A Taste of Torah - Chukat-Balak

This week we have a double portion, Chukat-Balak, and Parashat Balak has one of the best stories in the Torah, in my opinion. King Balak, after whom the portion is named, sends Balaam to curse the Israelites, but God intervenes and places an angel in the path of Balaam's donkey, an angel that initially only the donkey can see. When Balaam gets angry with the donkey, the donkey asks Balaam (Yes! The donkey talks!) if she has ever disobeyed him before. Only when the donkey helps him realize that there's something special going on does the angel appear to Balaam. Instead of cursing the Israelites, Balaam says the words that become part of our morning worship: How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel - Mah tovu ohalecha Ya'akov, mishkenotecha Yisrael. This week's Torah portion reminds us to pay attention; when something isn't the way it usually is, look for miracles and blessings.