PARASHA * ZEMANIM * TEFILOT

Ṡabat Paraṡat Balaq
12 July 2025 * 16 Ḣodeṡ Tamuz 5785
ט”ז בתמוז התשפ”ה  
Earliest Candle Lighting - 6:55pm
Ṡir Haṡirim - 6:50m
Minḣa/QabalatṠabat/Ȯarvit - 7:00pm
Hadlaqat Nerot Ṡabat - 8:10pm

Ṡaḣarit - 8:45am
Latest Ṡemaȯ - 9:17am
Qeriat haTorah - 9:45am

Devar Torah - 10:45am
Qidush - 11:45am  
Parasha Limud - 7:00pm

Minḣa - 7:55pm
Seȯuda Ṡeliṡit & Ṡiȯur - 8:30pm
Ṡeqiȯa - 8:28pm * Ȯarvit - 9:03pm

Żet Hakok̇avim / Havdala - 9:13pm
Ṡabat ṡel Ṡalom :)

***

Sunday Shaḣarit: Qorbanot 8:00am; Hodu - 8:10am.

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Welcome * Condolences * Thanks * Blessings * More

● Our Blessings for good summertimes to all campers.
● Our Deep Condolences to the Pinhas family on the tragic untimely passing of Yarden Chaya zikhra livrakha, daughter to Avigayil and Yohai, and sister to Ariel, Eitan, and Aviv, and to Chen and Ligal; to the families of this week’s fallen Israeli heroes, soldiers and civilians, in the ongoing Tequma War.

● Many Thanks to the Sabag family for sponsoring Qidush last shabbat.
● Special Thanks to all our Community Members & Friends for supporting us with your generous donations throughout our Fiscal Year 2024-25. In a couple weeks we will send information about membership for the upcoming New Jewish Year 5786 and High Holidays seats. We look forward to seeing you in our Tefilot and Events. Unmet pledges and general donation can be made online using this link: ONLINE SUPPORT 

● Happy Birthday to and all this week’s birthdays, kids and adults alike :)
● Special Announcements - On the second page

This Shabbat Happenings

● This Shabbat reading Parashat Balaq, Tefilot, Devar Torah, Qidush, Community Time, Seudunet Shelishit, Shiurim, Prayers for the IDF Victory & Safety, Thanking Hashem for His Timely Ḣesed.
● Sarah & Avraham’s Tent @ the Bayit welcomes all community members and visitors for communal Erev Shabbat dinner, in memory of Henry & Goldie Guttman z"l. ● Welcoming all Kids to participate in tefilot Beth Aharon and recite Tefila portions loved by kids, Shema’, Ashre, Yimlokh and More. Bayit kids groups are available from 9:30am to 11:30am, on the 3rd floor. ● Special Tefilot for Medinat Israel, its People, the Perished, the Kidnaped, the Wounded, the Safety of all IDF Ḣayalim and Ḣayalot, and for an Absolute Victory of the IDF.
● Refuaa Shelema to Ariel Barukh ben Ronit, Sander ben Devorah, Yarden bat Avigayil. ● Azkara: Gavriel ben Moshe z”l; Yaacov ben Rachel z”l; Shaul ben Pinḣas z”l; Rachel Leah bat Sarah, z”l.
***
● Dvar Torah Rav Dov Lerea on the Parasha and Beyond.
● Potluck Qidush this Shabbat. Parve-Dairy Potluck Kiddush this Shabbat. Please add something to the pot :) Fruits, Veggies, Nuts, Salads, Chips, Cookies, etc. All processed foods must be store-sealed marked-kosher.
● More on the next page... 

Community Matters

● Beth Aharon is Riverdale’s Sephardic Orthodox Congregation, located at The Bayit (HIR) Bronx, NY, since its establishment on parashat Ḣaye Sara 5768/1998. Our Congregation adheres to traditional Orthodox Judaism, while embracing Jewish worshipers of all ethnic communities (‘edot) and of any level of observance, and welcoming individuals who are in search of the Jewish faith. We encourage our congregants to take an active-leading role in Tefila and Qriat haTorah. Ahavat Yisrael and Ahavat Haberiyot - love for the Jewish people and love for all humanity - are part of Beth Aharon and the Bayit’s values, manifesting welcoming every person who follows the basic Laws of Torah, loves the Jewish People, and prays for Medinat Yisrael.

● Join Beth Aharon’s WhatsApp Groups

BA Information Notifications: BethAharonNews

BA Tefilot Information: BethAharonTefila

BA Community Chat BethAharonCommunity
BA Politics Polite BethAharonPoliticsPolite
BA Facebook Page BethAharonFB 
● Contact Us at bethaharon@gmail.com for general inquiries and to join our email listing and our weekly BANewsletter.
● Supporting Beth Aharon is welcomed and needed! Donate online here: SUPPORT ONLINE or email www.bethaharon.org for more information go to. Tizku leShanim Rabot veTovot.

