Summary of parashat Balak
Balak, the King of Moab, summons the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel. On the way, Balaam is struck by his donkey, which sees the angel God sends to stop them before Balaam does. Three times, from three different locations, Balaam attempts to pronounce his curses; instead, each time, he pronounces blessings. Balaam also prophesies about the end of days and the coming of the Messiah.
The people succumb to the allure of the Moabite women and are persuaded to worship the Moabite idol Peor. When a high-ranking Israelite official publicly takes a Midianite princess to his tent, Phinehas kills them both, thus halting the plague that was spreading among the people.
