Parsha

An Egyptian whose ancestors committed genocide against our people may be accepted as a convert after three generations, but a Moabite and Amonite – who never gave us bread and water, they may never be accepted?

Moshe knows he’s running out of time, he wants to make his final request of Hashem.

How could we err and think, like the Jews of Hungary did, that the nations of the world will protect us during times of tribulation? When the inhumane policies of the evil Hitler, yemach shemo, had already affected most of the countries in Europe after four years, people still paid no attention.

The successful relationship between husband and wife makes the home into a sanctuary as it says, Ish v’isha shalom beineihem, Shechina shruyah beineihem – A husband and wife, if there is peace between them, then the divine Presence dwells between them.

What is the biblical source for not causing pain to animals?

In the human experience, there’s no guarantee of a safe and successful landing and return. What is critical is not the ultimate destination, but the values we bring to the journey of life.

When you feel that the world is going mad, it is important to return to our sources. Our Torah portion this week reminds us that what we are experiencing today has occurred before.

How important are failed plans and plots, such that the Torah needs to mention any of them at all?

Parashat Balak is a very interesting parasha in that it relates an incident that none of Am Yisrael observed directly.

Balak realized that the land of the Amorites, including the strip of land between the Arnon River and the Yabbok river which formerly belonged to Moav, was eventually destined to be taken over by the Jews in accordance with G-d’s promise to Avraham.

Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil. -Plato

Bilaam’s hope is to reduce the power of Israel by carving away at our fighting men through spiritual means, so that they will be removed from the army as they are condemned to perdition for their transgressions.

Not only is our disposition and attitude critical in disquieting circumstances, but every word we utter during challenging times is significant.

As you get better in chess, you just can’t rely on your opponent to make a mistake. Better players won’t make mistakes.

Yes, he looks rather ridiculous as he makes one poor decision after another, and that is rather the point.

What exactly did Moshe and Aharon do wrong in the incident of "Mei Meriva"?

In America, where he arrived from Europe in 1941, mitzvah observance had become moribund, increasingly disconnected from the modern world. The Rebbe reversed this trend by demanding more Torah, more Jewish brotherhood, more Jewish education.

The Torah tells us that Nadav and Avihu died because they brought a “strange fire” before Hashem (Vayikra 10:1). But Rashi says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer that they died because they taught Torah in front of their master, Moshe.

All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine. -Socrates

Why weren’t Moshe’s prayers effective, as they were when he prayed for the frogs to be removed from Pharaoh?

The smart player always trains himself to think what the other person on the other side of the board is thinking about.

The pastime of blaming faultless leaders is apparently not new.

Who are the sources of our information regarding the war? After five get-togethers and lectures in the United States that included difficult questions on the situation in Israel, I understood how important it is to check our information sources.

When God gets angry at the people, all Moshe can do is fall on his face in grief at his own responsibility about what was happening-- But Moshe doesn’t stay on his face for long.

The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. -Edmund Burke

It bears mentioning, tragically, that when judgment is rampant in the world and the angel has been unleashed for the purpose of destruction, it tends to consume the innocent alongside the guilty.

Outraged at Moshe and Aharon, they marched with Korach to stand up against Moshe, while Korach vigorously maintained that he was not doing this for himself; he merely wanted to save the people from being misled by Moshe and Aharon.

The pastime of chess, in a world where there are so many hobbies that can atrophy the brain – from vegetating in front of a screen to pounding feverishly the controls of addictive computer gaming – is a refreshing opportunity to activate the mind and train it in many beneficial abilities.

Korach and his group were fighting with each other at the same time that they were fighting with Moshe and Aharon.

Is remembering God's wrath the best way to commence every Shabbos?