General Overview: In this week's Torah Parsha, Balak, King Balak of
Moab 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 the
Israelites to sin, resulting in a plague amongst the Jews. Pinchas
zealously kills two of the high-ranking offenders, and the plague comes
to an end.
In the first Aliya, 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‑d appeared to Balaam that night and instructed him
not to go to Moab. "You shall not curse the people because they are
blessed!"
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