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PARACHAT   BALAK   26 JUIN 2021/ 16 TAMMOUZ 57811

LE JEÛNE DE 17 TAMMOUZ SERA OBSERVÉ 

                     CE DIMANCHE 27 JUIN

                           Début : 3:19 am / Fin 9:25 pm 

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    PARACHAT BALAK EN BREF :

Balak, roi de Moab, demande au prophète Bilaam de maudire le peuple d’Israël. En chemin, ce dernier est admonesté par son âne qui voit un ange, envoyé par D.ieu pour les arrêter.

Cependant Bilaam, se postant successivement en trois lieux, tente de lancer ses malédictions. Chaque fois, au lieu de malédictions, c’est une bénédiction qu’il profère. Enfin, il prophétise sur la fin des temps et la venue Du Machiah .

Le peuple se laisse attirer par les filles de Moab qui les incitent à servir l’idole Peor. Quand un israélite de haut rang s’isole ouvertement avec une princesse midianite dans une tente, Pin’has tue le couple, mettant fin à la plaie qui sévit parmi le peuple.(chabad.org)

THOUGHTS ON BALAK

 By Mayer Sasson

 power of Amen

" … G-d his G-d is with him and the homage to a king מלך is in him."

It says in the Sefer Hagan: …and when he makes a blessing he must bless out loud so that his friend will answer Amen and if he does so, and if G-d forbid a curse had been decreed against him, then the curse turns into a blessing.

We find an allusion to this in this verse: We know that Bilaam wanted to curse the Children of Israel in the tiny period of time when G-d is "angry" every day. Since there is only time to say one word at this time Bilaam wanted to say "כַּלֵם" – Finish them off – but G-d changed the word "כַּלֵם" to the world "מלך"- King (with the same letters) as it says "ותרועת מלך בו".

The numerology of the words כַּלֵם" "  and "מלך" are the same as "אמן" (including 1 for the word).

We learn from there that answering Amen turns a curse into a blessing, per the Sefer Hagan.

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"How good are your tents O 'Yakov…." (24,5)

These are the synagogues and study halls. (Sanhedrin)

Hagaon Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Berlin (the NTZIV from Volozhin) was once asked how he could bear the noise of the learning that emanated from the Yeshiva building and how it did not bother him as he was living very close to the Yeshiva.

The Rabbi answered, "Did you ever hear the owner of a flour mill complain about the noise that the mill made? Surely he would not complain because the noise of the mill

brings him tidings of his livelihood. On the contrary, it is just the sound of the flour mill that will make his sleep pleasant."

"So too", the Rabbi continued, "I am similar to the mill owner. The sound of Torah emanating from the mouths of the Yeshiva bachurim, this pleasant sound, is the source of my vibrancy and it gives me encouragement and strength, and is very pleasant to my ears. If, G-d forbid, this sound would stop, I would not be able to sleep amidst the terrible quietness that has been created."

SHABBAT SHALOM!!

 Mayer Sasson

The Jewish national period of mourning.

The "Three Weeks" between the 17th of Tammuz and the Tisha B'Av have historically been days of misfortune and calamity for the Jewish people. During this time, both the First and Second Temples were destroyed, amongst other tragedies.

These days are referred to as the period "within the straits" (bein hametzarim), in accordance with the verse: "All her oppressors have overtaken her within the straits" (Lamentations 1:3).

During this time, various aspects of mourning are observed by the entire nation. We minimize joy and celebration – no weddings are held, we do not listen to music, nor are there haircuts or shaving. The expressions of mourning take on greater intensity as we approach the day of Tisha B’Av.

Since the attribute of Divine judgment ("din") is acutely felt, we avoid potentially dangerous or risky endeavors.

             the Mishna teaches that some  things that happened on this date:

1. Het Ha’egel (sin of the golden calf) occurred on the 16th of Tamuz and then on the 17th Moshe came down and decided to break the Tablets he had just received.

2. In the Temple a lamb that was less than 1 year old, was sacrificed every single morning and every single evening for the hundreds of years that the Temple was standing. Even during the siege against the Jerusalem (that lasted about 1 ½ years from 10 Tevet till 17 Tamuz 18 months later) they continued giving the daily Korban Tamid. However, after the walls were breached even the Kohanim had to fight and try to defend the city and they also became impure from the bloodshed and the daily sacrifice had to stop. It is also possible that they simply ran out of sheep in the city after being under siege for so long.

