Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

Balaam is hired in this week’s Parashat Balak by the Moabite King Balak to curse Israel as they traverse his territory, but Balaam blesses Israel instead with famous words now included in the morning ...

If Torah portions had thematic titles instead of using a word near the beginning that’s easy to spot, this would not be Parashat Balak but Parashat … Balaam. (You knew that.) This week, I want to look ...

Do not be like Balaam, who believed in a God devoid of values. Believe only in a God who demands we behave morally! Parashat Balak centers on two personalities, one a king and the other a mysterious ...

God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor the king of Moab has sent [them] to me, [saying], ‘Behold the people coming out of Egypt, a ...

There is a clear parallel between Balak and events in the Book of Exodus. In both narratives, kings (Pharaoh of Egypt and Balak of Moab), alarmed about the success of the Jewish People, conspire to ...

The concept of repentance is one of Judaism’s greatest contributions to religious thought. The concomitant idea, however, that the Eternal may experience a change of heart detrimental to the entire ...

"Come now therefore I pray thee, curse me this people, for they are too mighty for me...." (Numbers 22:6) Who among us wouldn't like to think of himself as someone with a good eye, a humble spirit and ...