Parshat Balak

Parshat Balak

Numbers 22:2 - 25:9

As the Israelite camp on the plains of Moab, Balak, the King of Moab, is greatly disturbed. He has witnessed what the Israelites did to the Amorites and is afraid for himself and his kingdom. Balak forms an alliance with the Midianites. He send messengers to Bilaam, a prophet from Pethor, asking him to curse the Israelites. Bilaam asks the messengers to stay overnight while he asks for G-d’s permission. During the night, G-d warns Bilaam not to go with the messengers. Balak now sends a more prestigious delegation to meet with Bilaam. He is now offering more money and honor if Bilaam will join him. Bilaam again asks the messengers to remain overnight while he asks for G-d’s permission. G-d tells Bilaam that he can accompany the messengers as long as he does and says exactly what G-d will instruct him to do.

During the journey, the donkey Bilaam is riding on sees an angel of G-d blocking its path and carrying a sword. The donkey swerves trying to avoid the angel. Bilaam, however, doesn’t see the angel and thinks that the donkey’s movements are very strange. He beats the animal three times in an effort to get it to continue on the correct path. G-d now causes the donkey to speak and ask Billam why, after being a faithful servant for many years, did he feel the need to strike him! G-d now causes Bilaam to see the angel and his sword blocking the path. Bilaam is afraid for his life but the angel instructs him to continue but only say what G-d tells him to say.

Balak brings Bilaam to the plains of Moab to curse the Israelites. Instead, Bilaam praises and blesses them. Balak brings Bilaam to a second spot and again, he praises and blesses the Israelites instead of cursing them. Bilaam prophesizes that Israel will defeat all enemies that stand in its way as the people make their conquest of the land of Canaan.

After these events, the women of Moab begin to seduce the men of Israel. They tempt them to worship their god Baal. Pinchas, the son of Elazar (the Kohen Gadol), witnesses an immoral act taking place between an Israelite man (Zimri) and a Moabite woman. A plague is raging through the camp and has already killed twenty four thousand people. Pinchas kills both the man and the woman and the plague is stopped.

Bilaam was asked to curse the people, but instead praises them. How can we compare Balak and Bilaam? Both of them were evil, but according to the sages, Bilaam was worse. The reason is that as bad as Balak was, he was honest about his hatred for the Israelites. You knew where he stood. Bilaam, on the other hand, was motivated by greed and a lust for honor. He knew that G-d would not let him curse the Israelites, yet he still enticed Balak to send a more prestigious delegation to bring him. He expected a large sum of money for his mercenary task. This duplicity, the sages say, is an evil sin.

There is an expression in English, “Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t”. This means that we must be careful of the people who call of friends and then use us for wrongdoing. Recall the story of the young mouse, who ventures away from home for the first time. He is warned about his enemy and when he sees a rooster cackling and screaming, thinks that the rooster is the enemy. His mother reminds him that their true enemy is quiet, soft, cuddly and purrs. The cats seems friendly, but then pounces when you least expect it. Also, recall the story of Rabbi Akiva’s fish. They were afraid that birds may swoop down and eat them. A fox offers to shelter them if they would only come out of the water. The fish, being smarter, know that this is impossible. They stand a better chance of surviving by remaining in their own environment, rather than coming out on land, which means certain death!

Bilaam was asked to curse the Israelites. Since Bilaam was a prophet, Balak could have asked him to bless his own people instead. The story is told about Rabbi Eliezer Gordon of Telshe. He was greatly respected by all of the non-Jews in the city. One day, a non-Jewish farmer asked the Rabbi to pray that his enemy should die. Rabbi Gordon explained to the man that the proper thing to do is not curse his enemy, but to pray that his enemy becomes his friend!

Bilaam’s praise of the Israelites is very familiar:

“How goodly are your tents (mah tovu…) O Jacob, your dwellings O Israel.” This prayer, is said by Jews, upon entering the synagogue in the morning and before the shacharis service. It is a beautiful dedication to not only the house of prayer, but to the Jewish family as well. Rashi interprets this verse to mean that the Israelites did not have the entrances of their tents face one another. This shows great respect for privacy. The word for “tents” used is “ohalecha” (your tents). This can refer to the ohel moed (or the tent of the meeting) where the mishkan stood. This was where Moses taught Torah to the people. The word for “your dwellings” is “mishkanotecha”. This is a reference to the mishkan where the korbanos were offered. The synagogue has taken the place of the mishkan and the Jewish home can also be considered a sanctuary. The table now serves as the altar, which once accepted the korbanos.

We make every act of living holy by saying a bracha before we eat, saying the race after meals (birchat hamazon) and recognizing the wonders of G-d’s Universe all around us. We teach Torah to our children and train them to become viable members of the larger Jewish community (kehillah). In this way, we keep the values and traditions of our People alive to this day. Let us pray that we continue to do so.