3. The walls of the city were breached. During the first Temple this happened on the 9th of Tamuz and during the second Temple this happened on the 17th. One opinion (in the Jerusalem Talmud) states that it was on the 17th of Tamuz in both Temples, but the Bible made a mistake and said it was the 8th because they were so distraught over the siege and the destruction that they got their dates mixed The Mishna teaches that some  things that happened on this date:

4. Het Ha’egel (sin of the golden calf) occurred on the 16th of Tamuz and then on the 17th Moshe came down and decided to break the Tablets he had just received.

5. In the Temple a lamb that was less than 1 year old, was sacrificed every single morning and every single evening for the hundreds of years that the Temple was standing. Even during the siege against the Jerusalem (that lasted about 1 ½ years from 10 Tevet till 17 Tamuz 18 months later) they continued giving the daily Korban Tamid. However, after the walls were breached even the Kohanim had to fight and try to defend the city and they also became impure from the bloodshed and the daily sacrifice had to stop. It is also possible that they simply ran out of sheep in the city after being under siege for so long.

6. The walls of the city were breached. During the first Temple this happened on the 9th of Tamuz and during the second Temple this happened on the 17th. One opinion (in the Jerusalem Talmud) states that it was on the 17th of Tamuz in both Temples, but the Bible made a mistake and said it was the 8th because they were so distraught over the siege and the destruction that they got their dates mixed up.

7. p.

Les Trois Semaines

Ce sont une période annuelle de deuil qui tombe en été. C’est lorsque nous marquons le deuil de la destruction du Saint Temple de Jérusalem et le début de l’exil dans lequel nous nous trouvons encore.

Cette période débute le 17 du mois hébraïque de Tamouz, un jour de jeûne qui marque le jour où la muraille de Jérusalem fut éventrée par les Romains en l’an 69 de l’ère commune.

Elle culmine et se conclut avec le jeûne du 9 Av, la date à laquelle les deux Temples furent incendiés. C’est le jour le plus triste du calendrier juif, lors duquel eurent lieu d’autres tragédies au cours de notre histoire.

Observances :

Il y a plusieurs coutumes liées au deuil suivies pendant toute la période de Trois Semaines. Nous ne nous coupons pas les cheveux, nous n’achetons pas d’habits neufs, nous n’écoutons pas de musique. Nous ne célébrons pas de mariages en cette période.

Le 17 Tamouz est un jour de jeûne lors duquel nous nous abstenons de manger et de boire depuis l’aube jusqu’à la tombée de la nuit.

Ma Tovou Ohalékha

 Dans la section hebdomadaire de la Torah se trouve la célèbre louange de Bilaam au sujet du peuple juif avec les célèbres mots qui ouvrent nos prières quotidiennes (n. d. t. dans le rite ashkénaze) et que chaque Bar / Bat Mitsva connait par cœur : 

Ma tovou ohalékha Yaacov – « Qu’elles sont belles tes tentes, Ô Jacob » (Nombres 24:5).

Les Sages expliquent que Bilaam remarqua que les tentes des Juifs dans le désert étaient soigneusement alignées de telle sorte que nul ne puisse voir ce qui se passait chez autrui. Bilaam voulut maudire le peuple juif, mais grâce à la pudeur qui les caractérisait, il fut incapable de mettre ses projets à exécution.

Ce passage renferme un important message sous-jacent. La force du peuple juif réside dans leurs foyers. Les foyers, non pas les individus, sont les pierres d’assise d’une nation. Ce ne sont pas tant les individus qui créent des foyers que les foyers qui renforcent les individus. Des foyers stables, avec des valeurs fortes et une éducation ciblée, constituent les éléments les plus fondamentaux dans la création d’une nation forte.

Les écoles sont un élément important d’un système d’éducation, mais les parents (et les gouvernements) qui pensent que l’on peut compter sur elles pour former des individus dotés d’un caractère moral solide s’apercevront de leur erreur quand il sera déjà trop tard. Même en prenant en compte l’élément de libre arbitre, les parents sont en grande partie responsables de ce que deviendront leurs enfants. Ils ne peuvent pas tout bonnement mettre la faute sur le dos de l’école, de la société, ou des fréquentations de leurs enfants. L’influence la plus marquante est celle de la maison.

Et pourtant, cela est aussi facile à dire que difficile à faire. Certes, élever nos enfants requiert une dose démesurée d’assistance divine. Mais être pleinement conscient de la réalité constitue déjà le premier pas pour la mettre en place. Apprenons à ne compter sur personne d’autre que nous-mêmes pour créer un environnement dans lequel nos enfants pourront s’épanouir et devenir les membres de la société intègres et actifs que nous souhaiterions qu’ils soient. Parce que comme nous l’avons appris avec Bilaam, c’est grâce à la force de nos foyers qu’il fut incapable de nous maudire.

