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Volume 27 Issue 25
July 6-12, 2025 - 10-16 Tammuz, 5785
Torah Reading: Balak
Candle Lighting: 8:13 PM
Shabbos Ends: 9:11 PM
Pirkei Avos: Chapter 6
Parsha Synopsis · A Word From the Rabbi
Essay · Thoughts That Count
Once Upon A Chassid · Tid Bits · Happenings · Notes From Israel
Parsha Synopsis
Balak
Numbers: 19:1-22:1
The name of the Parshah, “Balak,” refers to Balak, king of Moab, and it is found in Numbers 22:2
Balak, the king of Moab, summons the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel. On the way, Balaam is berated by his donkey, who sees, before Balaam does, the angel that G‑d sends to block their way. Three times, from three different vantage points, Balaam attempts to pronounce his curses; each time, blessings issue forth instead. Balaam also prophesies on the end of the days and the coming of Moshiach.
The people fall prey to the charms of the daughters of Moab, and are enticed to worship the idol Peor. When a high-ranking Israelite official publicly takes a Midianite princess into a tent, Pinchas kills them both, stopping the plague raging among the people.
The Disgrace That Stems From Obsession & Greed
In his 1974 commencement speech at the California Institute of Technology, Nobel laureate physicist Richard P. Feynman articulated the foundation of scientific integrity: “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool... After you’ve not fooled yourself, it’s easy not to fool others...”
If you didn’t know that the Torah had a sense of humor, you probably missed the narrative at the center of this week’s Parsha – the legendary tale of two highly influential leaders, Balak and Bilaam who rapidly slipped from grace and glory into the depth of shame and depravity.
Driven by the attributes of fear, greed and honor, the two respected men teamed up against the perceived threat of a rising nation with G‑d on its side, to stop them at all cost. They devised a sinister plot to bring a curse upon the children of Israel, in order to eliminate the menace.
Refusing to accept the fact that they were up against a force that is far greater than them, they would not take no for an answer. Their arrogance and greed left them spiraling downward in humiliation and disgrace.
The self proclaimed world organizer and do-gooder, Bilaam; a Prophet for profit and master spin artist – professing great ideals while at the same time available for hire – a nd his royal friend Balak, make complete clowns of themselves in trying to outsmart G‑d.
While Israel remained encamped in the desert near the border of Moav they had no way of knowing that Balak, King of Moav proceeded to send a delegation to the revered magician and prophet – Bilaam, seeking his services and employ in bringing a curse upon them, so that they may be defeated in war. But the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.
That night G‑d said to Bilaam: “Do not go with them [the emissaries of Balak] and do not curse [the nation of Israel] for it is blessed. Bilaam arose in the morning and said to the officers of Balak, 'Go to your land, for G‑d refuses to let me go with you.'" (Numbers 22:12-13)
Were these men in the slightest sense upright and G‑d fearing, it would all have ended right then and there. “Sorry chaps, I gave it my best shot, G‑d said no, it’s over.” Bilaam however, was no less manipulative and greedy than his cohort, Balak, was arrogant and wicked. Hence the amusing tale of their systematic unraveling.
In light of all the wealth and honor at stake, Bilaam was not quite ready to call it quits – he was not about to take no for an answer. By mischievously skewing G‑d’s clear and concise words, he suggested that it was not yet over. There was still room to maneuver.
As Rashi notes, he honed in on the word "You:" G‑d will not let me go with “You,” but he might well allow me to go with a delegation of higher rank. By failing to acknowledge that G‑d had expressly and conclusively forbidden him from cursing the Jewish people, derives Rashi, Bilaam had proven himself to be deceptive and arrogant.
Our Parsha proceeds to relate how Balak took the bait and continued to send missions of more distinguished officers. Bilaam, who really wanted to go and curse the Jewish People, was very happy to receive these higher delegations of officers.
Fogged by his own deception that there was still hope, Bilaam tells the princes, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold (a hint at what he perceived his services to be worth and what he might expect in return) I could not trespass the word of G‑d... and now, you too should stay the night to see what more G‑d will say to me” (22:18-19).
At this juncture G‑d decided to play along with Bilaam, and since he so insisted, permitted him to go. But G‑d did not allow him to curse the Jewish people. "Only the word which I shall speak to you, shall you do," says G‑d. (22:20)
Convinced that his plan was working and that he was having success in manipulating G‑d, he leaped out of bed in the morning and ran to saddle his donkey. Bilaam went running even though he had been cautioned that he may not curse the Jewish people. Why did he run? Because he was hoping to continue to manipulate the situation – to find a way to outsmart G‑d and curse the Children of Israel.
