Shalom Bayit – Our Home
Join Us In Community!
Worship and Study
In-Person or by Zoom!
We Are Here For You!
Calendar of Events
July 19 Shabbat Service in the Synagogue at 10 am
August 9 Gather! A Havdallah Potluck and JIY Event at 7 pm
September 5 Erev Shabbat Service at 6 pm
September 6 Torah Study at 11 am
September 13 Torah Study at 11 am
September 22 Erev Rosh Hashanah Family Friendly Dinner and Music at 5:30 pm
September 23 Rosh Hashanah Services at 10 am
Tashlich at 5:15 pm
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CSB CALENDAR
It’s easy to add the CSB Google calendar to your personal Google calendar
so you never miss an event! Just follow the step-by-step instructions located here
Shabbat morning service at the shul on July 19 at 10:00 am
(no zoom torah study)
Potluck kiddush lunch after: bring something to share!
Balak, Balaam and the donkey (continued)
The Balak story leads into the troubling consequences told in Pinehas. Our Torah study session last Shabbat (Balak) gave me a lot to think about (thank you Moshe!), and I want to explore that before leaping into Pinehas!
Here is my brief summary of the plot points:
Balak is the King of Moab. He was fearful that the mass of Jews would conquer his land so he hired a powerful non-Jewish prophet to curse them — Balaam. You could say that Balaam was a military advisor. Now, on the way to deliver the curses, Balaam’s progress is interrupted by a donkey who can see God’s angel’s blocking his way (something of a non-sequitur to the plot). Balaam continues on his way and attempts to fulfill his charge and curse the Jews. But he is unable to say what God does not wish.
So, what happens next? Balaam fails to deliver any curses. The Jews fall into disgrace through sexual immorality with Midianite women and idol worship, a plague strikes them and Pinehas commits vigilante justice to restore order (another very questionable choice!) and repair the rift between God and the Jews.
Later, in Num 31:16, Moses asserts that Balaam was the one who encouraged the Midianite women to lead the Jews astray. Although the text does not say so explicitly, my interpretation was that Balaam advised Balak to use a stratagem to provoke God’s anger and lead Him to abandon the Jews. If the Jews lost God’s protection, they would no longer threaten Balak’s kingdom militarily. Thus, Balaam is the agent and cause of the Jew’s disgrace. In Revelations 2:14:
Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.
In this read, Balaam is responsible for putting a stumbling block in front of the Jews (through his advice), violating the command: “don’t put a stumbling block in front of the blind”. Rashi and Chiznuki largely agree with this view although they don’t use that terminology.
It turns out that the text and the historical record of interpretations give multiple views of Balaam. I did something of a deep dive into traditional and later views of Balak and Balaam, from the Talmud, Rashi, Chizkuni (13th century), Marcus Kalisch (19th century) to modern scholars, primarily Prof Rofe (20th century Professor (Emeritus) of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem). I was particularly struck by how the interpretation changed over time.
At first Balaam is thought to be a powerful seer/prophet, who could hear God. Later he became an agent of evil. In fact, Balaam is a confusing figure.
In Num 22:20, we see: That night God came to Balaam and said to him, “If these men have come to invite you, you may go with them. But whatever I command you, that you shall do.”
That suggests that God is ok with Balaam going. But then –
In Num. 22:21-22: When he arose in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and departed with the Moabite dignitaries. But God was incensed at his going; so an angel of YHWH placed himself in his way as an adversary….
So why is God angry about Balaam going, after he seemed to give him permission to do so? Numbers. 23-35 tells the story of the donkey ending with God’s permission to Balaam:
But the messenger of יהוה said to Balaam, “Go with the men. But you must say nothing except what I tell you.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s dignitaries.
Why is the story of the donkey here? What does it add to the Balak/Balaam story? Prof. Rofe’s claims (based on significant research too lengthy to be repeated here!) that the donkey story was a later supplement intended to undermine Balaam as a prophetic character to be respected
this story was designed to call into question all of Balaam’s best qualities, such as his unique vision and understanding of YHWH, in a burlesque manner designed to elicit laughs from the reader at the prophet’s expense.
So … what should we make of this story? Was Balaam a respected prophet or not? Over time, interpretations of Balaam present him as the epitome of evil (Sanhedrin 105b, Avot 5:19, Midrash Tachuma) even though this was not in the original text.
By the time we get to Deuteronomy (23:3-6), the Deuteronomic voice highlights the exclusion of Moabites and Ammonites from the assembly of the Lord, citing their attempt to curse Israel as the reason. The Deuteronomic perspective condemns Moabite hostility towards Israel and emphasizes God’s protection of his chosen people. The Deuteronomic text focuses on the consequences of Moab’s actions, emphasizing the need for Israel to remain separate and pure. In that perspective Balaam can’t be a neutral, powerful figure.
