Balaq - Devastator
Torah: Bemidbar 22:2-25:9
Haftorah: Mikah 5:7-6:8
Suggested HaBerith HaChadashah Reading: Rom 11:25-32
Torah: Bemidbar 22:2-25:9
Num 22:2 And Balaq son of Tsippor saw all that Yisra’ĕl had done to the Amorites.
Num 22:3 And Mo’aḇ was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Mo’aḇ was in dread because of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Num 22:4 And Mo’aḇ said to the elders of Miḏyan, “Now this company is licking up all that is around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” Now Balaq son of Tsippor was sovereign of the Mo’aḇites at that time,
Num 22:5 and he sent messengers to Bilʽam son of Beʽor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “See, a people has come from Mitsrayim. See, they have covered the surface of the land, and are settling next to me!
Num 22:6 “And now, please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too strong for me. It might be that I smite them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
Num 22:7 And the elders of Mo’aḇ and the elders of Miḏyan left with the fees for divination in their hand, and they came to Bilʽam and spoke the words of Balaq to him.
Num 22:8 And he said to them, “Spend the night here, and I shall bring back word to you, as יהוה speaks to me.” So the heads of Mo’aḇ stayed with Bilʽam.
Num 22:9 And Elohim came to Bilʽam and said, “Who are these men with you?”
Num 22:10 And Bilʽam said to Elohim, “Balaq, son of Tsippor, sovereign of Mo’aḇ, has sent to me, saying,
Num 22:11 ‘See, a people has come out of Mitsrayim and cover the surface of the land. Come now, curse them for me. It might be that I am able to fight against them and drive them out.’ ”
Num 22:12 And Elohim said to Bilʽam, “Do not go with them. You do not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
Num 22:13 And Bilʽam rose in the morning and said to the heads of Balaq, “Go back to your land, for יהוה has refused to allow me to go with you.”
Num 22:14 And the heads of Mo’aḇ arose and went to Balaq, and said, “Bilʽam refuses to come with us.”
Num 22:15 Then Balaq again sent heads, more numerous and more esteemed than they.
Num 22:16 And they came to Bilʽam and said to him, “This is what Balaq son of Tsippor said: ‘Do not be withheld from coming to me, please,
Num 22:17 for I esteem you very greatly, and whatever you say to me, I do. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’ ”
Num 22:18 And Bilʽam answered and said to the servants of Balaq, “Though Balaq were to give me his house filled with silver and gold, I am unable to go beyond the word of יהוה my Elohim, to do less or more.
Num 22:19 “And now, please, you also stay here tonight, and let me find out what more יהוה says to me.”
Num 22:20 And Elohim came to Bilʽam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them, but only the word which I speak to you that you do.”
Num 22:21 And Bilʽam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey, and went with the heads of Mo’aḇ.
Num 22:22 But the displeasure of Elohim burned because he went, and the Messenger of יהוה stationed Himself in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
Num 22:23 And the donkey saw the Messenger of יהוה standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Bilʽam beat the donkey to turn her back onto the way.
Num 22:24 Then the Messenger of יהוה stood in a narrow passage between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.
Num 22:25 And when the donkey saw the Messenger of יהוה, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Bilʽam’s foot against the wall, so he beat her again.
Num 22:26 And the Messenger of יהוה went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn aside, right or left.
Num 22:27 And when the donkey saw the Messenger of יהוה, she lay down under Bilʽam. So Bilʽam’s displeasure burned, and he beat the donkey with his staff.
Num 22:28 Then יהוה opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Bilʽam, “What have I done to you, that you have beaten me these three times?”
Num 22:29 And Bilʽam said to the donkey, “Because you have mocked me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for I would have killed you by now!”
Num 22:30 And the donkey said to Bilʽam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever known to do so to you?” And he said, “No.”
Num 22:31 Then יהוה opened Bilʽam’s eyes, and he saw the Messenger of יהוה standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand. And he bowed his head and fell on his face.
