Sponsored in loving memory of Jack Kay z”l Yaakov ben Moshe z”l
Service Times
g n i h t e Som e n o y r e v for E
Parshat Balak
17 Tammuz 5776 23 July 2016
Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat
19:30
(Candle Lighting)
19:40
Shacharit
09:15
Leining
10:15
Minchah ,Seudah & Ma’ariv
21:10
Shabbat terminates
22:26
Weekday Shacharit
Mincha & Ma’ariv
Sun*
08:30
19:30
Mon
07:00
19:30
Tues
07:00
19:30
Wed
07:00
19:30
Thur
07:00
19:30
Fri
07:00
19:30**
Candle Lighting
19:35
* Fast Day ** Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat
Chayim Arukim
to Darren Pincus on the loss of his father and to all those who have Yahrzeit this week as follows שבת
July 23 17 Tammuz
Mon
Mother
26 July 20 Tammuz
David Kay Marcia Halpern
Father Father
Wed
Raymond Crammer Nadine Wagman
Father Mother
Thurs
Ian Keller Jonathan Flax
Father Mother
29 July 23 Tammuz
Ruthie Portnoy
Mother
שבת
Helyn Orchant Sharon Ferster Niki Leveson
Mother Father Father
27 July 21 Tammuz 28 July 22 Tammuz
Fri
30 July 24 Tammuz
Security team: Grey
Kiddushim 23 July Unsponsored 30 July Unsponsored 6 Aug Unsponsored
Page No.s Artscroll Gutnick Hertz
Leining
Haftarah
856 1014 669
1189 1458 682
Thought For The Week Behind The Scenes In this week’s parsha we encounter the
show us clearly that Hashem protects
only episode in the entire Torah, which
the Jewish People at all times, and we can
records a narrative that the Jews had no
never know the true extent to which this
idea was taking place.
is true, unless He chooses to share those
We read the story of Balak, who recruited Bilaam to curse the Jews on his behalf. The story is richly described; the repeated attempts to persuade Bilaam to accept the task, the unique incident with his donkey, the numerous efforts to pro-
Mother
Tues
Muriel Mond Beverley Rosenthal
24 July 18 Tammuz
d"sb
nounce his curses, and the blessings he
details with us. Hashem always acts in our best interests, and even though there may be times where we wish to challenge the positive nature of things which appear to us to be bad, we can take comfort from this story that everything He does is for the best.
uttered in their place, through Hashem’s
There could be countless occasions where
intervention. The Jews were on the brink
we face danger, either individually or col-
of receiving curses which could have had
lectively, and we would be completely
destructive results, but they were saved
oblivious to His hidden Hand, shielding
just in time.
and protecting us. So ‘all’ we have to do is
It sounds amazing, and yet, the Jews had no idea that any of this was going on!
cultivate our faith and trust that Hashem is there for us at all times.
These events happened away from the
Rabbi Nick Kett
Jewish camp, and if Bilaam had been successful, there would have been nothing that they could have done about it. Hashem places this story in the Torah to
Shabbat Weather AM Partly Cloudy 22o High 15o Overnight Low
Parsha
verview
First Aliyah - 11 verses Following the victories over the Emorites and the Bashanites, Balak, king of Moav, worries that his nation will be next. He sends messengers to recruit Bilaam, a famed non-Jewish prophet and sorcerer to come and curse the Jews. G-d appears to Bilaam and instructs him not to go to Moav. Second Aliyah - 8 verses Bilaam sends word with Balak’s messengers that G-d doesn’t permit him to go with them. So Balak sends more prestigious messengers to Bilaam, promising him great riches. This time G-d allows him to go, provided that he only speak the words which G-d dictates to him. Third Aliyah - 18 verses Bilaam leaves to join Balak. G-d sends an angel to block Balaam’s path. Though Bilaam can’t see the angel, his donkey could, and refused to move, causing Bilaam to strike her. The donkey miraculously speaks. Eventually, G-d allows Bilaam to see the angel. After this humbling episode, Bilaam arrives in Moab where he is greeted by Balak. Fourth Aliyah - 15 verses Bilaam instructs Balak to build seven altars and offer sacrifices. G-d dictates to Bilaam the words he should repeat, and then proceeds to shower the Israelites with beautiful blessings and praises. Fifth Aliyah - 14 verses Balak takes Bilaam to another location, hoping that he could curse the Jews, but to no avail. Sixth Aliyah - 17 verses The entire process repeats itself once again in another place. At this point, Balak gives up. Seventh Aliyah - 21 verses Before leaving, Balaam prophesies about the end of days. Moabite and Midianite women seduce many Jewish men. Pinchas kills Zimri and a Midianite princess for their inappropriate behaviour, thus ending a plague that Hashem sent as punishment for the Jew’s immorality.
ere Moav & Midian w s, but actually enemie ck the united to atta e ‘greater evil’: th Jewish People.
S L E W
JE
M S I DA
U J F O
Delve into the deeper side of Judaism This week we examine how much power Bilaam had with his words
Do Words Never Hurt? Was Bilaam actually able to help someone by blessing him, or harm him with a curse? How was it possible for him to inflict a curse even against G-d’s Will? Since G-d had declared that the Jewish people were blessed, how could a curse harm them? Moreover, if he was able to give blessings, why didn’t he simply cause Balak to be invulnerable to attack, and not bother with cursing the Jews?
rather than seeking honour and wealth from Balak?
