Shabbat Shalom - 14 Tammuz

This evening’s Erev Shabbat service will be held in the Garfein Wing, beginning at 8:00 PM and will be conducted by Arnie Bernstein. Carole Fefferman will be the Cantorial Soloist. (If it is a nice evening, encourage them and maybe we’ll go outside to pray.)
Tomorrow’s Shabbat Morning Service will be conducted by Barry Bayer, beginning at 10:00 AM. Carole Fefferman will be the cantorial soloist.

The week’s Parsha is Balak, Numbers 22:2?25:9. Balak, the King of Moab becomes frightened of the Israelites and sends to hire Balam,a wise man and sometimes magician. to curse the Israelites. Balam is told by G-d to not do so, but he travels to the Jews, anyhow. An angel stops the entrouage, and Balaam’s ass can see it, and refuses to continue further, over Balaam’s threat of great bodily harm to the animal. Finally, the angel reveals himself to Balaam, who comes to know that he will not, indeed cannot, contravene G-d’s wishes. However Balak demands that Balaam continue on to curse the Israelites. He finally gets to the camp, and can do nothing but praise and bless the Israelites, beginning with the now familiar words — Mah Tovu Ohelecha Yaakov, Mishcanotecha Yisrael. Balak recognizes the inevitable, and he and Balaam go away.

To some extent, however, the Moabites have their revenge, as many of the Israelites illicitly consort with Moabite women, and participate in the rites of Baal of Peor. This makes G-d angry and demands public executions of the guilty. Moses tells the judges to kill those who participated in the rites of Baal of Peor. Pinchas (Phineas in the traditional translation) the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, sees one of the Israelites publicly go into a tent with a Midianite woman, grabs a spear and impales them both with one thrust. Eventually, 24,000 die.
The Haftarah is Micah 5:6?6:8.