Pay Attention to Thought, Communication

Having the honor of writing the commentary on the Torah portion for the next five weeks, I’ve decided to use a particular lens to explore some lesser known levels of meaning that have been derived from a specific Jewish sub-culture, namely that of Chasidism.

One of the most common types of Chasidic interpretation revolves around the view that the personalities of the biblical heroes and even the inanimate objects that show up in certain Torah portions can be understood as symbolic of different corners of the human psyche. While these interpretations sometimes seem quite far from the literal, straight forward (or p’shat) meaning of the text, they often contain striking and powerful psycho-spiritual insights that continue to resonate with relevance in our own day.

To continue reading this Bible article, click here.

Author: Steve Segar

Keywords: Moabite king, Balak Moabites, Balak, Evil inclination, Balak evil inclination, Balak yetser hara, Yetser hara, Balak yetzer hara, Yetzer hara, Yetser ha ra, Yetzer ha ra, Balak yetzer, Balak yetser

Bible reference(s): Numbers 22, Numbers 23, Numbers 24

Source: “Pay Attention to Thought, Communication,” Cleveland Jewish News, July 3, 2015.

Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.