As a warning, G‑d sends an angel to stand in his way. Three times Bilaam's otherwise obedient donkey turns aside. First it turns away from the path, then it scrapes against the wall, and finally it lies down. If Bilaam were not so madly obsessed, he would certainly have paid attention to these obvious signs. As a Prophet he lived his entire life following such signs and omens, yet now he entirely ignores them – glaring and obvious as they are. His obsessive greed makes him oblivious to everything outside of his passionate objective.
Suddenly the donkey opens its mouth and starts to talk! This should have floored him. Still, he reacts not in surprise; he does not fall off the donkey in bewilderment. No, he lashes out against the donkey instead: "I wish I had a sword in my hand, because I would have killed you by now." (22:29)
Ultimately, G‑d uncovers Bilaam's eyes and he sees the angel of G‑d standing on the road with his drawn sword. The angel chastises Bilaam for having unfairly beaten his donkey three times. Bilaam responds: "I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing opposite me on the road."
What kind of answer is that? Should Bilaam not have said: "Sorry, I didn't see you! I thought my donkey got lazy." If one doesn't see, it's not his fault. He simply didn't see! What was the sin here?
The Malbim asserts that Bilaam's sin was precisely the fact that he didn’t see; his failure to realize that there was an angel in front of him. Under such circumstances, failing to see is itself a sin. It would hence not be sufficient to say, "Sorry but I failed to see you, I just didn't get it." That itself is a fault. Had he not been so obsessed with his own greedy agenda he would certainly have seen. He would no doubt have understood!
So, you think that by now he surely got it. After all, G‑d has made Himself so abundantly obvious that even his donkey understood. You would expect that by now he would be pleading with G‑d to let him go home so he could go hide under the covers in shame, but no, amazingly he still does not seem to get the point.
After all this he still continues on his way, hoping against hope to somehow find a way to pull off his evil mission. Obsessed and self absorbed, he cannot see himself sinking. He is totally oblivious to the mockery he is turning into. So he continues on his way.
Balak leads him to a place where he could see the Jewish camp, still bent on cursing the Israelites Bilaam tells him to build an altar and offer sacrifices. Balak does as told, but lo, Bilaam winds up showering blessings upon the Jews.
By now, Balak should have either handed Bilaam his head on a platter, or at least sent him home in disgrace. What did he say to Bilaam instead? "Come with me please to another place..." (23:13). Let's try it again. That was just an accident.
And so they repeat the whole shpiel again. Seven more altars. . . an ox and a ram offered on each, but Bilaam ends up blessing the Israelites once again.
And ridiculous as it seems, the distinguished king and prophet keep at it: "Come please and I'll take you to another place..." (23:27).
Bilaam and Balak fail to realize how very low they have actually sunk by now. They make three separate attempts and three times G‑d makes Bilaam bless the people before they finally give up. Nowadays this would no doubt be the fodder of late night TV.
Indeed, the entire episode is fraught with deprecating humor. The notion of a talking donkey who gets to set his highfalutin master straight, would no doubt make for some good sitcom material. But, as you can imagine, there is more to this story than humor.
As with every Torah narrative, this episode contains a profound and relevant lesson: The obsessed individual does not behave rationally. He is fixated on his objective and shall cling to it even as it turns him into a foolish laughing stalk. This is what obsession can do to a person.
There is no lack of Bilaam-style prophets or in our present day and age – visionaries who cling to irrational dreams and bad ideas long after they are proven wrong and destructive, even as they find themselves sinking into complete disgrace and mockery.
May we learn from Bilaam to open our eyes to the truth that lies before us and to avoid the disgrace that stems from obsession and greed. May we thereby merit the coming of the true and righteous Moshiach BBA.
Gut Shabbos!
Rabbi Kahanov is the founder/director of Chabad in Northeast FL, consisting of 6 Chabad Centers
He is also the author of "What Chabad Really Believes"
If you like this, you might be interested in purchasing his book click here for more information
The Secret of Jewish Survival
When you need an honest appraisal of your strengths and weaknesses, your mother isn't the right person with whom to speak. I recently stumbled upon a wise quote: "Your enemies have vital information which your friends are withholding from you." Withholding because they are reluctant to hurt you by dwelling on your flaws, or simply because the warm relationship you share makes them blind to your faults.
