Venue: OU-JLIC at Queens College OU-JLIC at Queens College

Machshava:

Beit HaMikdash,  Israel 

Parsha:

Balak,  Pinchas 

Description

Parshat Balak ends with the first half of the story of the seduction of Israel by the women of Moav and Parshat Pinchas opens with the second half of that story. Why is this story divided in two over two Parshiyot? What is its connection to the singular theme of blessing and curse in Parshat Balak? How does it set the stage for the entirety of Parshat Pinchas and lead right into the second counting of Klal Yisrael in the desert? Through exploring these questions we come to a greater clarity of the nature of this new generation in the desert, the deep meaning of the census in the Parsha, and what it takes to receive a portion in the Land of Israel.