Daily Chumash

A person who obligates him- or herself with a vow is required to fulfill the vow. Under certain circumstances, a husband or father can annul vows made by his wife or daughter. The Israelites were commanded to exact revenge from the Midianites for their part in seducing Jewish men to sin (described in the end of the Torah reading of Balak, Numbers 25). A 12,000-strong army of Israelites, led by Pinchas, waged battle against Midian. All adult Midianite males were killed, along with Balaam and Midian’s five kings. The women, children and battle spoils were brought back to the Israelite encampment.

This section discusses the sacrifices offered on Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur. The Torah also discusses some of the laws related to these holidays.

From this point until the end of this week's reading, the Torah details the various communal sacrifices which were offered in the Tabernacle and Temple at designated times. This section discusses the twice-daily "Tamid" sacrifice, as well as the additional sacrifices offered on Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the Jewish month).

G‑d agreed to Zelophehad's daughters' request. Moses is then instructed the laws of inheritance. Included in these laws is a daughter's right to her father's estate if he does not leave any sons. G‑d tells Moses to climb to the top of Mount Abarim from where he would see the Promised Land before he died. Moses asks G‑d to appoint a worthy individual to succeed him. G‑d instructs Moses to endow Joshua with some of his spiritual powers and publicly name him as his successor.

As per G‑d's command, the land of Israel was to be divided amongst all those who were counted in this census. The location of each tribe's portion would be determined by lottery. The tribe of Levi is now counted. There were 23,000 Levite males above the age of one month. The daughters of Zelophehad approached Moses and stated that their father had died leaving behind only daughters. They requested to receive their father's portion in the land of Israel. Moses relayed their request to G‑d.

The Israelites are counted, and the totals are given for each of the twelve tribes. The grand total of all the tribes combined is 601,730. The tribe of Levi is not included in this census.

Last week's reading concluded with Moabite and Midianite women seducing Jewish men and enticing them to idol worship. At that point, Phinehas unilaterally executed a Jewish leader along with the Midianite princess with whom he was cohabiting. This week's reading opens with G‑d praising Phinehas, and rewarding his bravery by granting priesthood to him and his descendants. G‑d then commands the Jews to punish the Midianites by hounding and smiting them. The fulfillment of this command is described in next week's reading. G‑d commands Moses and Elazar the High Priest to conduct a census of all males over the age of twenty.

The entire process repeats itself once again, Balak takes Balaam to another place, hoping that Balaam can curse the Jews from there. For a third time they build altars and bring offerings, and for a third time, only blessings issue from Balaam's mouth: "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! ... G‑d, who has brought them out of Egypt with the strength of His loftiness He shall consume the nations which are his adversaries ... Those who bless [them] shall be blessed, and those who curse [them] shall be cursed." At this point, Balak despairs of accomplishing his goal, and sends Balaam on his way.

Balak takes Balaam to another location, hoping that this new venue would be more inauspicious for the Jews. They again build altars and offer sacrifices, and again G‑d dictates blessing for the Jews which Balaam repeats. "G‑d does not look at evil in Jacob, and has seen no perversity in Israel; the L-rd, his G‑d, is with [Israel], and he has the King's friendship..."

Balaam leaves together with the Moabite dignitaries. G‑d sends an angel with a drawn sword to block Balaam's path. While Balaam couldn't see the angel, the she-donkey he was riding did, and refused to move onwards, causing Balaam to strike her. The donkey miraculously speaks, admonishing Balaam for striking her. Eventually, G‑d "opens Balaam's eyes," and he sees the angel. A conversation between Balaam and the angel ensues, wherein Balaam is chastised for his behavior towards his donkey, and again he is reminded only to say what G‑d dictates to him. After this humbling episode, Balaam arrives in Moab where he is greeted by Balak.