Balak & Golden Calf Mash Up

Text One: The Talking Donkey

Balak Aliyah Summary

General Overview: In this week's Torah reading, Balak, King Balak of Moab retains the sorcerer Balaam to curse the Jewish people. Instead of curses, only blessings come out of his mouth—including prophecies concerning the Messianic redemption. Moabite women entice some of the Israelites to sin, resulting in a plague amongst the Jews. Phinehas zealously kills two of the high-ranking offenders, and the plague comes to an end.

First Aliyah: The Israelites have just conquered the Emorites and the Bashanites, the two mighty neighbors of Moab. Balak, king of Moab, worries that his nation would be the Israelites' next victim. He sends messengers to the Land of Midian, to Balaam, a famed non-Jewish prophet and sorcerer, asking him to come and curse the Jews. G‑d appeared to Balaam that night and instructed him not to go to Moab. "You shall not curse the people because they are blessed!"

Second Aliyah: Balaam sent word with Balak's messengers that G‑d doesn't permit him to go with them. So Balak sent more prestigious messengers to Balaam, promising him great riches in return for his services. Once again G‑d appeared to Balaam. This time G‑d allowed Balaam to go — provided that he only speak the words which G‑d dictates to him.

Third Aliyah: Balaam leaves together with the Moabite dignitaries. G‑d sends an angel with a drawn sword to block Balaam's path. While Balaam couldn't see the angel, the she-donkey he was riding did, and refused to move onwards, causing Balaam to strike her. The donkey miraculously speaks, admonishing Balaam for striking her. Eventually, G‑d "opens Balaam's eyes," and he sees the angel. A conversation between Balaam and the angel ensues, wherein Balaam is chastised for his behavior towards his donkey, and again he is reminded only to say what G‑d dictates to him. After this humbling episode, Balaam arrives in Moab where he is greeted by Balak.

Fourth Aliyah: Upon Balaam's instructions, Balak builds seven altars and offers sacrifices to G‑d. G‑d "chances" upon Balaam, and dictates to him the words he should repeat to Balak and his ministers: "From Aram, Balak the king of Moab has brought me, from the mountains of the east: 'Come, curse Jacob for me and come invoke wrath against Israel.' How can I curse whom G‑d has not cursed, and how can I invoke wrath if the L-rd has not been angered?..." Balaam then proceeded to shower the Israelites with beautiful blessings and praises. When Balak responds angrily to the blessings, Balaam reminds him that he can only say that which G‑d tells him to say.

Fifth Aliyah: Balak takes Balaam to another location, hoping that this new venue would be more inauspicious for the Jews. They again build altars and offer sacrifices, and again G‑d dictates blessing for the Jews which Balaam repeats. "G‑d does not look at evil in Jacob, and has seen no perversity in Israel; the L-rd, his G‑d, is with [Israel], and he has the King's friendship..."

Sixth Aliyah: The entire process repeats itself once again, Balak takes Balaam to another place, hoping that Balaam can curse the Jews from there. For a third time they build altars and bring offerings, and for a third time, only blessings issue from Balaam's mouth: "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! ... G‑d, who has brought them out of Egypt with the strength of His loftiness He shall consume the nations which are his adversaries ... Those who bless [them] shall be blessed, and those who curse [them] shall be cursed." At this point, Balak despairs of accomplishing his goal, and sends Balaam on his way.

Seventh Aliyah: Before leaving, Balaam prophesies about the end of days: "I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not soon. A star has gone forth from Jacob, and a staff will arise from Israel which will crush the princes of Moab and uproot all the sons of Seth..." He also speaks about the eventual destruction of Esau, Amalek and Assyria. Following Balaam's unsuccessful attempt to curse the Jewish nation, Moabite and Midianite women seduce many Jewish men. In the course of their seduction, they also entice the Jewish man to worship the Baal Peor deity. G‑d commands Moses to execute the guilty people, and simultaneously a lethal plague erupts amongst the Jews. A Jewish leader, Zimri, publicly displays the Midianite princess with whom he was consorting. Phinehas, Aaron's grandson, kills them both, and the plague is halted.

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Text Two: The Golden Calf

Discussion Prompts:

• What just happened here?

• What is unusual about these texts?

• What type of G!d is portrayed here?

• What is the role of the Golden Calf?

  • What is the relationship between Aaron/Moshe and the Golden Calf?

• Who is impacted by these events?

What is the correlation between these two texts?

We read Parshat Balak this Shabbat and it’s also the fast day of the 17th of Tamuz. This fast day is in remembrance for many tragedies that have happened in our history starting with the sin of the Golden Calf.

• What happened here?

• What were the outcomes?

• Why was this the result?

• What happens when a higher power decided to change nature?

• What happens when humans try to change nature?

• What happens when humans put all the faith into their own hands?

• What happens when humans don’t take any responsibility for their action?

The Take Home:
Now What? What does this have to do with me? The power of animals and the human relationship.
Tzar Ba'ali Chaim- suffering to those that are alive

Cruelty to Animals: Halachos of Tzaar Baalei Chayim

Tzaar Baalei Chayim for Humans (this is one section of a much longer article)

Does the prohibition of tzaar baalei chayim apply to human suffering?

According to the Rashba (Vol. 1, no. 252), the prohibition of tzaar baalei chayim applies even to human beings. For this reason, the obligation to assist in unloading an animal applies not only to a loaded animal, but even to a loaded person: One must assist in unloading the person, and saving him from needless suffering. This opinion is ruled by the Birkei Yosef (Yoreh De’ah 372:2).

However, the Radvaz (728) writes that there is no mitzvah of perikah (unloading) with regard to human beings, explaining that “concerning humans they did not mention human suffering, because a person possesses human intellect, and he should not have loaded himself beyond his capacity.” Nonetheless, the Radvaz agrees that there is certainly an obligation to save a fellow human being from suffering, as instructed by the verse “love your neighbor as yourself,” although the formal mitzvah of perikah does not apply.

Shut Chavas Ya’ir (191) writes along similar lines, explaining that although human suffering is cause for leniency in many halachos, this leniency cannot be derived from the principle of tzaar baalei chayim, because “the Torah is particular for the suffering of animals, who do not possess cognition and intellect… which is not true for human beings, who are able to offset the pain through their intellect, and accept that which befalls them with love.”

Whether the formal obligation of tzaar baalei chayim applies to humans or not, the clear lesson of the mitzvah is that we must have compassion for others: not only for humans, but even for animals.

http://dinonline.org/2011/09/13/cruelty-to-animals-halachos-of-tzaar-baalei-chayim/

What happens when we mistreat animals and try to use them for something they’re not supposed to do or be?

What happens when we mistreat ourselves and try to use ourselves and others for something I, we/they are not supposed to do or be?

How can I treat animals, myself and others with kindness and compassion? As always... Love your fellow as yourself starts with self. the rest is all opinions.