Num 22:32 And the Messenger of יהוה said to him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? See, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is reckless before Me.
Num 22:33 “And the donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, I certainly would have killed you by now, and let her live.”
Num 22:34 And Bilʽam said to the Messenger of יהוה, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. And now, if evil is in Your eyes, let me turn back.”
Num 22:35 And the Messenger of יהוה said to Bilʽam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you speak.” Bilʽam then went with the heads of Balaq.
Num 22:36 And when Balaq heard that Bilʽam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Mo’aḇ, which is on the border at the Arnon, which was in the extremity of the border.
Num 22:37 And Balaq said to Bilʽam, “Did I not urgently send to you, calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to esteem you?”
Num 22:38 And Bilʽam said to Balaq, “See, I have come to you! Now, am I at all able to say somewhat? The word that Elohim puts in my mouth, that I speak.”
Num 22:39 And Bilʽam went with Balaq, and they came to Qiryath Ḥutsoth.
Num 22:40 And Balaq slaughtered cattle and sheep, and he sent some to Bilʽam and to the heads who were with him.
Num 22:41 And it came to be the next day, that Balaq took Bilʽam and brought him up to the high places of Baʽal, and from there he saw the extremity of the camp.
Num 23:1 And Bilʽam said to Balaq, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.”
Num 23:2 And Balaq did as Bilʽam had spoken, and Balaq and Bilʽam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Num 23:3 Bilʽam then said to Balaq, “Stand by your burnt offering, and let me go on. It might be that יהוה does come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I shall declare to you.” And he went to a bare height.
Num 23:4 And Elohim came to Bilʽam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”
Num 23:5 And יהוה put a word in the mouth of Bilʽam, and said, “Return to Balaq, and this is what you say.”
Num 23:6 And he returned to him and saw him standing by his burnt offering, he and all the heads of Mo’aḇ.
Num 23:7 And he took up his proverb and said, “Balaq the sovereign of Mo’aḇ has brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. ‘Come, curse Yaʽaqoḇ for me, and come, rage at Yisra’ĕl!’
Num 23:8 “How do I curse whom Ěl has not cursed? And how do I rage at whom יהוה has not raged?
Num 23:9 “For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I observe him. Look, a people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations.
Num 23:10 “Who shall count the dust of Yaʽaqoḇ, and the number of one-fourth of Yisra’ĕl? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!”
Num 23:11 And Balaq said to Bilʽam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have kept on blessing!”
Num 23:12 And he answered and said, “Should I not take heed to speak what יהוה has put in my mouth?”
Num 23:13 And Balaq said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you see them. You only see the extremity but not all of them. Curse them for me from there.”
Num 23:14 And he took him to the field of Tsophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Num 23:15 And he said to Balaq, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet over there.”
Num 23:16 And יהוה came to Bilʽam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balaq, and say this.”
Num 23:17 So he went to him and saw him standing by his burnt offering, and the heads of Mo’aḇ with him. And Balaq asked him, “What did יהוה say?”
Num 23:18 And he took up his proverb and said, “Rise up, Balaq, and hear! Listen to me, son of Tsippor!
Num 23:19 “Ěl is not a man, to lie; nor a son of man, to repent! Has He said, and would He not do it; or spoken, and would not confirm it?
Num 23:20 “See, I have received, to bless. And He has blessed, and I do not reverse it.
Num 23:21 “He has not looked upon wickedness in Yaʽaqoḇ, nor has He seen trouble in Yisra’ĕl. יהוה his Elohim is with him, and the shout of a Sovereign is in him.
Num 23:22 “Ěl who brought them out of Mitsrayim, is for them like the horns of a wild ox.
Num 23:23 “For there is no sorcery against Yaʽaqoḇ, nor is there any divination against Yisra’ĕl. Now it is said to Yaʽaqoḇ and to Yisra’ĕl, ‘What has Ěl done!’
Num 23:24 “Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion; it lies not down until it devours the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.”
