Balak in a Nutshell

Ba'alam (Bilam) the 'sorcerer' hired by Balak to curse us was NOT necessarily Baal Peor who led the people into idol worship in an unconnected episode! Ba'al is just a generic term meaning 'lord'...of... Ba'al Peor simply means 'ruler of the mount of Peor'. it is not a 'name', sort of like 'gospadin' in russian. Our first ' 'Ba'al' the so-called 'sorcerer' seems to be in good conversation with '' . Certainly, he is blessed with the holy interchange and is allowed to act as a vehicle for the holy words Ma Tovu, o lecha jakov, mishca notecha Israel...etc. He was not an Israelite, but yes, '' is the Father and King to all who honor and bow to him....

Bilaam shows that without G*d's direct revelation we cannot know His will for us. Yet even with the revelation of God we must accept His will, His power and foremost, His Holiness and Righteousness. Bilaam represents all who have this knowledge of the Divine yet still strive to do things our way whereby our worship of the Lord becomes merely self serving and so we are cursed by creating a god in our own image. Bilaam like Cain are more interested in their own good works rather than Faith and trust in G*d which in the end becomes self serving works of self.

Today, if a person has the guts to kill an abortion doctor to save innocents or even someone condoning homosexuality, then he is deemed a menace to society and will spend the rest of his life in prison. Pinchas took action against an official and stopped the plague and he is a hero. Could we be plagued with spiritual blindness/weakness because we don't take action anymore? I was under the impression we were to hate sin and uphold G-d's LAWS.

I do not understand exactly how the plague was stopped. Who was Pinchas

It is at times like this that, figuratively speaking, G-D scratches his head and looks down at our people and says "Oy! What my people did to the Torah."

Parsha Balak is more than just the experiences of Balak. It is about the daughters of Moab also.

In the modern day there are many relationships consisting out of two people of whom ONLY one is of the Tribe of the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Was Moshe not in such a relationship also?

No sin in such a modern relationship AS LONG AS this relationship does not entice you to leave or alter your belief and trust in G-d.

IF this relationship drifts you away from the ONLY G-d, the ONE G-d, who knows when there is a Pinchas on your way?

I like your comment Mark from Montreal.
I believe we need to listen and obey G-d's voice and be careful not to think more highly of ourselves in the process. That is what I think Balaam was doing, without it being said. He was a prophet who was saught after and he may have gotten a little to high minded and that is why the Angel of the LORD went to stop him and bring him down to earth again, showing him his error.

You should have mentioned that the prayer we make upon entering the sanctuary comes from Balak--a heathen socerer. "Ma tovu ....." The question is was this a temporary contrition by Balak or as a prophet was he forced to do G-d's will? If the latter, what happened to the concept of choice in Judaism? If the former, why was the "contrition" only temporary?

Yaakov wrote: "I would like to point out that G-d would not allow Balaam to curse Israel, but Balaam did introduce the sin to the Jews which allowed them to curse themselves."

Can you explain this? Is this comparable to:

shoftim 8.27: And Gideon made it into an Ephod, and he set it up in his city, in Ophrah; and all Israel went astray after it there; and it became a snare to Gideon and to his house.

Balaam had little contact with the Jewish nation. In fact Balaam was killed by Moses' on command from the Holy Onefor vengenacne against the Midians.