 Tammuz 5782 To listen to the recorded message click on: https://youtu.be/xkS3h3-wvRg Our Rabbi taught us to read the words of the Torah, to step back to see the bigger picture like a mosaic after which we are to glean the principles that we can apply to our lives today. This parashah is named Balak […]
16 Tammuz 5781 You will know them by their fruit When I was little, I remember that grandmother telling me: “Son, “Don´’t let anyone take you for a ride” i.e., don’t be easily deceived by others. Why? Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the fake from the real. The same thing happens when we buy […]
“Prophet or Manipulator?” 17 Tammuz 5776 The Torah teaches us that manipulation is like sorcery and this would best describe Bilaam the Gentile prophet. King Balak realized that Israel could not be stopped from conquering the land through traditional methods or standard weapons as most of the Arab nations are learning today because there is […]
17 Tammuz 5776 According to the Midrashim, Balak the King of Moab was actually a Midianite (relative of Moses wife) and being a Moabite was a direct descendant of Lot. Bilaam the Gentile prophet was a direct descendant of Lavan, the father-in-law of Jacob. In the final analysis, we can say that everything happened within […]
