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Parasha #40: Balak (בָּלָק)

Reading passages

Torah: Numbers 22:2- 25:9    (Hebrew: פָּרָשַׁת בָּלָק )
Haftarah: Micah 5:6-6:8

Summary

Parasha Balak (“Balak”) tells the story of Balak, the king of Moab, who hires the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites. However, each time Balaam attempts to curse them, God intervenes, and instead, Balaam blesses Israel multiple times, including delivering a famous prophecy about a future king from Israel. The portion concludes with Israelite men succumbing to idolatry and immorality with Moabite women, leading to a deadly plague that is only stopped by the zealous action of Phinehas.

Related SHEBANQ queries

Verse	Query	Short description
Num. 22:22,32	Adversary / Satan (& prep/art)	Evaluate the use of substantive שָׂטָן (satan)

Related Text-Fabric Notebooks

GitHub	NBviewer	Short description
hapax	hapax	find unique words (hapax legomena)

Hebcal

Additional details about Jewish calendar and holiday information, offering users a resource for tracking Hebrew dates, candle lighting times, and other relevant information in the Jewish calendar. Hebcal entry for parasha Balak.