PARSHAH PICKS: And This You Call Religion? (Balak)

Parshah Picks Dedicate an email Tammuz 14, 5772 · July 4, 2012 General Overview: In this week's Torah reading, 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. Phinehas zealously kills two of the high-ranking offenders, and the plague comes to an end. This Week's Features Printable Parshah Magazine I Have Sinned By Elisha Greenbaum THE PARSHAH Balak in a Nutshell Numbers 22:2–25:9 What Balak is about: a frightened king and a greedy prophet, a sword-wielding angel and a talking donkey, curses transformed into blessings and a messianic prophecy, a plague provoked by pagan debauchery and a zealot who saves the day . . . COLUMNISTS How Not to Serve Idols In His infinite kindness, G-d deposited hidden spiritual gems even in this world. And is it possible to hunt around in this world and discover these kernels of Divinity. By Lazer Gurkow What Was Zimri Thinking? An Altruistic Sin Lessons in leadership from a wayward Jew. By Mendel Kalmenson And This You Call Religion? It's easy to mock the ancient idol worshippers for their misplaced emphasis on style over substance, but how many of us make similar mistakes in our personal lives? By Elisha Greenbaum FEATURED VIDEO Why Is Evil So Powerful? A Taste of Text—Balak The face evil presents to us is powerful and compelling. But in essence it is an illusion. By Chana Weisberg  Watch (26:31) Believing in Moshiach Practical Parshah - Balak This portion contains poetic references to the coming of Moshiach. What is the obligation to believe in the coming of Moshiach? By Mendel Kaplan  Watch (1:03:34) Chukat-Balak in Three Minutes The Week In Rejew Jono makes jokes, get struck by lightning, and figures out how to mute G-fish. Watch, laugh, and maybe drink a soda? Dovid Taub & Jonathan Goorvich  Watch (2:54) FEATURED AUDIO CLASSES Parshah Insight: Balak A five minute weekly Torah insight based on the wellsprings of Torah and Chassidut. By J. Immanuel Schochet  Download    Listen (4:05) The Chassidic Dimension - Balak An in depth presentation of Chassidic teachings on the weekly Parshah. By Berel Bell  Download    Listen (30:19) Follow Us:   Featured Judaica: Chabad Classics Vol 4 This CD is dedicated entirely to the melodious songs and hymns of the Jewish holidays from around the year. Price: $14.95 SALE: $13.45 More from Chabad.org • Society & Living • Lifecycles • Daily Life • Jewish Holidays • Ideas & Beliefs • Spirituality • Parshah • Audio Classes • Video • Women • News • Kids • Calendar • Daily Study • Find A Center • Donate • Ask the Rabbi • Contact Us • Subscribe Be a Part of it Enjoyed this email? Please help us continue to share the study of Torah and Jewish traditions: Dedicate or sponsor an email to mark a special occasion Make a donation to chabad.org.   Subscription Options: Subscribe to more chabad.org email lists Subscription Management Going on vacation? Unsubscribe Your subscribed email address is: iqlalsmile.cara@blogger.com Change email address. Important Tip: To guarantee that your subscription emails continue to be delivered to you, please add subscriptions@chabad.org to your address book, or "whitelist" it in any filters or antispam programs you may have. © Copyright Chabad.org, all rights reserved.   Privacy Policy