What happens when those entrusted to see clearly fail to see at all? When the people we look to for direction misread the moment completely? This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Balak, tells the story ...

Every year the story of Balaam and his talking donkey recalls for me one of my childhood’s favorite TV sit-coms “Mr. Ed” featuring that friendly talking Palomino horse in the barn. More seriously, the ...

Parashat Balak that we read this week tells how, after witnessing the overwhelming victory of the people of Israel over the Amorites, Balak, the king of Moab, was afraid that he and his people would ...

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 ...

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 ...

Founded in the Midlands in 1983 by three Morris brothers – frontman/bassist Mark, guitarist Jim and drummer Des – Balaam And The Angel toured with The Mission, Kiss and Iggy Pop, and had a major deal ...

This is German artist Gustav Jaeger’s depiction of Balaam’s donkey protesting that Balaam was beating him when an angel, visible at first only to the donkey, was blocking their way with a drawn sword.

This week’s portion, on the prophet Balaam and the king of Moab, Balak, is a sort of microcosm of the Torah in that it encapsulates so many of its greatest modes and themes. Balaam’s prophetic ...

07:25, Mon, Sep 28, 2020 Updated: 07:26, Mon, Sep 28, 2020 According to the Bible's Old Testament, Balaam was a prophet and diviner perhaps best known for his talking donkey. His exploits are ...