Reuven and Gad Moshe Rabbeinu seems to be very hasty in his reaction to the request of Reuven and Gad. He calls them deserters and accuses them of repeating the Chet HaMeraglim. He does this seemingly without fully hearing them (and their intentions) out. We see that
Read more →Author: Rabbi Elchanan Shoff These are the travels of the Jewish people. Bamidbar 33:1 The places where the Jewish people encamped are called their “travels.” Rashi, elsewhere in his commentary to the Torah[1], wonders why this is. He explains that since the Jewish people always departed on
Read more →Towards the end of the Parsha, the Torah speaks at length about the cities of refuge; areas that are set aside for unintentional murderers. If a person carelessly causes the death of a fellow Jew then he is in severe danger of being killed by relatives of
Read more →And Bilaam the son of Beor they killed with the sword.[1]” It would seem that the death of Bilaam Harasha was a punishment for his efforts to harm Klal Yisroel in the desert. The Gemara, however, cites a far earlier crime that he committed as the reason for
Read more →“And the Children of Gad and Reuven came and said to Moshe and Elazar the Kohen and the leaders of the congregation… Give us that land, force us not to cross the Jordan.” Bamidbar 32:2,5 Strangely enough, the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and a portion of the
Read more →Reuven and Gad Moshe Rabbeinu seems to be very hasty in his reaction to the request of Reuven and Gad. He calls them deserters and accuses them of repeating the Chet HaMeraglim. He does this seemingly without fully hearing them (and their intentions) out. We see that
Read more →Topics covered in this class: Vows and the power of speech. The war against Midian. The tribes of Reuven, Gad and Menashe Vows and the power of speech. The concept of vows – prohibiting that which is permissible. Rosh Hayeshiva: “say what you mean and mean what
Read more →The Mishna in Pirkei Avot asks a question: who is the rich man? The answer to this question appears to be quite obvious. Whoever has the biggest balance in his bank account is the richest man. It is a purely quantifiable question. The Mishna answers however, that
Read more →Based on Rav Noah Weinberg It is the night of Yom Kippur. Jewish people all over the world are gathered in shul to hear Kol Nidre. It is a moment of intensity as the chazzan slowly begins the melodic chant so familiar to us all. But how many of
Read more →Author: Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen The parsha begins with Hashem rewarding Pinchas greatly for his act of zealousness in killing Zimri and Cozbi. Pinchas was from the tribe of Levi whilst Zimri was from the tribe of Shimon. This is not the first time in the Torah that these two
Read more →Towards the end of the Parsha, there is the account of Moshe Rabbeinu’s request that Hashem appoint an able successor to lead the Jewish people into Eretz Yisrael. Hashem answered him that his faithful student, Yehoshua, is the appropriate choice. Chazal elaborate on the dialogue that took place
Read more →Kehuna’s Power Rav Yaakov Weinberg ZTL pointed out that the pasuk describes Pinchas as descending from Aharon Hakohein. It was only as a result of Pinchas’s kochos that he had as being part of the famliy of kehuna that he was able to perform the act of
Read more →Give War a Chance By Rabbi Bourch Leff “War is a crime against humanity.” “There is no such thing as a justified war.” These are statements from pacifists. “Pacifism: Opposition to the use of force under any circumstances; refusal for reasons of conscience to participate in war or
Read more →Topics covered in this class: Pinchas as a continuation of Balak. Pinchas’ zealousness. Man’s effect on the Hashgacha. Sanctifying G-d vs. saving the people. The Daughters of Tzelfchad. Continuation of Bilaam. Explain why Bilaam was so threatened by the Jewish people. Balak finally figures out a way
Read more →Based on Rav Noah Weinberg In this week’s Torah portion we see something familiar to us all, as G-d instructs Moses in the service of the many Jewish holidays. In our youth and even today, the cycle of celebration and commemoration seem a comforting reminder of our
Read more →Chazal tell us that Bilaam harasha had incredible powers of prophecy which in some ways were even greater than those of Moshe Rabbeinu. Yet, at the same time, he possessed numerous bad midos. How can these two opposite factors come together in one man? The answer is that Bilaam never
Read more →Bilaam and Balak are two of the most well-known enemies of the Jewish people. A full Parsha in the Torah is devoted to their efforts to harm the Jewish people. What is unique about their strategy is that they realized that they could not physically overcome the Jewish people
Read more →Malchus of Hashem The gemara[1] states that Hashem exhibits His wrath for only one particular, passing moment every day. Throughout history, says the gemara, only one person has ever been able to calculate the precise second of the day at which this occurs, and that person was Bilaam. Bilaam’s success in cursing the Jewish
Read more →“And Hashem came to Bilaam…” Bamidbar 22:9 No man ever has reached the level of Moshe’s prophecy[1] nor will there ever be a man who will until the Moshiach. With one exception. It was not Yechezkel, or Yirmiahu, or Ezra. The one man that we are told did
Read more →Bilaam Harasha is considered to be the archetype of a person with bad midos. The Mishna in Avos describes him as having an ‘ayin raah’ (he looked upon people in a negative way), a ‘ruach gevoah’ (he was arrogant), and a ‘nefesh rechava[1]‘ (he was greedy). ‘Nefesh Rechava’
Read more →Topics covered in this class: I. Being a prophet yet denying G-d. II. You are led in a way that you want to go. Being a prophet, yet denying G-d Who was Bilaam? At the end of Deuteronomy, chapter 33:10, “a prophet like Moshe amongst the Jewish
Read more →There are some famous stories in the Torah that have been made even more famous through literature, the theatre, films and of course television. However, there are some lesser-known stories that would make great movies and even some great television sitcoms. This week’s Portion tells the story
Read more →Bilaam Rav Yaakov Weinberg ZTL asked the following question. Rashi brings the Chazal that says: Why is is that Hashem gave prophecy to Bilaam? Because He did notwant the goyim to have a complaint. The goyim would say, it’s easy to see why the Jews are so righteous. They have
Read more →The Parsha begins “this is the chok of the Torah” and proceeds to discuss the laws of Parah Adumah (the red heifer), a mitzvo which is impossible to understand according to human logic. The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh asks why this mitzvo is called the ‘chok of the Torah’, it would have
Read more →The Parsha ends with a history of how the Jewish people came to conquer the city of Cheshbon from the Emorim. It had previously been part of Moav until Sichon, King of the Emorim, defeated Moav and acquired Cheshbon. With regard to that war, the Torah tells us, “Therefore say the
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