Bilaam inflicted curses at the appropriate time.
Neither did Bilaam possess the intrinsic power to inflict a curse. However, G-d did grant him a specific point of insight. Bilaam referred to it when he prided himselfthat he knew “the mind of the Most High” and when he admitted that he was prevented from cursing because G-d’s anger was not aroused.
Had Bilaam cursed the Jewish people during the moment of Heavenly anger, he could G-d forbid have destroyed them. Hashem, however, performed a special kindness for the Jews. On those days that Bilaam attempted to curse the Jews, He suppressed His anger so that Bilaam was powerless.
The answer is that Bilaam was unable to bestow blessing. He knew it, and therefore made no attempt to bless Moav. A proof that Bilaam’s blessings were ineffective is that when Bilaam blessed himself, his blessing did not work. Bilaam had wished upon himself, “Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his” (23:10). However, this blessing was not fulfilled, as he suffered an ignoble death by sword at the hands of the Jewish People, and did not merit a portion in the World to Come. Moreover, if he truly possessed the power to bestow blessings, why did he not bless himself to become rich and respected,
Better are wounds inflicted by a friend than the kisses of an enemy. Daily, there transpires a fraction of a moment when the Heavenly anger is kindled at mankind. This occurs when G-d causes the sun to shine upon the world, and the world’s kings lift their crowns from their heads and bow to it. Bilaam knew the split second of Divine anger. If he began to pronounce evil upon someone at this moment, G-d allowed the curses to be fulfilled. Taking advantage of this power,
However, Bilaam’s unarticulated curses bore fruit too. All the evil intentions he entertained in his heart were realised during our exile as a result of our sins. “Better are wounds inflicted by a friend than the kisses of an enemy.” When the Jewish prophets spoke to the people, their word always contained admonitions and warnings; Bilaam’s blessings, on the other hand, consisted only of praises and compliments. Upon hearing them, the Jews held their heads higher than before. .Based on ‘The Midrash Says’ by Rabbi M. Weiss
If you would like to share your words of wisdom, please submit your article of no more than 500 words to nick@hale-community.org.uk
Parsha Stats Balak is the 40th of 54 sedras 7th of 10 in Bamidbar Written on 177.8 lines in a Torah 104 verses - ranks 34th (8th in Bamidbar) 1455 words - ranks 33rd (8th in Bamidbar) 5357 letters - ranks 35th (8th in Bamidbar)
Did You Know Balak is one of 17 parshiyot that contain no mitzvot. Balak was weaker than Og and Sichon, which is why he was nervous that he would be liable to attack. One reason the parsha is named after Balak, is because he was an ‘honest enemy’ of Israel. His intentions and actions were clear-cut, and not hidden behind false smiles and friendships.
QA &
Read through the Parsha in English and find answers to the questions. LOLLIPOPS WILL BE AWARDED TO ANYONE WHO READS THROUGH IT, AND TELLS RABBI NICK THE CORRECT ANSWERS!
Who was Balak’s father? What did the donkey press against the wall? How many times did Bilaam strike the donkey? How many altars did Bilaam instruct Balak to build in each place? How was Pinchas related to Aharon? Which famous words did Bilaam say to bless the Jewish People, and where do we frequently say them?
Bilaam was given prophecy matched only by Moses, in order that the non-Jews could never contest that the Jews only reached great heights, because of the unique nature of Moses’ prophecy. Bilaam used, and abused, his powers.
Just For Fun Two fish in a tank. One turns to the other and says, “How do you drive this thing?” The other fish says, “Oh my gosh! A talking fish!”
LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: 1. Cedar Wood, Hyssop, Crimson Thread. 4. Twice. 5. Arad. BONUS: Eight.
2. Kadesh.
3. Rebels.
L
KING AHEAD
2
In The Spotlight
EDUCATION Family Fun Day 2016
Last weekend, 150 people braved the heat to support the fourth annual HYPE Family Fun Day, which this year was hosted on the grounds of Shaare Hayim.
YOUTH We are always looking to improve programmes and events for our youngest members. With the summer holidays approaching, we are looking to further develop the childrens’ programmes and Shule activities on Shabbat mornings.
BEYOND HALE
As a number of parents and grandparents have shown interest in sharing suggestions with us we would like to invite you all to a meeting with Shira and Rabbi Nick, to discuss this. The meeting will be held at the Youth House, 22 Wicker Lane, at 8pm, on Wednesday 27th July. We would very much appreciate your input, and would aim to implement any changes in time for the start of the next school year. If you would like to sponsor an edition of ‘Something For Everyone’, in honour of a simcha or for a yahrzeit, or for any reason, please contact the Shule office on 0161 980 8846 or admin@hale-community.org.uk
With Segways, Bungee Trampolines, fun inflatables, and even a kosher pizza van, serving fresh pizza, ice cream, and slushes, everyone had a great time. The atmosphere was fantastic, even in the boiling heat, and it was great that so many people, across all the South Manchester communities could join together.
Mazaltov to Susan & David Sallon on the birth of a grandson. Rabbi Joel & Ruthie on the occasion of Sruli’s marriage to Chaya Trappler.