Open Search form

PARSHA POSTS: BALAK

Apply for a Blog

Jun 27, 2026, 10:08 PM

From Ego to Bitul to Blessing: Parshas Korach, Parshas Chukat, and Parshas Balak

The Torah's arrangement of Parshas Korach, Parshas Chukat, and Parshas Balak is far more than a chronological sequence. Together, these three parshiyos trace a profound spiritual progression: from the dangers of ego and self-assertion, to the humility born of...

Jun 27, 2026, 12:19 AM

PARASHAT BALAK: When Exile Turns into Blessing

The camp of Moav does not sleep in peace. From the hills, Balak watches the movement of a people advancing without noise, like a slow current that does not stop. He sees no raised swords, no armies prepared to...

Talyah Ginsberg

Jun 26, 2026, 7:02 PM

The View from Balak’s Hill

When the curse comes from outside, inside, and occasionally from Mar-a-Lago There are weeks when the parashah does not so much arrive as barge through the front door, throw the headlines onto the table and say, “Nu? Are we ready...

Jun 26, 2026, 6:36 PM

The Hardest Word to Hear (Balak, Covenant & Conversation)

The story of Bilaam, the pagan prophet, begins with a bewildering set of non-sequiturs. It involves a sequence of events that seems to have no logic. First, the background. The Israelites are approaching the end of their forty years in...

Jun 26, 2026, 6:22 PM

Hukas-Balak: Uniting the Nations

I have a much longer title for this week's parsha post: The Paradox of Global Opposition: Bilaam, the United Nations, and the Architecture of Divine Protection Every year, as we read Parashas Balak, which is doubled in chu"l this year as...

William Hamilton

Jun 26, 2026, 6:18 PM

When, if ever, did the Children of Israel follow God lovingly, like newlyweds to their homeland? “I lovingly recall the devotion of your youth” Jeremiah nostalgically remembers (Jer. 2:2). So, given their rebellious norms, when exactly do we find...

Jun 25, 2026, 11:47 PM

Safe at Home (Huqat-Balak 5786)

Yankees at Orioles July 12, 2014

There is a serious debate among knowledgeable people about a very important question: What is the best baseball movie of all time? In my experience the choices often come down to Field of Dreams (starring Kevin Costner and featuring...

Shamai Leibowitz

Jun 25, 2026, 10:54 PM

From Czar to Civil Rights

For centuries, Jews took the Mishnah's instruction literally: "Pray for the stability of the government..." (Pirkei Avot 3:2) Across Europe, communities recited a special prayer for the ruling monarch, Ha-Noten Teshuah ("He Who grants salvation to kings..."). Originating in 11th-century Germany, its purpose was survival:...

Jun 25, 2026, 10:09 PM

A Story Not About Jews

It is a story all about the Jews, yet the Jews play no role in it. It contains some of the most common phrases in Jewish life, yet they are not the words of any Jew. This week's Parasha...

Menachem Creditor

Jun 25, 2026, 6:30 PM

Friendship Over Fear (Chukat-Balak)

There is no shortage of wisdom in this week’s double Torah portion, Chukat and Balak. But this year, I found myself returning to the teaching of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of blessed memory, whose clarity often feels not only wise,...

Load more