Parashat Balak
Torah: Numbers 22:2 - 25:9
Haftarah: Micah 5:6 - 6:8
Tammuz 14, 5784 / July 19-20, 2024
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This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah and a speedy and safe return of all the hostages being held by Hamas.
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.
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Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. NO Lunch and Learn on June 24. On July 22, we'll be at BT Chagigah 3a, page 1 of Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) Volume 3:
"There were two dumb men..."
We’ll learn the mishnah at BT Chagigah 2a first, in order to understand the background of the midrash
The Volume 3 of Ein Ya'akov is now available and downloadable on Google drive at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1symdqiuA-HHe7pqOezMo_zp79eTpNakc/view?usp=sharing
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Please pass this on to a friend - and please cite the source.
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NO PROFIT FROM “PROPHETS”
“How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel. Like palm groves that stretch out; like gardens beside a river; like aloes planted by the Lord; like cedars beside the water.” Numbers 24:5-6.
Haftarah: Micah 5:6 - 6:8
Tammuz 14, 5784 / July 19-20, 2024
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah and a speedy and safe return of all the hostages being held by Hamas.
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. NO Lunch and Learn on June 24. On July 22, we'll be at BT Chagigah 3a, page 1 of Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) Volume 3:
"There were two dumb men..."
We’ll learn the mishnah at BT Chagigah 2a first, in order to understand the background of the midrash
The Volume 3 of Ein Ya'akov is now available and downloadable on Google drive at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1symdqiuA-HHe7pqOezMo_zp79eTpNakc/view?usp=sharing
---------------------------------------------------------
Please pass this on to a friend - and please cite the source.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NO PROFIT FROM “PROPHETS”
“How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel. Like palm groves that stretch out; like gardens beside a river; like aloes planted by the Lord; like cedars beside the water.” Numbers 24:5-6.
The first verse here is the opening of “Ma Tovu”, recited upon entering the synagogue. Together, the verses are a beautiful blessing, or perhaps an observation, offered by the sorcerer-prophet Bil’am (aka Balaam), who had been hired to curse the people of Israel.
The Prophet Balaam and the Angel. John Linnell (1792-1882)
The early Hasidic master Yakov Yosef of Polnoye asks, “What is the difference between a true prophet and a false one?” The true prophet, he says, scolds people, telling them of their failings and how they may correct them. Think of Jeremiah or Isaiah.
The false prophet, on the other hand, sweet-talks the people. “You’re wonderful! Everything is great! Don’t change a thing.” He covers you in honey and cream while preparing to slice you to pieces.
It is precisely because true prophets love the people that they criticize them and demand improvement. Even though Bil’am and others of his ilk (both then and now!) praise the Jewish people, they do not sing out of love. They say what they say in order to entice the Jewish people, and prevent them from reaching the loftiest possible spiritual and moral levels.
Don’t be fooled by false prophets - they'll love you to death.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom - Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B'nai Hayim
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a----------------------------------------
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