Professor Rofe concludes:
In short, Balaam begins as a powerful seer but is soon downgraded to a purveyor of divine messages. These are the images we find of Balaam in the core narrative of Numbers 22:2–24:25 … . Once the Deuteronomic school became prominent, however, the idea of a righteous gentile prophet became problematic, and the story was reinterpreted to be about how God forced him to bless Israel against his will.
Once this change happened, it wasn’t long before Balaam was recast as a diviner, and eventually, as the instantiation of wickedness itself. It is quite striking how tradition can keep reworking a single individual, transforming him so completely over time!
So with these insights I can understand the role of Balaam and the donkey story as a way to undermine this non-Jewish prophet:
The donkey account was written to insult the non-Israelite prophet specifically in the very traits that he was best known for and most proud of. The upshot of the story is that Balaam does not really “know the knowledge of the Most High” (ידע דעת עליון), nor is he actually “one with eyes unveiled” (גלוי עינים), rather, he is blind to God’s messenger and dumber than an ass.
Later interpretations further extend Balaam’s fall by claiming he advised Balak to lead the Jews astray: the stumbling block! He was not just a fool, but evil as well.
In my view, even if Balaam was evil, and Balak certainly did not wish us well, whose responsibility was the Jew’s behavior? The commandment “not to put a stumbling block in front of the blind” is a commandment (Lev 19:14) to us, not to Balaam (or Balak)! They were not violating any commandment that they were bound to!
Moreover — we were not blind (either literally or metaphorically). This commandment applies to those who would put a stumbling block before anyone, especially those who are vulnerable or unaware of potential dangers. The one who placed the stumbling block was responsible, because the other would have no way of knowing. But here, we knew this was wrong – we had accepted the covenant. We were not blind.
This categorization of Balaam as an agent of evil rather than a true prophet presents us (the Jews) as victims of his duplicity and encourages us to see others through the lens of their utility to us. I’m not convinced that this is a good thing for us to do!
I worry about these motivated interpretations.
~Sherri
Please come Gather with Alice and Anneliese for a Potluck Havdallah and “Jew”-It-Yourself Home Havdallah Kit.
Saturday, August 9th at 7 pm at Shalom Bayit
Bring your favorite Jewish Dish and celebrate one of Alice’s favorite Jewish ceremonies– Havdallah which celebrates the separation between Shabbat and the start of a brand new week!
All the DIY materials will be provided, thanks to a Gather Grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland!
We will be making candles, kiddish cups and besamim/spice containers for your celebrations at home or on the go!
RSVP to https://forms.gle/
July Yahrzeits
JCRS families,
Hope you are enjoying summer. We had an amazing school year, and I’m so excited to see everyone again come September. Our registration for Religious (Sunday) and Hebrew school is now open for the 2025-2026 school year. Please follow the link here-
https://www.
As always, finances are not an obstacle to registering your children, please reach out to me directly to discuss payment plans, scholarship options etc.
Spread the word- if there Jewish families with kids aged Kindergarten-7th grade, please connect them with me, as we’d love to grow our school this coming year. We have an open house planned for September 7th, more details to come!
Reach out to me if you’d like to see the calendar for the coming year!
Let me know if you have any questions,
~Noah
Noah Chemtov, Director, JCRS
jewishschoolco@gmail.com – (954) 663-2770
The Jewish Community Religious School is a program for all Jewish children of Central Oregon. JCRSCO is a coalition of parents and teachers aligned to provide a rich and transformative Jewish and Hebrew education for all our children.
The Jewish Community Religious School is a special place where all Jewish children in Central Oregon are welcome. It is a place where teachers can connect with students and not only share knowledge and create lifelong learners, but help to foster relationships among young families in Bend and the surrounding areas. JCRSCO is a small community and depends on parent volunteers to help teachers on Sundays, as well as organize special events.
From Religious School education to Hebrew lessons, to Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation to continuing education courses, our curriculum strives to serve everyone, from the youngest early learners to teenagers eager to continue their Jewish education.
The Jewish Community Religious School serves all – they are not affiliated with any one congregation, and membership to a particular synagogue, while encouraged, is not required.
Contact us
Congregation Shalom Bayit Board of Directors
President and Secretary: Alice Shapiro
Treasurer: Anna Morris
Past-President: Neal Nelson
Membership: Cynde Magidson
At- At-Large: Sherri Shulman
At-Large: Doria Raetz
At-Large: Steve Magidson
| Congregation Shalom Bayit, PO Box 1773, Bend, Oregon 97709 | 541.668.6887 | contact@jccobend.org |