Parshas Balak

B"H

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Abraham our Father was tested with ten tests, and he withstood them all to show how great was Abraham our Father's love [for G-d]. (Ethics 5:3)

Abraham is described as our father. Just as a father bequeaths his estate to his descendants, Abraham bequeaths his spiritual legacy to the entire Jewish people. His spiritual legacy empowers each of us, endowing us with the strength to withstand the challenges we face in our divine service.

(Sichot Parshat Chukat, 5737)

Mazel tov to  Naomi (Jesse) and Eli Zmira!!!

Many thanks for sponsoring the Kiddush in honor of the birth of their daughter, Avishag Libi.

We wish them much success and growth on the occasion of their upcoming ‘aliyah’ (move to the Holy Land)! May they go from strength to strength in all of their endeavors, both materially and spiritually!

ב"ה

Parshas Balak

Shabbos Night

Shabbos Candle lighting:            8:41 pm

Kabolas Shabbos/Maariv:           8:41 pm

Shabbos Dinner:                            9:45 pm

Shabbos Day

Shacharis:                                  10:00 am

Kiddush Lunch:                           1:00 pm

Mincha:                                         8:30 pm

Maariv:                                             9:56 pm

Havdala:                                       after Maariv

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to:

Rabbi Avrum Kaufmann (8 Tammuz)

What's In A Name

CHANANYA means "compassion of G-d." Chananya ben Azur was a prophet during the times of King Zedekia (Jeremiah 28:1). Another Chananya, together with Daniel, Misha’el and Azarya, was taken captive in Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzer. They all exhibited great faith in G-d and became leaders of the Jews in exile. A fourth century Palestinian scholar was also named Chananya.

CHASYA means "protected by G-d." Apparently this name was derived from the (male) name Chasa which is mentioned in the Talmud. In Aramaic, the word "chasya" means "mercy" or "merciful."

The Secret of Jewish Survival

By Naftali Silberberg

When you need an honest appraisal of your strengths and weaknesses, your mother isn't the right person with whom to speak. I recently stumbled upon a wise quote: "Your enemies have vital information which your friends are withholding from you." Withholding because they are reluctant to hurt you by dwelling on your flaws, or simply because the warm relationship you share makes them blind to your faults.

This is what makes Balaam's prophecies so unique. The words of scores of prophets and prophetesses are recorded in the books of the Scriptures. To a certain extent, their divinely inspired words are colored by their "insiders" perspective; their deep love and care for their brethren. Balaam, on the other hand, was a vicious anti-Semite whose greatest wish was to bring about the demise of our nation. Let us examine the words of the one who futilely toiled to pinpoint our weak point, who in vain sought to uncover our area of vulnerability.

The stunned Moabite princes listened in shock as the soothsayer who was retained to curse the Jews thus began his series of soliloquies: "How shall I curse whom G‑d has not cursed? How can I invoke wrath anger when G‑d isn't angry?"

Why was this nation immune from G‑d's curses and wrath? Balaam continues:

"Because from their beginning, I see them as mountain peaks, and I behold them as hills; it is a nation that will dwell alone, and does not reckon with the nations."

As is the nature of poetic prose, these words are (also) allegoric. Our sages tell us that "mountain peaks" are an allusion to our Patriarchs, and the hills refer to our Matriarchs.

The secret of our nation's survival; our ability to withstand the curses, wrath and schemes of the Balaam's of the generations, is our Patriarchs and Matriarchs, Jewish fathers and mothers who instill within their children the sense that they are a nation whose destiny is to dwell alone. Parents who teach their children that "a nation who dwells alone" is not a curse; it's not a blight which we must try to overcome. It is a blessing.

Go to:  http://www.chabad.org/

If you need a place to stay for Shabbos,
please call Rabbi Mendel Feller or
Mrs. Nechama Dina Feller,
651-457-6778 for arrangements.