Give It to Me Straight

On the Torah section of Balak, the great Hasidic Rebbe, R. Meir Pramishlan (1703–1773), disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, asks a basic question: Why is this Torah section called Balak, the name of an avowed hater of the people of Israel?  We do not call the Torah portion Bilam, understandably so, since he attempted to curse […]