ב"ה
Balak 5768 - July 11, 2008
Living
My Garbage Blues: A Curbside Meditation
Does the partitioning of household waste in an elaborate classification system have implications for our spiritual lives?
Does the partitioning of household waste in an elaborate classification system have implications for our spiritual lives?
Everything Happens For "The Reason"
I get into a car accident. My car is totaled, my day is ruined, my insurance premium is going up. I am upset at myself, I'm angry at the world...
I get into a car accident. My car is totaled, my day is ruined, my insurance premium is going up. I am upset at myself, I'm angry at the world...
Marriage Without Anger
The single greatest challenge faced by couples is how they handle their anger. How does one deal with the inevitable disagreements in marriage, without becoming angry?
The single greatest challenge faced by couples is how they handle their anger. How does one deal with the inevitable disagreements in marriage, without becoming angry?
The Rat
“On one very cold night I was shivering so hard, and I felt that I was freezing to death. All of a sudden, I felt a little bit of warmth . . .”
“On one very cold night I was shivering so hard, and I felt that I was freezing to death. All of a sudden, I felt a little bit of warmth . . .”
The ABC's of Developing Our Spiritual Resources
From early in life, we are told, "We don't hurt the people we love." So it is difficult to trust that the hurts G‑d inflicts on us are out of love.
From early in life, we are told, "We don't hurt the people we love." So it is difficult to trust that the hurts G‑d inflicts on us are out of love.
Parshah
The Parshah in a Nutshell
Balak sends Balaam to curse the Jews. His talking donkey tries to stop him, to no avail. Each time he opens his mouth, Balaam ends up blessing the nation instead.
Balak sends Balaam to curse the Jews. His talking donkey tries to stop him, to no avail. Each time he opens his mouth, Balaam ends up blessing the nation instead.
Calling Moses
Do we surrender to the anti-truth of arbitrary happenstance, or do we embrace the divine calling of purposeful engagement? The difference looks a lot smaller than it is
Do we surrender to the anti-truth of arbitrary happenstance, or do we embrace the divine calling of purposeful engagement? The difference looks a lot smaller than it is
A Lonely Nation
Am levadad yishkon, a nation dwells alone. In ways we can’t always appreciate, that dwelling is a benefit to us and to the world. History attests to that, even as it does not explain it . . .
Am levadad yishkon, a nation dwells alone. In ways we can’t always appreciate, that dwelling is a benefit to us and to the world. History attests to that, even as it does not explain it . . .
Close Your Blinds
We live in an age of revelation; privacy is passé. All the more reason to recall Balaam's vision of the goodly tents of the Israelite camp...
We live in an age of revelation; privacy is passé. All the more reason to recall Balaam's vision of the goodly tents of the Israelite camp...
The Showdown
On one side stood Moses, the greatest prophet of all time. On the other side was Balaam, the far-famed soothsayer. At stake was the most critical question in all creation: Does G‑d care about good and evil?
On one side stood Moses, the greatest prophet of all time. On the other side was Balaam, the far-famed soothsayer. At stake was the most critical question in all creation: Does G‑d care about good and evil?
The Evolution of Pleasure
What attraction could the idol Peor, and the particularly repulsive rituals associated with it, possibly hold for the Israelites who succumbed to its influence?
What attraction could the idol Peor, and the particularly repulsive rituals associated with it, possibly hold for the Israelites who succumbed to its influence?
The Jewish Woman
Matters of Light and Depth
I bought the paints, the brushes, a book, some canvases, and the table easel, went home and cleared off the dining room table and set everything up. There it sat for about two weeks. I walked by it. I peered at it. I arranged it. I examined it...
I bought the paints, the brushes, a book, some canvases, and the table easel, went home and cleared off the dining room table and set everything up. There it sat for about two weeks. I walked by it. I peered at it. I arranged it. I examined it...
Trade-Offs
This was the first time I had ever come to the Western Wall with a family member. In the past, I had only come alone. But now I had brought my daughter with me, and a deep sense of comfort welled up in me...
This was the first time I had ever come to the Western Wall with a family member. In the past, I had only come alone. But now I had brought my daughter with me, and a deep sense of comfort welled up in me...
Safe Swimming
Young children have difficulty discerning danger, so it is wholly the adult's responsibility to protect and establish preventative measures to assure their safety...
Young children have difficulty discerning danger, so it is wholly the adult's responsibility to protect and establish preventative measures to assure their safety...
It is a people that dwells alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations
— The Moabite prophet Balaam on the people of Israel, Numbers 23:9
Print Magazine
Why is Torah compared to light? Because it tells us the place of each thing.
Because, in truth, there is no need to change the world. Everything is here.
Each thing has a place, and in that place it is good. Altogether, it is very good, a beautiful world. All that’s needed is a little light.
What is light? Light...
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