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When Is Balak Read?
/ 14 Tammuz 5788
/ 17 Tammuz 5789
Summary
- Balak, the king of Moab, persuades the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites so that he can defeat them and drive them out of the region. However, Balaam blesses the Children of Israel instead and prophesies that Israel's enemies will be defeated. (22:2-24:25)
- God punishes the Israelites with a plague for consorting with the Moabite women and their god. The plague is stayed after Pinchas kills an Israelite man and his Midianite woman. (25:1-9)
More Balak Commentaries
- Echoes of the Wilderness, Part VII: How Goodly are Your Aloes
- Will the Real Balaam Please Stand Up?
- Know Before Whom You Stand Before You Judge
- How to Avoid Getting Stuck in Balak’s Trap
- Learning Wisdom from a Beast of Burden
- Balak for Teens: Shabbat Sha-raps
- Distracted by Blessing
- Love Yourself When Your Neighbors Won’t
- Whose Word Is It Anyway?
- Curses and Blessings
Video: Learn About Parashat Balak with Bim Bam
Listen to Podcasts About Parashat Balak
Listen to Rabbi Rick Jacobs discuss Parashat Balak in these episodes of his podcast, On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah.
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Ten Minutes of Torah: Balak Commentary
“What Are You So Mad About?”
By: Cantor Jamie Marx
Balak, the Moabite king, has a problem: the Israelites are encamped nearby, and he's nervous about enemies on his doorstep. He's got an army, but to secure his advantage he calls in a specialist, the star of this week's portion: Balaam the Sorcerer.
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