Num 23:25 And Balaq said to Bilʽam, “Do not curse them at all, nor bless them at all!”
Num 23:26 And Bilʽam answered and said to Balaq, “Have I not spoken to you, saying, ‘All that יהוה speaks, that I do’?”
Num 23:27 And Balaq said to Bilʽam, “Please come, let me take you to another place. It might be right in the eyes of Elohim that you curse them for me from there.”
Num 23:28 And Balaq took Bilʽam to the top of Peʽor, that overlooks the wasteland.
Num 23:29 And Bilʽam said to Balaq, “Build seven alters for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.”
Num 23:30 And Balaq did as Bilʽam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Num 24:1 And when Bilʽam saw that it pleased יהוה to bless Yisra’ĕl, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
Num 24:2 And Bilʽam lifted up his eyes and saw Yisra’ĕl encamped according to their tribes. And the Spirit of Elohim came upon him.
Num 24:3 And he took up his proverb and said, “The saying of Bilʽam, son of Beʽor, and the saying of the man whose eyes are opened,
Num 24:4 the saying of him who hears the words of Ěl, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes opened wide:
Num 24:5 “How good are your tents, O Yaʽaqoḇ, your dwellings, O Yisra’ĕl!
Num 24:6 “Like wadis that stretch out, like gardens by a river, like aloes planted by יהוה, like cedars beside waters.
Num 24:7 “He makes water flow from his buckets, and his seed is in many waters. His sovereign is higher than Aḡaḡ, and his reign is exalted.
Num 24:8 “Ěl who brought him out of Mitsrayim is for them like the horns of a wild ox; he devours nations, his enemies; and he breaks their bones, and with his arrows he smites.
Num 24:9 “He bowed down, he lay down like a lion. And, like a lion, who would rouse him? Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.”
Num 24:10 Then the displeasure of Balaq burned against Bilʽam, and he struck his hands together. Balaq then said to Bilʽam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, and see, you have kept on blessing, these three times!
Num 24:11 “And now flee to your place. I said I would greatly esteem you, and see, יהוה has kept you back from esteem.”
Num 24:12 And Bilʽam said to Balaq, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying,
Num 24:13 ‘If Balaq should give me his house filled with silver and gold, I am unable to go beyond the word of יהוה, to do either good or evil of my own heart. What יהוה speaks, that I speak’?
Num 24:14 “And now, see, I am going to my people. Come, let me advise you what this people is going to do to your people in the latter days.”
Num 24:15 And he took up his proverb and said, “The saying of Bilʽam, son of Beʽor, and the saying of the man whose eyes are opened,
Num 24:16 the saying of him who hears the words of Ěl, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes opened wide:
Num 24:17 “I see Him, but not now; I observe Him, but not near. A Star shall come out of Yaʽaqoḇ, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Yisra’ĕl, and shall smite the corners of Mo’aḇ, and shall destroy all the sons of Shĕth.
Num 24:18 “And Eḏom shall be a possession; and Sĕʽir shall be a possession – enemies – and Yisra’ĕl is doing mightily.
Num 24:19 “And out of Yaʽaqoḇ One shall rule and destroy the remnant from Ar.”
Num 24:20 He then looked on Amalĕq, and he took up his proverb and said, “Amalĕq was first among the nations, but his latter end is to perish forever.”
Num 24:21 He then looked on the Qĕynites, and he took up his proverb and said, “Firm is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock,
Num 24:22 but Qayin is to be burned. Till when does Asshur keep you captive?”
Num 24:23 And he took up his proverb and said, “Oh, who does live when Ěl does this?
Num 24:24 And ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, and they shall afflict Asshur and afflict Ěḇer, and so shall Amalĕq, and he also perishes.”
Num 24:25 And Bilʽam arose and left, and returned to his place. And Balaq also went his way.
Num 25:1 And Yisra’ĕl dwelt in Shittim, and the people began to whore with the daughters of Mo’aḇ,
Num 25:2 and they invited the people to the slaughterings of their mighty ones, and the people ate and bowed down to their mighty ones.
