Numbers · Weekly Torah portion
Parashat Balakבָּלָק
Torah reading
Numbers 22:2-25:9
Haftarah
Micah 5:6-6:8
What happens in Balak
Balak, king of Moab, hires the pagan prophet Balaam to curse Israel. The journey is pure satire: Balaam's donkey sees the blocking angel that the great seer cannot, and finally speaks up about it. Each time Balaam opens his mouth to curse, blessing comes out instead — including Mah Tovu, 'How goodly are your tents, O Jacob,' the verse that now opens morning prayers in the siddur.
Big themes
- Blessings from unexpected places
- Seeing what others miss
- Words beyond our control
If this is your bar or bat mitzvah portion
A donkey sees what a famous prophet can't, and a hired curse becomes the prayer that opens Jewish worship every morning. Balak is the Torah at its funniest — and its point is serious: blessing can come from the least expected mouth, and no curse defines you without your consent.
Learning to chant Balak?
Ready 13 builds a verse-by-verse practice plan for this exact portion — chanted reference audio, karaoke highlighting, trope games, and a countdown that keeps the big day on track.
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