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Torah Talk for Parashat Balak

July 20, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, the king of Moav asks Bil’am to curse the Bnei Yisrael after he sees them defeat various nations in battle. Bil’am’s donkey sees an angel of God and refuses to move; Bil’am hits the donkey; and God speaks through the mouth of the donkey to tell him not to curse the Bnei Yisrael. Instead of cursing them, Bil’am blesses them.

There is a debate among the medieval commentators about whether the story of Bil’am and his donkey is to be taken literally. Read more >