Num 25:3 Thus Yisra’ĕl was joined to Baʽal Peʽor, and the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl.
Num 25:4 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang them up before יהוה, before the sun, so that the burning displeasure of יהוה turns away from Yisra’ĕl.”
Num 25:5 And Mosheh said to the judges of Yisra’ĕl, “Each one of you slay his men who were joined to Baʽal Peʽor.”
Num 25:6 And see, one of the children of Yisra’ĕl came and brought to his brothers a Miḏyanite woman before the eyes of Mosheh and before the eyes of all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl, who were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
Num 25:7 And when Pineḥas, son of Elʽazar, son of Aharon the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation and took a spear in his hand,
Num 25:8 and he went after the man of Yisra’ĕl into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Yisra’ĕl, and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague among the children of Yisra’ĕl came to a stop.
Num 25:9 And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.
Haftorah: Mikah 5:7-6:8
Mic 5:7 And the remnant of Yaʽaqoḇ shall be in the midst of many peoples, as dew from יהוה, as showers on the grass, which do not wait for man nor delay for the sons of men.
Mic 5:8 And the remnant of Yaʽaqoḇ shall be among the gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of a forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, who, if he passes through, shall both tread down and shall tear, and there is no one to deliver.
Mic 5:9 Let your hand be lifted up against your adversaries, and all your enemies be cut off.
Mic 5:10 “And it shall be in that day,” declares יהוה, “that I shall cut off your horses out of your midst, and I shall destroy your chariots.
Mic 5:11 “And I shall cut off the cities of your land, and I shall pull down all your strongholds.
Mic 5:12 “And I shall cut off witchcrafts out of your hand, and let you have no magicians.
Mic 5:13 “And I shall cut off your carved images, and your pillars from your midst, so that you no longer bow down to the work of your hands.
Mic 5:14 “And I shall pluck your Ashĕrim out of your midst, and I shall destroy your cities.
Mic 5:15 “And I shall take vengeance in wrath and rage on the gentiles who did not obey.”
Mic 6:1 Hear now what יהוה is saying, “Arise, strive with the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
Mic 6:2 “Hear, O you mountains, the controversy of יהוה, and you everlasting foundations of the earth! For יהוה has a controversy with His people and He shall reprove Yisra’ĕl.
Mic 6:3 “My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Answer Me,
Mic 6:4 for I brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim, and I ransomed you from the house of bondage. And I sent Mosheh, Aharon, and Miryam before you.
Mic 6:5 “My people, remember, please, what Balaq sovereign of Mo’aḇ counselled, and what Bilʽam son of Beʽor answered him, from Shittim to Gilgal, in order to know the righteousness of יהוה.”
Mic 6:6 With what shall I come before יהוה, bow myself before the high Elohim? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Mic 6:7 Is יהוה pleased with thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my being?
Mic 6:8 He has declared to you, O man, what is good. And what does יהוה require of you but to do right, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your Elohim?
Suggested HaBerith HaChadashah Reading: Rom 11:25-32
Rom 11:25 For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this secret, brothers, lest you should be wise in your own estimation, that hardening in part has come over Yisra’ĕl, until the completeness of the gentiles1 has come in. Footnote: 1Gen. 48:19.
Rom 11:26 And so all Yisra’ĕl shall be saved, as it has been written, “The Deliverer shall come out of Tsiyon, and He shall turn away wickedness from Yaʽaqoḇ,
Rom 11:27 and this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”1 Footnote: 1Isa. 59:20-21.
Rom 11:28 Truly, as regards the Good News they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
Rom 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of Elohim are not to be repented of.
Rom 11:30 For as you also at one time disobeyed Elohim, but now have obtained compassion through their disobedience,
Rom 11:31 so also these have now disobeyed, that through the compassion shown you they also might obtain compassion.
Rom 11:32 For Elohim has shut them all up to disobedience, in order to have compassion on all.