	Oceanside Jewish Center Weekly Parsha By Jonathan Wolf
	Parshat Balak Numbers 22:2 - 25:9 As the Israelite camp on the plains of Moab, Balak, the King of Moab, is greatly disturbed. He has witnessed what the Israelites did to the Amorites and is afraid for himself and his kingdom. Balak forms an alliance with the Midianites. He send messengers to Bilaam, a prophet from Pethor, asking him to curse the Israelites. Bilaam asks the messengers to stay overnight while he asks for G-d’s permission. During the night, G-d warns Bilaam not to go with the messengers. Balak now sends a more prestigious delegation to meet with Bilaam. He is now offering more money and honor if Bilaam will join him. Bilaam again asks the messengers to remain overnight while he asks for G-d’s permission. G-d tells Bilaam that he can accompany the messengers as long as he does and says exactly what G-d will instruct him to do. During the journey, the donkey Bilaam is riding on sees an angel of G-d blocking its path and carrying a sword. The donkey swerves trying to avoid the angel. Bilaam, however, doesn’t see the angel and thinks that the donkey’s movements are very strange. He beats the animal three times in an effort to get it to continue on the correct path. G-d now causes the donkey to speak and ask Billam why, after being a faithful servant for many years, did he feel the need to strike him! G-d now causes Bilaam to see the angel and his sword blocking the path. Bilaam is afraid for his life but the angel instructs him to continue but only say what G-d tells him to say. Balak brings Bilaam to the plains of Moab to curse the Israelites. Instead, Bilaam praises and blesses them. Balak brings Bilaam to a second spot and again, he praises and blesses the Israelites instead of cursing them. Bilaam prophesizes that Israel will defeat all enemies that stand in its way as the people make their conquest of the land of Canaan. After these events, the women of Moab begin to seduce the men of Israel. They tempt them to worship their god Baal. Pinchas, the son of Elazar (the Kohen Gadol), witnesses an immoral act taking place between an Israelite man (Zimri) and a Moabite woman. A plague is raging through the camp and has already killed twenty four thousand people. Pinchas kills both the man and the woman and the plague is stopped. Bilaam was asked to curse the people, but instead praises them. How can we compare Balak and Bilaam? Both of them were evil, but according to the sages, Bilaam was worse. The reason is that as bad as Balak was, he was honest about his hatred for the Israelites. You knew where he stood. Bilaam, on the other hand, was motivated by greed and a lust for honor. He knew that G-d would not let him curse the Israelites, yet he still enticed Balak to send a more prestigious delegation to bring him. He expected a large sum of money for his mercenary task. This duplicity, the sages say, is an evil sin. There is an expression in English, “Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t”. This means that we must be careful of the people who call of friends and then use us for wrongdoing. Recall the story of the young mouse, who ventures away from home for the first time. He is warned about his enemy and when he sees a rooster cackling and screaming, thinks that the rooster is the enemy. His mother reminds him that their true enemy is quiet, soft, cuddly and purrs. The cats seems friendly, but then pounces when you least expect it. Also, recall the story of Rabbi Akiva’s fish. They were afraid that birds may swoop down and eat them. A fox offers to shelter them if they would only come out of the water. The fish, being smarter, know that this is impossible. They stand a better chance of surviving by remaining in their own environment, rather than coming out on land, which means certain death! Bilaam was asked to curse the Israelites. Since Bilaam was a prophet, Balak could have asked him to bless his own people instead. The story is told about Rabbi Eliezer Gordon of Telshe. He was greatly respected by all of the non-Jews in the city. One day, a non-Jewish farmer asked the Rabbi to pray that his enemy should die. Rabbi Gordon explained to the man that the proper thing to do is not curse his enemy, but to pray that his enemy becomes his friend! Bilaam’s praise of the Israelites is very familiar: “How goodly are your tents (mah tovu…) O Jacob, your dwellings O Israel.” This prayer, is said by Jews, upon entering the synagogue in the morning and before the shacharis service. It is a beautiful dedication to not only the house of prayer, but to the Jewish family as well. Rashi interprets this verse to mean that the Israelites did not have the entrances of their tents face one another. This shows great respect for privacy. The word for “tents” used is “ohalecha” (your tents). This can refer to the ohel moed (or the tent of the meeting) where the mishkan stood. This was where Moses taught Torah to the people. The word for “your dwellings” is “mishkanotecha”. This is a reference to the mishkan where the korbanos were offered. The synagogue has taken the place of the mishkan and the Jewish home can also be considered a sanctuary. The table now serves as the altar, which once accepted the korbanos. We make every act of living holy by saying a bracha before we eat, saying the race after meals (birchat hamazon) and recognizing the wonders of G-d’s Universe all around us. We teach Torah to our children and train them to become viable members of the larger Jewish community (kehillah). In this way, we keep the values and traditions of our People alive to this day. Let us pray that we continue to do so.
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