Numbers, 22:2-25:9
This Week’s Torah Portion | June 29 – July 5, 2014 – Tammuz 1 – Tammuz 7, 5774

In A Nutshell

The portion, Balak, begins with the people of Israel conquering the land of the Amorites. Balak, king of Moab, understands that the children of Israel are nearing him, and prepares to face the nation that came out of Egypt. He sends messengers to Balaam, son of Beor—who was famous for his great wisdom and power of his curses—and asks him to curse the people of Israel.

Balaam leaves for the land of Moab having accepted the harsh stipulation to say only what the Creator will permit him to. Along the way his mare stops. Balaam beats her but the mare won’t move. Balaam cannot see the angel stopping the mare. The mare opens her mouth and speaks to him, and instead of cursing Israel he blesses them.

Balak is furious with Balaam. As a compensation, Balaam tips him that Israel has a weak spot: the daughters of Moab. Balak sends the daughters of Moab and the people of Israel fornicate with them so much that even Zimri, son of Salu, one of the presidents of the tribe of Shimon, takes a Midianite woman.

This situation leaves Pinhas, son of Elazar, with no choice. He takes a spear and stabs them to death, thus stopping the plague that has spread in the nation claiming twenty-four thousand lives.

Commentary by Dr. Michael Laitman

This story does not happen on the corporeal level. It is not about a process unfolding between two nations, but rather an internal correction process that one experiences. The story itself comes to show us how to correct the evil inclination. It is not a tale about children or grownups, nor is it a story about nations, countries, wars, prostitutes, or mares. All it describes is the correction of the evil inclination. It is the only thing that the Torah (Pentateuch) describes from the very beginning, from Adam—who began the correction—to the end.

The text speaks of a person who went through this path as Adam HaRishon (Adam), as Abraham, and as Moses, and who went through the whole process in Egypt and in the desert. During the gradual correction of the desire, a person gradually nears the land of Israel until one is faced with the “conquest” of the land.

The “desert” is a desire that a person still cannot use correctly, and therefore cannot see the fruits of the work with it. These corrections precede the ones known as the “land of Israel.”

The spies discovered that the land of Israel is a desire that, if aimed entirely at the Creator, yields beautiful fruits [Israel means Yashar El (straight to God)]. A person who approaches that correction initially acquires the land of the Amorites followed by the land of Moab, which is a higher degree. Man’s egoistic desire known as “the king of Moab,” Balak, begins to seemingly rebel against him because it does not want the corrections.

Read the rest of this entry »

Question: In what way is attending the ONE Convention bestowal to the friends? How do we prepare for the maximum amount of bestowal to pass through us to the friends at a convention?

Dr. Michael Laitman: We need to determine—say once every two weeks, maybe even once a week, because I have a few trips in between—this type of lesson on a weekly basis and study things If you want we’ll go over the materials, we’ll have on the landing page of the convention site, and we’ll all advance together, so we all are on the same page in terms of the necessary materials, so that afterwards we will be more into the convention. I recommend this not just for the American Convention but for all the upcoming Conventions that we’ll have on the way to New Jersey, in Latin America.

Student: We’ve planned at least one more lesson, but now that you say, sure. If we’re on a series of Congresses in South America and North America, so maybe once a week is great!

Dr. Laitman: Yes, please! Choose a morning, something more comfortable for you because it’s the evening for you, and we’ll do it. I’ll be happy to. I get pleasure seeing you on screen. We see Chile too. I was in contact with South America and Chile yesterday.

Question: In terms of coming to the convention on the same page with the necessary materials, you alsomentioned that in the preparation talk we had a week ago, that we all have to come to the convention on the same page, so to speak, at the same level. What do you mean by that?

Dr. Laitman: It’s not an internal level, where a person who is not at this spiritual level is not worthy of the convention. No, this is a bit of information that you need to know so things won’t seem weird to you—desire, connections, Sefirot, a little bit; corporeality, spirituality, bestowal, reception, connection, breaking of the vessels, correction of the vessels.

Think that we will study. Prepare the material and we will study. The situation that I feel now is already compelling me to speak in a special style, i.e. if previously we thought of speaking in a certain way, once you come in contact with people, you see that you have to speak differently.

This Q&A is based on the Special Q&A Session with Dr. Michael Laitman in Preparation for the ONE Convention, which took place on Sunday, June 16. Watch the whole video & stay up-to-date with ONE Convention preparation materials here »

Question: There are English speakers in the U.K., Austral-Asia, South Africa, and all around the world. Is the New Jersey ONE Convention this August meant for them too? Should they make the extra step and come to the U.S., or should they get organized where they are?

Dr. Michael Laitman: I can’t say which is better. There are people who live very far. It’s hard for them to come. These people need to organize where they live, say in Austral-Asia. It’s hard to come from there to New Jersey. You have to go half-way around the world, from Africa or whatever. I would recommend for them to connect among themselves and determine a place where they are going to have a mirror convention and do it there.

By the way, that is true not only for English speakers, although the convention in New Jersey is in English. There will be mirror conventions all over South America, Europe, Russia, Asia. So you don’t have to come to New Jersey. If you can come and attend physically, it’s great. But if you can’t, go to a mirror convention close to your area.

Question: From July 25, we will be starting a whole string of conventions in Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and then we will make it to New Jersey on August 8. The question is, how do we, the whole World Kli, have to get organized? Should we have mirror conventions for each and every convention?

Dr. Laitman: I don’t know how to answer that. Almost every day I’ll be in a different place in South America. At least, there should be mirror conventions held together with the New Jersey ONE Convention, which is the last and biggest one in this series. I think that there, we should all try to connect and be in our places, but together with all the friends that you can gather into that place.

Student: So the ONE Convention is happening the world over, not only in New Jersey, but really all over the world. People are getting together for mirror conventions and we really encourage anyone and everyone, whoever is in North America, to get to New Jersey.

Dr. Laitman: Yes, there is no doubt. From Alaska to even Mexico perhaps. I expect everyone to be there. There is no doubt that there is a big difference between being physically in the convention and being connected to it through the Internet.

Register for the ONE Convention, August 8-10 in New Jersey Here »

This Q&A is based on the Special Q&A Session with Dr. Michael Laitman in Preparation for the ONE Convention, which took place on Sunday, June 16. Watch the whole video & stay up-to-date with ONE Convention preparation materials here »