So how should we read this text? How do we tell it to our children? Or sit with it in synagogue, or in our homes, or on our way? What do we glean, when the foundational material is, well, kind of rotten? Like most difficult texts, this is the stuff of lessons learned. If that isn’t enough, people are hanged in the heat of the sun and 24,000 people are slaughtered by plague in the final verses. Every character refuses to take no for an answer. We dig deeper and the portion doesn’t pass the Bechdel Test (not even close). Well, for starters, our Torah portion, titled Balak, features the king of Moab trying to convince a prophet named Balaam to curse (and ultimately, destroy) the Israelite nation. This week, however, is the only week of the year when I get to announce, with all honesty, that “Hey kids, this is my least favorite Torah portion - the worst!” Which will get them asking, à la the Passover seder, “What, momma, is so horrible about it?” Each week or each month or each season, I really do feel like that Torah portion or that holiday or that seasonal cycle – is my absolute favorite. I’m also known to shout: “This is my absolute favorite holiday!” Again, they laugh.
Commentary on Parashat Balak, Numbers 22:2 - 25:9Įach week I announce to my kids, “This is my favorite Torah portion!” They laugh and roll their eyes.
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