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The summary of the entire Torah is as simple as this:
Love what HaShem loves; hate what HaShem hates.
All else is commentary.

Home > Commentary > Torah

בּמִדְבּר • B'midbar
(“In the Wilderness”)
The Fourth Book of Moses,
Commonly Called
Numbers

Numbers: Introduction and Outline • Videos
1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18 
19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36
 

Parashot: Index   34. B'midbar   35. Naso   36. Beha’alotcha   37. Shlach L’kha  
38. Korach   39. Chukat   40. Balak   41. Pinchas   42. Mattot   43. Masa‘ei
(Small Roman numerals in the text indicate each 'aliyah.)[GN]

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פָּרָשָׁה בּלָק
Parsha 40: Balak • Continued

~ 25 ~

iv. The Ba'al of Peor Incident (25:1-18)

1. Moab Seduces Israel (25:1-5)

1 Isra'el stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Mo’av; 2 for they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 Isra'el joined himself to Baal Peor, and ADONAI’s anger burned against Isra'el. 4 ADONAI said to Moshe, “Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to ADONAI before the sun, that the fierce anger of ADONAI may turn away from Isra'el.”

5 Moshe said to the judges of Isra'el, “Everyone kill his men who have joined themselves to Ba'al Peor.”

2. The Zeal of Phinehas (25:6-18)

6 Hinneh, one of the people of Isra'el came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moshe, and in the sight of all the community of the people of Isra'el, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting. (Maftir) 7 When Pinchas ben El‘azar ben Aharon the cohen saw it, he rose up from the middle of the community, and took a spear in his hand. 8 He went after the man of Isra'el into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Isra'el, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the people of Isra'el; 9 nevertheless, 24,000 died in the plague.

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Now that you've read Parsha Balak, listen to
Rabbi Greg Hershberg teach from the text

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Haftarah

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Haftarah Balak is Mikhah (Micah) 5:6(7)-6:8

Listen to Haftarah Balak read from the Complete Jewish Bible

5: 6 (7)The remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples

like dew from ADONAI,

like showers on the grass,

that don’t wait for man

nor wait for the sons of men.

7 (8) The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,

among many peoples,

like a lion among the animals of the forest,

like a young lion among the flocks of sheep;

who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces,

and there is no one to deliver.

8 (9) Let your hand be lifted up above your adversaries,

and let all of your enemies be cut off.

9 (10) “It will happen in that day,” says ADONAI,

“that I will cut off your horses from among you

and will destroy your chariots.

10 (11) I will cut off the cities of your land

and will tear down all your strongholds.

11 (12) I will destroy witchcraft from your hand.

You shall have no soothsayers.

12 (13) I will cut off your engraved images and your pillars from among you;

and you shall no more worship the work of your hands.

13 (14) I will uproot your Asherah poles[GN] from among you;

and I will destroy your cities.

14 (15) I will execute vengeance in anger

and wrath on the nations that didn’t listen.”

 

6: 1 Listen now to what ADONAI[GN] says:

“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,

and let the hills hear what you have to say.

2 Hear, you mountains, ADONAI’s indictment,

and you enduring foundations of the earth;

for ADONAI has a case against his people,

and he will contend with Israel.

3 My people, what have I done to you?

How have I burdened you?

Answer me!

4 For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt,

and redeemed you out of the house of bondage.

I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

5 My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised,

and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal,

that you may know the righteous acts of ADONAI.”

6 How shall I come before ADONAI,

and bow myself before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

7 Will ADONAI be pleased with thousands of rams?

With tens of thousands of rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience?

The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 He has shown you, O man, what is good.

