Pinhas , Numbers 25:10-30:1 And God spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Pinhas, son of Elazar, son of Aaron the priest has turned away My wrath from the children of Israel, in that he was very jealous among them for My sake, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My jealousy. Therefore say:...

Balak, Numbers 22:2-25:9 Our portion is named after Balak, king of Moab, who sought to put a curse upon the Children of Israel in the hope of frustrating their forward march to the Promised Land. Yet the central character in this portion’s extraordinary narrative is undoubtedly Bilaam – considered...

Chukat, Numbers 19:1-22:1 “This is the statute of the law which God has commanded, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer that is faultless with no blemish on it and on which no yoke ever came” (Numbers 19:2). The opening chapter of our portion teaches...

Korach , Numbers 16:1-18:32 “Every dispute that is for the sake of heaven will endure in the end, but one that is not for the sake of heaven will not endure in the end. Which dispute was for the sake of heaven? The dispute between Hillel and Shammai. And which was not for the sake of heaven? This...

Shelach Lecha , Numbers 13:1-15:41 The Torah does not hold back from exposing the failures and shortcomings of even the foremost leaders of Israel , in order to provide clear, true instruction for all the generations. A case in point is the story in our portion about the gratuitous slander spread by...