Par le rabbin Shaul Rosenblatt  (aish fr.)

Did Bilaam’s animal actually speak?

There are several different commentaries on this topic.

Maimonides explains that the episode when Bilaam’s donkey spoke never happened in reality but only happened in Bilaam’s dream. Maimonides writes in The Guide to the Perplexed that any instance in the bible when an angel interacts with a person, must have not taken place in actuality but only in a dream. Other examples include: Jacob wrestling with the angel and when Abraham met the three angels.

Samuel David (ShaDaL) Luzzatto writes that the event of the mule took place in actuality, but he didn’t actually speak words, he simply brayed with Bilaam yelling at him, as people do to their animals sometimes. He bases this on the wording of the text, where the word Diber (speak) is not used with regards to the donkey. Shadal too seems to be uncomfortable with interpreting that the animal actually spoke.

Ibn Ezra is of the opinion that the donkey actually spoke. He believes that the event described is being described in a literal fashion. One interesting question is: If he did speak what language did he speak? Midianite?

The commentators that believe it never happened believe so because they don’t agree with the concept that Hashem makes drastic changes in the laws of nature for miracles. In Pirke Avot, it is written that the donkey was one of the things created on the sixth day of ‘creation’. Maimonides explains that the rabbis are teaching us that Hashem is not continually involved in controlling nature; rather Hashem, created the laws of nature, and within those laws set up conditions for certain ‘miracles’ to happen at certain times.

Chaque semaine, découvrez 5 anecdotes écrites dans la Paracha de la semaine que vous pouvez étudier ici et poser comme question à votre table du Chabbath.

וַתֵּ֨רֶא הָאָת֜וֹן אֶת־מַלְאַ֣ךְ ה’ וַתִּלָּחֵץ֙ אֶל־הַקִּ֔יר וַתִּלְחַ֛ץ אֶת־רֶ֥גֶל בִּלְעָ֖ם אֶל־הַקִּ֑יר וַיֹּ֖סֶף לְהַכֹּתָֽהּ׃ (22:25)

L’ânesse, voyant l’ange de D.ieu, se serra contre le mur et froissa contre le mur le pied de Bil’am, qui la frappa de nouveau.

1. De quoi l’ânesse a-t-elle accusé Bil’am ?

• L’ânesse a accusé Bilaam de la chevaucher pour satisfaire à ses désirs charnels. (Sanhédrin 105b)

וַתֹּ֨אמֶר הָאָת֜וֹן אֶל־בִּלְעָ֗ם הֲלוֹא֩ אָנֹכִ֨י אֲתֹֽנְךָ֜ אֲשֶׁר־רָכַ֣בְתָּ עָלַ֗י מֵעֽוֹדְךָ֙ עַד־הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה הַֽהַסְכֵּ֣ן הִסְכַּ֔נְתִּי לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת לְךָ֖ כֹּ֑ה וַיֹּ֖אמֶר לֹֽא׃ (22:30)

Et l’ânesse dit à Bil’am : « Ne suis-je pas toujours ton ânesse que tu as toujours montée jusqu’à ce jour, étais-je accoutumée d’agir ainsi avec toi ? » Et il répondit : « Non. »

2. Qu’est-il advenu de l’ânesse de Bil’am ?

• Un ange a tué l’ânesse dès qu’elle eut fini de parler, pour éviter qu’elle ne devienne un objet de culte. Autre raison pour laquelle elle a été tuée : elle avait achevé la mission pour laquelle elle avait été créée. (Mé’am Loez original)

וַיִּקָּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־בִּלְעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֗יו אֶת־שִׁבְעַ֤ת הַֽמִּזְבְּחֹת֙ עָרַ֔כְתִּי וָאַ֛עַל פָּ֥ר וָאַ֖יִל בַּמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃ (23:4)

D.ieu se présenta à Bil’am, qui lui dit : « J’ai dressé les sept autels, et j’ai offert un taureau et un bélier sur chaque autel. »

3. A quoi ces 7 autels correspondaient-ils ?

• Avant chaque tentative de maudire les Bné Israël, Bil’am a édifié 7 autels et 7 sacrifices, qui devaient correspondre à Adam, Hével, Noa’h, Avraham, Its’hak, Ya’acov et Moché qui ont aussi construit des autels. D’autres affirment qu’ils symbolisaient les 7 autels construits par les Patriarches. (Tan’houma, Rachi)