Balak Aliya Summary |
General Overview: In this week's Torah reading, Balak, King Balak ofMoab retains the sorcerer Balaam to curse the Jewish people. Instead of curses, only blessings come out of his mouth—including prophecies concerning the Messianic redemption. Moabite women entice some of theIsraelites to sin, resulting in a plague amongst the Jews. Phinehas zealously kills two of the high-ranking offenders, and the plague comes to an end. First Aliyah: The Israelites have just conquered the Emorites and the Bashanites, the two mighty neighbors of Moab. Balak, king of Moab, worries that his nation would be the Israelites' next victim. He sends messengers to the Land of Midian, to Balaam, a famed non-Jewish prophet and sorcerer, asking him to come and curse the Jews. G‑dappeared to Balaam that night and instructed him not to go to Moab. "You shall not curse the people because they are blessed!" Second Aliyah: Balaam sent word with Balak's messengers that G‑d doesn't permit him to go with them. So Balak sent more prestigious messengers to Balaam, promising him great riches in return for his services. Once again G‑d appeared to Balaam. This time G‑d allowed Balaam to go -- provided that he only speak the words which G‑d dictates to him. Third Aliyah: Balaam leaves together with the Moabite dignitaries. G‑d sends an angel with a drawn sword to block Balaam's path. While Balaam couldn't see the angel, the she-donkey he was riding did, and refused to move onwards, causing Balaam to strike her. The donkey miraculously speaks, admonishing Balaam for striking her. Eventually, G‑d "opens Balaam's eyes," and he sees the angel. A conversation between Balaam and the angel ensues, wherein Balaam is chastised for his behavior towards his donkey, and again he is reminded only to say what G‑d dictates to him. After this humbling episode, Balaam arrives in Moab where he is greeted by Balak. Fourth Aliyah: Upon Balaam's instructions, Balak builds seven altars and offers sacrifices to G‑d. G‑d "chances" upon Balaam, and dictates to him the words he should repeat to Balak and his ministers: "From Aram, Balak the king of Moab has brought me, from the mountains of the east: 'Come, curse Jacob for me and come invoke wrath against Israel.' How can I curse whom G‑d has not cursed, and how can I invoke wrath if the L-rd has not been angered?..." Balaam then proceeded to shower the Israelites with beautiful blessings and praises. When Balak responds angrily to the blessings, Balaam reminds him that he can only say that which G‑d tells him to say. Fifth Aliyah: Balak takes Balaam to another location, hoping that this new venue would be more inauspicious for the Jews. They again build altars and offer sacrifices, and again G‑d dictates blessing for the Jews which Balaam repeats. "G‑d does not look at evil in Jacob, and has seen no perversity in Israel; the L-rd, his G‑d, is with [Israel], and he has the King's friendship..." Sixth Aliyah: The entire process repeats itself once again, Balak takes Balaam to another place, hoping that Balaam can curse the Jews from there. For a third time they build altars and bring offerings, and for a third time, only blessings issue from Balaam's mouth: "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! ... G‑d, who has brought them out of Egypt with the strength of His loftiness He shall consume the nations which are his adversaries ... Those who bless [them] shall be blessed, and those who curse [them] shall be cursed." At this point, Balak despairs of accomplishing his goal, and sends Balaam on his way. Seventh Aliyah: Before leaving, Balaam prophesies about the end of days: "I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not soon. A star has gone forth from Jacob, and a staff will arise from Israel which will crush the princes of Moab and uproot all the sons of Seth..." He also speaks about the eventual destruction of Esau, Amalek and Assyria. Following Balaam's unsuccessful attempt to curse the Jewish nation, Moabite and Midianite women seduce many Jewish men. In the course of their seduction, they also entice the Jewish man to worship the Baal Peor deity. G‑d commands Moses to execute the guilty people, and simultaneously a lethal plague erupts amongst the Jews. A Jewish leader, Zimri, publicly displays the Midianite princess with whom he was consorting. Phinehas, Aaron's grandson, kills them both, and the plague is halted. |
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