Posts Tagged: Balak parsha
We Don’t Always Need to Be in the Room to Make a Difference
This week, I listened to a riveting episode of The Rest is History, the ever-excellent podcast hosted by Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland. This one...
The Hidden Meaning of the Bilam Story: The Power of Love
Many questions have rightly been asked about the story of Balak and Bilam and the would-be curses that turned into blessings. Was Bilam a true...
In Judaism, Religion and Nationhood Coincide
The year is 1933. Two Jews are sitting in a Viennese coffee house, reading the news. One is reading the local Jewish paper, the other...
A People That Dwells Alone
One of the most profound and influential comments ever made about Jewish destiny was made by the pagan prophet Bilaam in this week’s parsha: As I...
What Makes God Laugh
There is an old saying that what makes God laugh is hearing our plans for the future. However, if Tanakh is our guide, what makes God...
The Jewish People Need Not Dwell Alone
In the course of blessing the Jewish people, Bilaam uttered words that have come to be seem by many as an encapsulation Jewish history: How can I curse...
Leadership and Loyalty
Is leadership a set of skills, the ability to summon and command power? Or does it have an essentially moral dimension also? Can a bad...