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ה’ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה קַ֚ח אֶת־כָּל־רָאשֵׁ֣י הָעָ֔ם וְהוֹקַ֥ע אוֹתָ֛ם לַה’ נֶ֣גֶד הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ וְיָשֹׁ֛ב חֲר֥וֹן אַף־ה’ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (25:4)

Et D.ieu dit à Moché : « Prends tous les chefs du peuple et fais-les pendre au nom de D.ieu, à la face du soleil, pour que la colère divine se détourne d’Israël. »

4. Comment les filles de Moav ont-elles été punies ?

• Les filles de Moav ont été punies ensuite par des moyens miraculeux. Dans le but d’exposer les fauteurs, les nuages se replièrent et laissèrent les rayons du soleil briller et éclairer uniquement le visage des fauteurs. (Rachi, Midrach Tan’houma)

וַ֠יָּבֹא אַחַ֨ר אִֽישׁ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶל־הַקֻּבָּ֗ה וַיִּדְקֹר֙ אֶת־שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם אֵ֚ת אִ֣ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֶת־הָאִשָּׁ֖ה אֶל־קֳבָתָ֑הּ וַתֵּֽעָצַר֙ הַמַּגֵּפָ֔ה מֵעַ֖ל בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (25:8)

Il entra sur les pas de l’Israélite, dans la tente et les perça tous deux, l’Israélite ainsi que cette femme qu’il frappa au flanc; et le fléau cessa de sévir parmi les enfants d’Israël.

Balak Summary

Then Balak, the king of Moab heard of the wars Bene Yisrael were waging he was worried about his own defeat.  He decided to hire Bilaam to curse Bene Yisrael, so they would be more vulnerable.  That night Bilaam had a prophecy, and Hashem warned him not to join Balak and not to curse Bene Yisrael.  Bilaam decided to go to Balak.  On the way, his donkey saw an angel with his sword drawn, so the donkey swerved off the road. Bilaam hit the donkey to get back on the path.  This happened three times until Hashem opened the donkey’s mouth, and it spoke.  Bilaam had an argument with the donkey, and then Hashem let Bilaam see the angel too. The angel warned Bilaam that he may go to Balak but may only say what Hashem tells him to say and Bilaam agreed.

            After offering sacrifices to Hashem, Bilaam went and blessed Bene Yisrael. Balak was furious at him and took Bilaam somewhere else and the same thing happened again, and then he took him to a third place where again Bilaam blessed the people.

            After Bilaam was unsuccessful in cursing Bene Yisrael, he tried a different tactic.  He told the women of Moab to seduce Bene Yisrael. They did, and they were successful.  Many men followed the women, had relations with them, and worshipped their gods.  Hashem was angered at Bene Yisrael and sent a plague.  The plague ended when Pinchas, Aharon's grandson, killed Zimri, the leader of the tribe of Shimon, and the woman he was cohabiting with, Cozbi. Twenty-four thousand people died in the plague.

Balak Quiz

1) Q.  What is this week’s Haftarah, what is it about, and how is it connected to the parasha?

      A. This week's Haftarah is Micha 5:6-6:8. In the Haftarah, Micha prophesizes; in the prophesy, he tells, of many of the ways Hashem helped Bene Yisrael in the desert.  One of the ways mentioned was the story of this week's parasha, of how Hashem saved Bene Yisrael from Balak and Bilaam's wicked plot.

2) Q.  In his conversation with his donkey, how did Bilaam shame himself in front of the princes?

      A. He told his donkey, "Were there a sword in my hand, I would slay you."  The princes were bringing him to destroy an entire nation through his power of speech, yet for one donkey he needed a sword.

3) Q.  Why did Balak tell Bilaam to curse the Jewish People from Rosh Hapisgah?

      A. The midrash teaches that Balak foresaw trouble for the Jewish People at that site. Moshe would later die there.

4) Q.  What did Bilaam see that made him decide not to curse the Jewish people?

      A. The midrash explains that he saw each Tribe dwelling without intermingling. He saw the tents arranged so that no one could see into his neighbor's tent.  We learn here that one of the wonderful qualities of Jews is their domestic lives.  We should be proud of the way we live, with our ideals of how a family should be and following the ethics and morals of our Torah.  Bilaam summed it up best when he recited the verse we customarily sing at our weddings and some add to the prayer every morning (Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yisrael) “How fair are your tents O’ Jacob, Your dwellings O’ Israel” (24:5)

5) Q.  Why is Amalek called "The First of Nations"?