This is what makes Balaam's prophecies so unique. The words of scores of prophets and prophetesses are recorded in the books of the Scriptures. To a certain extent, their divinely inspired words are colored by their "insiders" perspective; their deep love and care for their brethren. Balaam, on the other hand, was a vicious anti-Semite whose greatest wish was to bring about the demise of our nation. Let us examine the words of the one who futilely toiled to pinpoint our weak point, who in vain sought to uncover our area of vulnerability.
The stunned Moabite princes listened in shock as the soothsayer who was retained to curse the Jews thus began his series of soliloquies: "How shall I curse whom G‑d has not cursed? How can I invoke wrath anger when G‑d isn't angry?"
Why was this nation immune from G‑d's curses and wrath? Balaam continues:
"Because from their beginning, I see them as mountain peaks, and I behold them as hills; it is a nation that will dwell alone, and does not reckon with the nations."
As is the nature of poetic prose, these words are (also) allegoric. Our sages tell us that "mountain peaks" are an allusion to our Patriarchs, and the hills refer to our Matriarchs.
The secret of our nation's survival; our ability to withstand the curses, wrath and schemes of the Balaam's of the generations, is our Patriarchs and Matriarchs, Jewish fathers and mothers who instill within their children the sense that they are a nation whose destiny is to dwell alone. Parents who teach their children that "a nation who dwells alone" is not a curse; it's not a blight which we must try to overcome. It is a blessing.
Rabbi Naftali Silberberg is a writer, editor and director of the curriculum department at the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. Rabbi Silberberg resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, Chaya Mushka, and their three children.
Rabbi Meir said: "Whoever occupies himself with the study of Torah for its own sake merits many things..." (Avos 6:1)
The Hebrew word "osek," translated "occupies himself," related to the Hebrew word for businessman, ba'al esek. A person's occupation with the study of Torah must resemble a businessman's preoccupation with his commercial enterprise. Just as a businessman's attention is never totally diverted from his business, the Torah should always be the focus of our attention. (Likutei Sichot, Vol. XVII)
Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi said: "Each and every day a Heavenly Voice goes forth from Mount Horeb..." (Avos 6:2)
Our souls exist on several planes simultaneously. This Heavenly Voice reverberates, and is "heard" by our souls as they exist in the spiritual realms. And this causes our souls as they are enclothed within our bodies to be aroused to repentance. (Likutei Sichot, Vol. IX)
Whatever the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He created only for His glory; as it is stated, "Everything that is called by My name, it is for My glory that I created it; I have formed it, indeed, I have made it"; and it says, "The L-rd will reign for ever and ever." (Avos 6:11)
Never fear, says our text: "The L-rd will reign for ever and ever." However dark and twisted the world seems today, however worse the mess and blunder of mankind seems to get, mankind moves on to its destiny. By a thousand ways we can hardly surmise, mankind inches forward to its "spiritual breakthrough," when "the L-rd will reign." That day will come. It is inherent in a creation that was wrought originally to bring Him glory. (Ethics from Sinai, Rabbi Irving Bunim).
A Logical Conclusion
He sees not sin in Jacob, nor does He behold iniquity in Israel (23:21)
Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov once encountered a preacher who was forever berating his listeners for their sins. In the most graphic terms he would describe the nature of the evil in the heart of man and the terrible punishments in store for his sinful audience.
"Tell me',' the Baal Shem Tov asked the preacher, "how do you know so much about evil, considering that you have never tasted sin yourself?"
The preacher was puzzled. "How do you know that I haven't sinned?"
"But my dear friend, I am sure you would have discussed your own sins, if you had any, before recounting the sins of others."
