09.07.2011                      07.Tammus, 5771                      Balak

Judentum:

Parshat Balak:Guided by the Messiah

‘A star shall shoot forth from Jacob…’ (Numbers 24:17)

What is the meaning of our faith in a Messiah, and why is the Messianic vision given to a gentile prophet, Balaam? At the conclusion of the morning prayers most Orthodox prayer books list the “Thirteen Principles of Faith” formulated by Maimonides, including the declaration: “I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah; and even though he may tarry, nevertheless I anxiously await him every day.”
Despite our history of exiles and persecutions, belief in the Messiah remains one of our deepest sources of national resilience. The sages of the Midrash express this in a most poetic fashion: “The Messiah was born on Tisha Be’av [the ninth day of the month of Av, the yearly fast for the destruction of both Holy Temples], and Comforter [Menahem] is his name.”…