What does ADONAI require of you, but to act justly,

to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

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Ketuvei HaShalichim (Apostolic Writings)

The Gospel for Parsha Balak is Matt. 21:1-11

1As they were nearing YerushalayimJerusalem, they came to Beit-PageiBethphage, near the Mount of Olives. Yeshua sent two talmidimdisciples, 2telling them, Go into the village up ahead, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to Me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell them, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”

4This was done so what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled,

5“Tell the daughter of TziyonZion, Look! Your King is coming to you, riding humbly on a donkey; even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

6So the talmidim went and did just as Yeshua instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their clothes on them; and Yeshua sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds who went before Him, and those who followed, kept shouting, “Please, Deliver us, Son of David! Baruch haba b'shem ADONAI! [Blessed is He who comes in the name of ADONAI!] You in the highest heaven, please! Deliver us!”

10When He entered Yerushalayim, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11The crowds said, “This is the prophet, Yeshua, from Natzeret of the Galil.”

Kepherim (Letters, optional)

2 Kefa (2 Peter) 2:1-22; Y’hudah (Jude) 11; Revelation 2:14-15

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. 2 Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned. 3 In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t linger, and their destruction will not slumber.

4 For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness to be reserved for judgment; 5 and didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a proclaimer of righteousness, with seven others when He brought a flood on the world of the ungodly, 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, having made them an example to those who would live in an ungodly way, 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man dwelling among them was tormented in his righteous soul from day to day with seeing and hearing lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the Day of Judgment.

10 Chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, don’t bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed, 13 receiving the wages of unrighteousness; people who count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, spots and defects, reveling in their deceit while they feast with you; 14 having eyes full of adultery, and who can’t cease from sin, enticing unsettled souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Bil‘am Ben-B‘or, who loved the wages of wrongdoing; 16 but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A speechless donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.

17 These are wells without water, clouds driven by a storm, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever. 18 For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping from those who live in error; 19 promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for a man is brought into bondage by whoever overcomes him.

20 For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Yeshua HaMashiach, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,”[22] and “the pig washed itself, only to wallow in the mud.”

Y’hudah (Jude) 11

11Woe to them! They have gone the way of KayinCain, and for financial gain they have rushed headlong into the error of Bil'am, and perished in Korach’s rebellion.

Revelation 2:14-15

14But I have a few things against you; there are some there who hold the teaching of Bil'amBalaam. He taught Balak to set a trap for the people of Israel so they would eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual sin. 15So also you likewise have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

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The Blessing After the Ketuvei HaShalichim Click here to listen to this canted by Jeremiah Greenberg of Messianic Liturgical Resources. Page numbers refer to his Messianic Shabbat Siddur.
Ba-rookh ah-tah, Adonai Eh-lo-hay-noo, meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm, ah-sher na-tahn la-noo Ha-d'var Ha-eh-met v'cha-yaye oh-lahm na-ta b'toe-chey-noo. Ba-rooch ah-ta Adonai, no-tain Ha-breet Ha-cha-da-sha. Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has given us the Word of Truth and has planted life everlasting in our midst. Blessed are you O Lord, Giver of the New Covenant.

The Blessing of the Messiah Click here to listen to this canted by Jeremiah Greenberg of Messianic Liturgical Resources. Page numbers refer to his Messianic Shabbat Siddur.
Ba-rookh ah-tah Adonai Eh-lo-hay-noo, meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm, ah-sher na-tahn la-noo ha-deh-rech l'y'shoo-ah b'ma-she-ahch Yeshua. Ah-mein. Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has given us the way to salvation in Messiah Yeshua. Amen.

(1) 10 ADONAI told Moshe, 11 “Pinchas son of El‘azar, son of Aharon the cohen, has turned my wrath away from the people of Isra'el, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I didn’t consume the people of Isra'el in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Hinneh, I give to him my covenant of peace. 13 It shall be to him, and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the people of Isra'el.’”

14 Now the name of the man of Isra'el that was slain, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri ben Salu, a leader of a fathers’ house among the Shim‘onites. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur. He was head of the people of a fathers’ house in Midyan.

16 ADONAI told Moshe, 17 “Harass the Midyanites, and strike them; 18 for they harassed you with their wiles, wherein they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the incident regarding Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midyan, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.”

Chapter 26

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Page last updated on Wednesday, 26 August 2026 06:56 PM

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