Torah Talk for Parashat Balak
July 6, 2017 by
In this parasha, Balak, the king of Moav, asks Bil’am to curse the Bnei Yisrael after he sees them defeat various nations in battle. As Bil’am sets out to fulfill this task, his donkey sees an angel of God and refuses to move any further. Bil’am hits the donkey; God speaks through the donkey to tell him not to curse the Bnei Yisrael. Instead of cursing them, Bil’am blesses them.
Over the course of this incident, Bil’am blesses the Bnei Yisrael three times while attempting to curse them, and gives an additional prophecy to Balak and to the nations. The four visions feature some striking similarities. Read more >