A Subtle Enemy - Exploring Rashi’s commentary on Balaam’s advice to seduce the Israelites into sin

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A Subtle Enemy: Exploring Rashi’s commentary on Balaam’s advice to seduce the Israelites into sin

Jews are naturally repelled by promiscuity. Discover Rashi’s insight into Bilam’s top secret plan to get the Jews to sin in the one area they were vigilant to avoid.

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Topics:	Balaam, Matot-Massei, Matot, Rashi

By Ari Shishler

Rabbi Ari Shishler is the director of Chabad of Strathavon, South Africa

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8 Comments

Ari Shishler Sandton, South Africa September 5, 2016

Three nations Hi Larissa

The Torah identifies those three nations as the "Keini, Knizi and Kadmoni", otherwise known as Edom, Moab and Ammon.

We will only conquer these three nations in the Messianic period, and even then, we are taught that we will conquer them peacefully, i.e. there will be no war.

Every one of the nations associated with Canaan represents an element of our own personalities that needs to be transformed from its primal state into holiness. The seven nations that Joshua conquered represent the seven main paradigms of emotion, which each of us can modify and transform. The three remaining nations represent the three modes of intellectual processing (Chochma/ innovation, Binah/understanding and Da'as/integration), which we will only learn to master and transform when Moshiach comes. Reply

Chinedu odom Portharcout December 11, 2019

in response to Ari Shishler:

Who are the edom,moab and ammon in this present day world? Reply

Ari Shishler Sandton December 11, 2019

in response to Chinedu odom:

Hi Chinedu,

We are taught that when the Assyrian king Sennacherib conquered their lands, he sent them into exile into other countries, where they assimilated completely. For the past 2000 years, we have no knowledge of people with any genealogical ties to these nations. Reply

Larissa Nielsen Stockholm August 17, 2016

Which three nations are we going to win over in the future before messianic age? Reply