Tid Bits
(back to top)
Rabbi Avraham Korf, regional director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Florida and a trailblazing emissary whose work transformed the Jewish landscape of the southeastern United States, passed away on Monday evening, July 7, at the age of 92. A beloved figure in Florida’s Jewish community and one of the longest-serving shluchim in the world, Rabbi Korf is credited with bringing close to 400 emissary couples to the state, and overseeing the establishment of hundreds of Chabad centers in cities, suburbs, and college campuses across Florida, serving the Jewish needs of the entire state. Born in 1933 in Kharkov, USSR, Rabbi Korf was raised in a family steeped in mesirat nefesh, self-sacrifice to maintain and grow Jewish life in the Soviet Union. His father, Rabbi Yehoshua Korf, was a noted Chassid who courageously upheld Jewish life under Soviet repression. With the outbreak of World War II, the family fled to Samarkand, Uzbekistan. In 1947, they escaped the Soviet Union during the “Great Escape” organized by Chabad Chassidim, traveling alongside Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, mother of the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. After a brief stay in a displaced persons camp in Poking, Germany, young Avraham studied at the Lubavitch yeshivah in Brunoy, France, before arriving in the United States in 1953, where he merited his first audience with the Rebbe. In 1960, he married Rivka Eichenbaum, and their wedding was one of the last at which the Rebbe personally officiated as mesader kiddushin. When another chassid requested that honor and mentioned the Korfs’ upcoming wedding that the Rebbe was going to officiate, the Rebbe replied that they were planning to be his emissaries. Later that year, at the Rebbe’s direction and following a request from the Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov, the Korfs relocated to Miami, Florida, where they began their lifelong mission of building Jewish life from the ground up. Until the 1940s, most of the state’s Jewish residents were concentrated in the northern ocean port of Jacksonville, but migration southward—coupled with an influx of retirees from out of state, and a swell of Jewish immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean—established Miami as Florida’s new Jewish hub. By 1960, the state had about 175,000 Jewish residents. In a 2010 interview with Chabad.org days before a 50th-anniversary gala event celebrating his and his wife’s launch of Chabad activities in Florida, Rabbi Korf recalled that Miami had only three synagogues at the time, while Florida as a whole had just two ritual baths. When the young couple arrived, milk adhering to the strict kosher standard known as chalav Yisrael was unheard of. He found a local dairy and supervised the milking of cows himself. For meat, the rabbi would shecht chickens, and his wife would salt and soak them. Said the rabbi: “When we first came here, there was no glatt kosher meat, no glatt kosher restaurant, no kosher bakery. Everything we needed, we had to bring or ship or find.” Within a few years, they had opened a Chabad House and established mikvaot. They launched a summer camp despite facing local opposition and antisemitism that required legal battles to secure land. Under Rabbi Korf’s leadership, a small Torah class grew into a vast educational network. He founded the Lubavitch Educational Center, now serving nearly 3,000 children. “It started off with six children,” Rabbi Korf said of the school, “then 32 children the next year, then 67, and then hundreds. As people started hearing about it, it grew.” Feige Knight, who was known back then by the name Teri Veccica, was one of the Korfs’ first students at the yeshiva. She was only six years old when her non-religious family sent her to the school. “My mother and my grandmother took me to the first [Jewish] school they’d heard of opening in Miami Beach,” says Knight. “Rabbi Korf is the reason that I was able to get a Jewish education. I hold him dear to my heart, and I give him the credit for not allowing my mother to walk out of that office.” The children hardly saw their father during the week, so the holy day of Shabbat was a special time for the family. He would catch up with them and quiz them on their studies. Jacobson remembers being one of the only visibly religious students at her parents’ school, but it didn’t bother her. “We just knew it was the reason why we were there,” she said. “There was never any judgment.” There also wasn’t much money. “We lived on a shoestring budget,” explained Jacobson. “But we had such inner pride in what we were doing. That came from my father. He lived it and breathed it.” An example was when she was in her second year of post-high school seminary in New York and had a job teaching fifth grade at a boys’ school. She earned $15 an hour and were about to up it to $25 when Beth Rivka offered her a job for just $100 a week. She turned it down. “Well, somehow my father got wind of this,” she recalled. “I told him it didn’t make sense to take the job and get a quarter of the pay.” “Leah,” said Korf, “if those were my calculations, the money, I would never have gone [to Florida]. I didn’t raise my children to make those calculations.” He also founded the Yeshiva Gedolah of Greater Miami in 1972, creating a bastion of Torah and incubating countless Chabad rabbis. Since the young rabbi did not know English well, he would share with his wife the lessons he planned to teach to college students in Yiddish, and she would teach him the English words to use. He was instrumental in guiding the construction and restoration of mikvaot across the state, and became internationally recognized as an expert in mikvah construction, frequently traveling to provide halachic guidance and support to Jewish communities worldwide. Perhaps Rabbi Korf’s most enduring legacy is the generation of shluchim he inspired and mentored. Nearly 400 emissary couples serve today in cities and campuses across Florida, many of whom were personally recruited and guided by Rabbi Korf himself. Yet, even as the empire he oversaw expanded beyond anyone’s wildest imagination, he remained as unpretentious as ever. Even in the sweltering Miami heat, he would walk the streets in his long frock and black hat, an authentic figure from the shtetl transported into South Beach. With his heavily accented English, he taught Torah one-on-one, guided, counseled and encouraged everyone to do just one more mitzvah. Rabbi Korf passed away after nightfall, when the Hebrew date crossed into the 12th of Tammuz, the birthday and anniversary of liberation of the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Y. Schneerson, of righteous memory, under whose wing Rabbi Korf grew as a young man into the legendary leader he became. |
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