There is a clear parallel between Balak and events in the Book of Exodus. In both narratives, kings (Pharaoh of Egypt and Balak of Moab), alarmed about the success of the Jewish People, conspire to ...

Unbeknownst to the Israelites, great hostility is brewing just over the next hill. The main focus of this week’s portion, King Balak’s hiring of the prophet Bila’am to curse the Israelites, takes ...

This week’s Torah portion, Balak, tells an unusual story within the tapestry of biblical narratives. The story begins with Balak, the king of Moab, a small kingdom east of Canaan, who is gripped with ...

Balak is a doozy of a parsha. There are curses and blessings, yet another anti-Semitic ruler and … a talking donkey (not voiced by Eddie Murphy, but by God). This parsha is the perfect example of what ...

For the first time in a while, the main characters of this parsha are not the people of Israel. While the story of Bilaam and Balak are interesting, we wonder: the Torah isn’t an all-inclusive history ...

In this past week’s Torah portion Balak, we learned about the great sorcerer Balaam, and this is an opportunity to discuss the prohibition of sorcery and its significance. God commanded Israel not to ...

“Hen Am L’Vadad Y’Shkone…” (from the root BaDaD*). “Behold, it is a nation that shall dwell alone, and not be reckoned among the nations.” *More on this later. And so, Balaam’s attempted curse comes ...

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

(JTA) — Throughout President Joe Biden’s visit to Jerusalem this week, he has underscored the ways that he believes the United States and Israel are aligned. But in his remarks Thursday afternoon ...

There is a clear parallelism between Balak and events in the Book of Exodus. In both narratives, kings (Pharaoh of Egypt and Balak of Moab), alarmed about the success of the Jewish people, conspire to ...