Rəfuaa Shəlema

Our prayers for full and quick recovery to ‘Am Yisrael wounded bodies & souls and the kidnapped brothers  & sisters, and to those who are sick, among them: Reuven ben Aliza * Yig’al ben Sulika * Yaniv ben Sarah * Michael ben Sonia * Pinehas of Dahan * Yehuda Baruch Noam ben Tova Batya * Ben Tsiyon Yeheil ben Rahel * Beeri Mikhael ben Reut Ester * Rivka bat Frida * Dina bat Toya * Merav bat Dina * Dalya bat Tiqva * Devorah bat Miriam * Reouma bat Hanna * Yeyudit Miriam bat Dina * Ilana bat Victoria * Shoshana bat Yocheved * Shimon Aharon ben Batya * Noa bat Reut * Aharon ben Hinda Ester Gitel * Noam be Yona * Miriam bat Sprinza * Ester bat Habiba * Raphael ben Sasson & Habiba * Shlomo ben Sara * Lea bat Rahel * Dov Yehezqel ben Yehudit * Ariel Barukh ben Ronit * Ester Bat Keren * Evyatar Refael Hayim ben Hila * and to all the ḣolim and the ḣolot.

This Shabbat & Beyond

● Women’s Havrota @ 5:30pm - Tefila; Learning with Yoetzet Halakha Zissy Turner: "Mixed Blessings | The Wild Poetry of Bilaam's Curse; followed by Seuda Shlishit.

● Parasha Limud before Minha @ 7:00pm: Joint learnings on the parasha and beyond - understanding Balaq and Israel’s enemies, then and now.
● Seudonet Shelishit after Minḣa. Sponsors are welcome.
● Shiur after Minḣa - w/Hillel Jaffe: “Parshat Balak and the Disappearing Ten Commandments.” At the MSN.

● Mila baParasha: Understanding a word in the parasha. This week: “Aton-אָתוֹן" - what is the meaning of the word; and is there a difference in the Bible between donkeys and its females? Basic and love of Hebrew is sufficient. At the LBM.

● Fast 17 Of Tamuz, this Sunday July 13. The Fast begins the period of the Three Weeks, starting on 17 Tamuz and ending with Tisha B’Av on August 3 • Fast begins: 4:23am • Shaḣarit: 8:00am • Minḣa / Arvit: 7:50pm • Fast ends: 9:07pm

Halakha Yomit

מה אירע ביום שבעה עשר בתמוז? ביום שבעה עשר בתמוז אירעו חמישה דברים קשים, ואלו הן: נשתברו לוחות הברית, הופסקה הקרבת קרבן התמיד בכל יום בבית המקדש, הבקיעו האויבים את חומת ירושלים בתקופת חורבן בית המקדש השני, שרף אפוסטמוס הרשע את התורה, והועמד צלם בהיכל בית המקדש.

‘Am Yisrael Ḣazaq Ḣai VeQayam

The Tequma War is now in its 22nd month and continues. Israel ended the active war in Iran with major achievements, but the war on seven fronts still continues. Our hearts and prayers are with the IDF and all security forces who are fighting and guarding us at all fronts. May Hashem protect you and bring you back home safely! May G-d bring you an absolute victory and peaceful times to Am Israel and Medinat Yisrael.

Please offer tefillot, whether Tehillim, Chapters 20, 85, 121, 130 and 142, among many appropriate ones, or the words of your own heart, or both.
We remember the nearly 1900 casualties, members of Israel security forces and its civilians; We pray for the recovery of the many injured and for the release of remaining kidnapped, and our hearts are with the bereaved families! With prayers for absolute victory and lasting peace.

Parasha & Times

Ṡabat Paraṡat Ḣuqat
5 July 2025 * 9 Ḣodeṡ Tamuz 5785
ט’ בתמוז התשפ”ה  
 

Canberra - 4:49pm Candles; 5:49pm Havdala
Mumbai - 7:02pm Candles; 7:56pm Havdala
Tehran - 7:04pm Candles; 8:06pm Havdala
Jerusalem - 7:07pm Candles; 8:28pm Havdala
Miami - 7:57pm Candles; 8:53pm Havdala

Manhattan - 8:17pm Candles; 9:10pm Havdala
Montreal - 8:24pm Candles; 9:38pm Havdala
Moscow - 8:51pm Candles; 10:38pm Havdala

Picture of Week

The Weekly Riddle

What is the meaning of the Latin phrase” “Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes”? 
(Guess before you take a peek, the answer is below)

