Video Study for Parsha Balak : Curses and Hidden Blessings...

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Shalom JTF readers,

I feel back on my 'game' now... Finally posting the first few posts for the weekly portion after being late to post for a couple of weeks. Oy Vey, if you knew what a hectic week it was last week and Baruch Hashem things are beginning to settle down.

This week we read the enigmatic portion of Balak. Some years Chukat and Balak are read as a double portion, but not this year. This portion relates the story of a King named Balak who fears the Children of Israel and would like to snuff em out before they enter his land. This Balak character has heard all the incredible things which have happened during the exodus from Egypt including the splitting of the sea, the miraculous battle against Amalek, and the events of Sinai and he KNOWS that he cannot physically harm Hashems chosen nation. But he does believe he could mess up the Jews by sending a great magician and prophet Bilaam to curse them.

So Bilaam actually knew how Hashem worked and he intended to curse the Jewish people at the time when he believed Hashem was angry. But no matter what, Bilaam knew that he could not say anything which Hashem did not want him to say, so the 'curses' which came from his mouth were not curses at all, in truth they were blessings.

This portion contains the story of the talking Donkey, Bilaams donkey would not move past an angel which was standing in the road. There was no way to pass and Bilaam became enraged with his female donkey friend and hit her repeatedly. It is said that Bilaam actually had intimate relations with this donkey and despite this, his desire to curse the Jews, led him to claim he would kill the donkey if it did not move.

Anyway, here is the Chabad portion in a nutshell:

Balak, the king of Moab, summons the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel. On the way, Balaam is berated by his donkey, who sees, before Balaam does, the angel that G‑d sends to block their way. Three times, from three different vantage points, Balaam attempts to pronounce his curses; each time, blessings issue forth instead. Balaam also prophesies on the end of the days and the coming of Moshiach.

The people fall prey to the charms of the daughters of Moab, and are enticed to worship the idol Peor. When a high-ranking Israelite official publicly takes a Midianite princess into a tent, Pinchas kills them both, stopping the plague raging among the people.

As usual I will post the latest Rabbi Richman's video:

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One of my favorite short talks on the portion is Rabbi Shafiers shmuzim...

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Rabbi Finkelstein talks about Chukat-Balak and the lessons we can learn...

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I don't know who this is but I have posted his videos before. He recites the Torah drash written by Rabbi Binyamin Kahane...

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Ok... Now for a little Torah study and then it's off to bed... A long day today for me... Picked up my tefillin (which were checked to make sure they are still kosher) on the way home tonight (HAPPY HAPPY)... Need a little Kabbalah to strengthen my soul...

Rabbi Chaim Miller with TorahInTen... He always talks about the gilgulim according to Arizal...



Rabbi Yitzak Ginsburg, the master of deep Torah learning...

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The portion of Prophets (Haftarah) we read this week is Michah 5:6-6:8...

Micah 5:6-6:8.

This week's haftorah makes mention of the incident of Balak the king of Moab hiring the sorcerer Balaam to curse the Jewish people -- the main topic of this week's Torah reading.

The prophet Micah prophesies about what will occur after the war of Gog and Magog, the war which precedes the coming of the Messiah and the Final Redemption.

"And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples -- like dew sent by G‑d, like torrents of rain upon vegetation that does not hope for any man and does not wait for the sons of men." The prophet describes how G‑d will remove the idols and sorcerers and how He will destroy the Jews' enemies.

The prophet Micah then goes on to rebuke the Jewish people for not observing G‑d's commandments, calling as witness the "mountains and hills" -- a reference to the Patriarchs and Matriarchs -- and reminding them of the great things G‑d had done for them. He took them out of Egypt and replaced the curses that Balaam son of Beor wanted to utter against them with blessings.

The Jewish people respond by saying that they do not know how to serve G‑d and ask for guidance. The prophet reminds them of the Torah, and that all they need to do is contained within it: "He has told you, O man, what is good, and what G‑d demands of you: but to do justice, love kindness, and walk discreetly with your G‑d."