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Bilam Continues to Bless Israel Balak then tells him to go to another place where he can see part of the nation from a very high lookout which is used to spot army invaders. Balak had a premonition that Israel would weaken in this area, which was indeed the case as Moshe died there. HeContinue reading “Balak, 5th Aliya”

Balak and Bilam Balak takes Bilam to a metropolitan city called Kirat Chuzot filled with men, women and children, to show him what was a stake in terms of protecting his land from being uprooted. Balak slaughters one cattle and one sheet and sends these to Bilam and the officers who are with him. TheContinue reading “Balak, 4th Aliya”

Bilam and His Donkey In the morning, Bilam wakes up and saddles his donkey. the fact that he saddled his own donkey shows how hatred disrupts the right order of one’s mind, as he should not have saddled his own donkey. Rashi likens this haste of Bilam to when Avraham saddled his own donkey forContinue reading “Balak, 3rd Aliya”

Will Bilam Go or Not? Bilam wakes up in the morning and tells Balak’s officers that G-d will not let him go back with them. Due to his conceit, he made it sound like G-d wouldn’t let him go because Balak’s men weren’t prestigious enough . So Balak kept sending more and more officers ofContinue reading “Balak, 2nd Aliya”

Introducing Bilam Balak, son of Tzippor said to Moav, the two kings we had confidence in, Sichon and Og were both conquered by the Israelites. How will we, who are weaker, going to be able to defend ourselves from them? Moav realized that the Israelites were winning miraculously. They knew that their leaders grew upContinue reading “Balak, 1st Aliya”

War with Sichon and Surrounding Nations The Israelites* send messengers to Sichon the king of the Amorites asking if they can pass through their land. Although they were instructed not to begin talking to them with words of peace, they did so anyways, reassuring the Amorites that if they were to pass, they would notContinue reading “Chukas, 7th Aliya”

Travel Miracles and the Song of the Well The Israelites travel and encamp at Oboth and then travel and encamp at a place called Eii HaIvrim (literally “the Ruins of the Passes”), which was a passageway for people passing Mount Navo ont he way to the Land of Cana’an, since it is between the landContinue reading “Chukas, 6th Aliya”

Aaron Dies. Amalek Attack. The Copper Snake. The Death of Aaron All of the Israelites who were destined to die in the desert before entering the land (see Bamidbar 14:30) had passed away. The remaining Israelites traveled from Kadesh to Mount Hor*. *Side note: Whenever the Israelites would travel, the Cloud would travel before themContinue reading “Chukas, 5th Aliya”

The King of Edom Moshe sends messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom asking if they can pass through his land. The messengers are to tell Kadesh that his people are the Israelites’ brothers, in having also descended from Avraham (through Esav). Thus they were also supposed to suffer the exile and hardships inContinue reading “Chukas, 4th Aliya”

Moshe Hits the Rock G-d tells Moshe that he should take the staff and he and Aaron should gather all of the Israelites together and speak to the rock and the Israelites will see the rock giving them water. The rock will then provide drink for them and their animals*. *Side note: Rashi points outContinue reading “Chukas, 3rd Aliya”