      A. The midrash states that it was the first nation to attack the Jewish People. It can also be explained that it is a leading nation and that is what the verse is referring to.

6)  Q.  In 22:28 it says, "And Hashem opened the mouth of the donkey", what was Hashem showing Bilaam by this action?

      A. Kli Yakar explains that he was showing Bilaam that his prophesy was equivalent to the donkey's. Just as the donkey only ‘spoke’ once, Bilaam only prophesized once.

7) Q.  What differences are there between Bilaam and most prophets?

     A.  Throughout tanach our prophets did not seek out prophecy rather Hashem ‘came’ to them.  In several instances the prophets did not even want to be prophets and respectfully turned down the offer.  When they did prophesize they always told the people exactly what Hashem stated and always prefaced their comments by saying: this is what Hashem said… Bilaam on the other hand sought out Hashem in order to receive prophecy and as we read in today’s parasha did not always transmit the message exactly as it was told to him.  In addition, Nachmanides notes that when we make sacrifices to Hashem it is for the purpose of bringing ourselves closer to Hashem and His will.  Bilaam used sacrifices to bring Hashem down to him and to try to influence the will of God to conform to his own will.  Today in place of sacrifices we have prayer.  When we pray to God we should learn from our patriarchs and use prayer to bring ourselves closer to Hashem by conforming to him not vice versa.  

JEWISH PROVERBS 

First mend yourself, and then mend others.”

“Don’t pick a wasp out of a cream-jug.”

“If you can’t go over, you must go under.”

“Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“What you give for the cause of charity in health is gold; what you give in sickness is silver; what you give after death is lead.”

“When you have no choice, mobilize the spirit of courage

“Don’t open a shop unless you know how to smile.”

“Lose with truth and right rather than gain with falsehood and wrong.”

“With money in your pocket you are wise, you are handsome, and you sing well too.”

THE SHABBAT SMILE

Mendy and Mushkie were Chabad emissaries in Okinawa, Japan, and they were expecting their first baby. When the good news came, they called their parents immediately. Mendy’s father Avraham went to shul that morning with a broad smile on his face.

"I get a mazal tov!" Avraham declared. "I’m a Zadie! Baby boy weighs eight pounds!"

"Mazal tov! When was he born?" someone aske

Recalling the date Avraham’s son told him, he stopped and looked at the calendar on his phone and said in amazement, "Tomorrow!"

Herman and Henny Pearlman live in Boca and Henny likes to check in with her Herman each morning to plan the day’s activities.

"Herman, what are you doing today?” asked Henny.

"Nothing," said Herman.

"That's what you did yesterday," said Henny.

“Well,” answered Herman, "I wasn't finished."

Ethel Rubinstein was celebrating her 80th birthday when she received a jury-duty notice. She called the clerk’s office to remind them that she was exempt because of her age.

"You need to come in and fill out the exemption forms," the clerk said.

"I've already done that," Ethel replied. "I did it last year."

"You have to do it every year," the clerk said.

"Why?" Ethel asked. "Do you think I'm going to get younger?"

Chaim Yankel Epstein opened the Jewish paper and was dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had died. He quickly phoned his best friend Shmulik.

"Did you see the paper?" asked Chaim Yankel. "They say I died!"

"Yes, I saw it!" replied Shmulik. "Where are you calling from?"

LE SOURIRE  DU CHABBAT

Un monsieur a visité un musée. Soudain il s'arrête et dit au guide :  

- Ah, c'est moche !

- C'est du Picasso, répond le guide.

Plus loin, il s'écrie de nouveau :

- Ah, c'est vraiment moche !

- Ca Monsieur, c'est un miroir !

Quelle est la plus intelligente, la blonde, la rousse ou la brune ?

La rousse parce que c’est un dictionnaire.

Dans un hôpital, deux fous jouent aux cartes. Soudain, une infirmière arrive avec une seringue. L'un des deux fous s'écrie :

- Tiens, voilà la dame de pique !

Un homme demande à un avocat:

« Quel est le montant de vos honoraires ? »

L'avocat lui répond qu'il est de 1000$ pour trois questions.

L'homme lui demande alors:

« N'est-ce pas un peu excessif ? »

Et l'avocat lui répond:

Non. Quelle est votre troisième question ? »

CHABBAT CHALOM          MAGHEN ABRAHAM               

DAVID HASSON 

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