Articles with the tag: balak
The Prophet Who Could Not Hear (22:22)
Who is the first prophet from the ancient world whose predictions are recorded outside the Torah? If you thought Moses or Elijah, guess again. It’s Bilaam. In 1967, an unprecedented discovery of an ancient text found at Deir Alla, Jordan relates the activities of a “cursing” prophet. Could this be the Bilaam of this week’s Biblical section?
The manuscript makes it clear that it is. Three times in the first four lines he is referred to as “Bilaam son of Beor,” exactly as in the Bible. This represents the first prophet to be dug up - not his skeleton - but a text about him. Written in Aramaic, this remarkable document titled, Warnings from the Book of Bilaam the son…
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“jewish” Art (23:13)
While it may be true that, “All is fair in love and war,” nonetheless, at least the latter usually follows certain rules of engagement. Of course, one utilizes everything at one’s disposal to be victorious, whether it be superior position, manpower, materiel or intelligence. This is what the poets lyrically refer to as the art of war, and the generals call strategy. From this week’s Biblical reading, it seems that even sorcerers and wizards who are battling an enemy are forced to devise some sort of military game-plan.
Thus we come across the case of Bilaam who had a notorious reputation for curses that never failed. This time however, his ability to cast spells didn’t work. Yes, he tried (we…
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Questions & Answers (23:10)
The King of Moav was afraid, but why? It seems that the Israelites, having just triumphed over the giants Og and Sichon, were camping too close to his country for comfort.
The king’s solution? Hire the best sorcerer that money can buy.
Predictably, Bilaam accepted the job. Unpredictably, instead of utilizing his many servants, he himself saddled the donkey in preparation for the journey. Is there a reason why the master of the household had to carry out this most menial of tasks? Our Sages say it wasn’t greed alone that drove the wicked prophet. Rather, hatred of the Jews caused Bilaam to forego his usual dignity and violate his own honor.
Is this the first time in history that…
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The Mile and the Minute (23:10)
Throughout all the vicissitudes of history, the nature of space and time seemed rooted in immutability. Man’s expectations, plans and hopes were limited by the constraints of the calendar and the map. Not only did the mile and the minute dominate everything, they reminded us that every beginning had an end, past which we could not follow.
These boundaries filled man with melancholy thoughts. Human existence was finite, measured by the passing of a few seasons. And as far as space was concerned, he was no more than a small, brittle clump of earth. Thus, both the clock and the horizon taunted man with the admonition that, “From dust he springs and to dust he returns.”
For a long time…
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Reason Is Not Always Right (22:41)
This past century, the bloodiest in all of human history, should have lain to rest two of the most cherished theories about mankind that the professors of Enlightenment and Secular Humanism postulated. One was the idea that all moral questions, all issues of right and wrong, good and evil, were subject to being correctly decided on the basis of man’s reason alone, without the necessity (better put, without the interference) of divine revelation or organized religion. Man, and man alone, would be the final and autonomous arbiter of morality.
This, supposedly modern and innovative, idea brought with it as a necessary corollary, hence our second idea: the firm belief that man, left to his own reasoning devices, would invariably choose…
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The Donkey's Lesson (22:28)
The greatest director of all time was about to stage his masterpiece. First he turned up the spotlights. Then he scattered his props large and small exactly where they would produce the most effect. Finally, he brought on the actors, Adam and Eve. The human drama was about to begin.
Everything that was required for man to act out his Divine role was standing in readiness. For it was during those six primordial days that G-d concluded His magnificent universe with its vast array of forces and forms of life to the very last detail. All that was needed was Shabbat, the Day of Rest.
Suddenly, in that brief moment of time, between the mundane and the spiritual, between the…
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Not for Sale (22:18)
Bilaam, seer of the ancient world and famous for his curses, was a sought after commodity. As always, the avaricious magician hired his services to the highest bidder. In this week’s Biblical reading, the client was Balak, King of Moav, who desperately sent his most honored ministers to the base and covetous prophet. Our Sages are critical of Bilaam. Here was a man blessed with gifts equaling Moses; an individual granted the keenest of insights into the ways that G-d rules His world. And what did Bilaam do with these spiritual skills? He sold them for a few shekels.
His character is so clearly defined that the Rabbis felt comfortable in declaring, “Whoever possesses these three traits are among the…
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