In the Beginning

The Three Weeks or Ben ha-Metzarim - Hebrew: בין המצרים, "Between the Straits" -  is a period of reflection and mourning commemorating the destruction of the first and second Temples. The Three Weeks start on the seventeenth day of the month of Tammuz - the fast of Shiv’a ‘Asar B'Tammuz - and end on the ninth day of the month of Av - the fast of Tisha B'Av, which occurs exactly three weeks later. Both of these fasts commemorate events surrounding the destruction of the Jewish Temples and the subsequent exile of the Jewish People from the Land of Israel. According to conventional chronology, the destruction of the first Temple, by Nebuchadnezzar II, occurred in 586 BCE, and the second, by the Romans, in 70 CE. Jewish chronology, however, places the destruction of the First Temple to 422 BCE. (wiki +)

Cyril Zooms In

“Do not answer a dullard in accord with his folly; Else you will become like him.” - Proverbs 26:4

This week's parasha, Balak, is full of twists and turns, and can also be read as a fable. The fable concerns Moses and Zimri, the leader of the tribe of Simeon. It all begins with the Baal-Peor incident at the end of the parasha. Many Israelites, seduced by the worship of this ridiculous and degrading god, are condemned to death by God for idolatry. Upon learning this, the condemned men ask Zimri to defend them. In their defense, Zimri presents a Midianite princess to the entire assembly of Israelites and asks Moses why he should not be allowed to take this Midianite woman as his wife, since Moses has married Ziporah, herself a Midianite. Since Moses married Tzipora before the Torah was given, Zimri's argument is baseless, and he knew perfectly well that his argument was inept. The most astonishing thing is that in the face of this argument, Moses remains publicly silent. Why? In the face of this madness, silence is the best possible response. Obviously, it is impossible to always remain silent in the face of stupidity. But we can draw a moral from it, as in a fable: Do not go into the realm of madness, for we would go mad ourselves. And in a world gone mad, this is a valuable lesson.

***

I wish you and your family a wise, restful, and joyful Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom! C.B.

A Weekly Moment

The pains of a great loss intertwines with the comfort of a blessing from Bilam the seer-prophet:
“Ma Tovu Ohalekha Yaaqov Mishkenotekha Yisrael”.

Biblical Quiz: Balaq

Kids: Did Bil‘am ride on a horse, donkey, or a cow? Teenagers: Mikha is one of the prophets of the Tri-Asar. Which one of them? Third, Sixth or Tenth? Adults: From which town was Mikha? Experts: How far was his town from Jerusalem? Sages: What was the color of Bil‘am’s donkey?

Parasha:  Balaq - Bamidbar (Numbers) 22:2-25:9

Parasha's Historical Context: Creation Time: 2487 (1407 bce or 1272 bce according to Seder Olam). Bene Yisrael's 40-year journey is close to an end. They are encamped in the Plains of Moav, across the Jordan River from the city Yeriḥo. Parashort: Balaq, the King of Moav, summons the prophet Bil‘am to curse Bene Yisrael. On the way, Bil‘am is berated by his donkey, which sees the angel that G-d sends to block their way. Three times, from three different locations, Bil‘am attempts to pronounce his ill wishes to the Israelites; each time, blessings are issued instead. Bil‘am also made prophecies on the End of the Days. Bene Yisrael falls prey to the charms of the daughters of Moav and worship the idol Peor. When a high-ranking Israelite official publicly takes a Midianite princess into a tent, Pinḥas ben El’azar ben Aharon haKohen kills them both, stopping the plague raging among the Israelite People.

Haftara: Balaq - Mikha (Mikha) - 5:6-6:8

Haftit: The prophet Mikha predicts that prior to the war of Gog and Magog the mighty nations of the world will assemble against Israel. The Israelites will be like dew unto the nations and like rain to all mankind. Mikha predicts the purification of Israel; after the war of Gog and Magog, G-d will remove all the weapons of war from Yisrael because they will not be needed any longer. G-d will also eliminate idolatry and all the people in the world will realize the one true G-d. Israel is accused of not listening to G-d's commandments, even though they had been warned many times. G-d asks "Is this how you thank me for taking you out of the land of Egypt?" "Is this how you thank me for protecting you from the King Balaq of Moab?" "Is this how you thank me for the way Bil‘am answered them?" Mikha concludes with advice to perform justice, love kindness and walk humbly with G-d. Connection to the Parsha: The prophecy of Mikha recalls some of the ways in which G-d protected the newly emerged nation during its forty years in the desert wilderness. Among the incidents mentioned by the prophet is Balaq's plot to have Bil‘am curse Israel, and Bil‘am's advice to use lewdness to bring Bene Yisrael into Idolatry.

Maqom baParasha - Naḣal Zered

Wadi Zered is a wadi in western Jordan, also known in Jordan as Wadi al-Hisa and in Hebrew: נחל זרד‎‎ Naḣal Zered. The wadi is very big and long and ends in the Dead Sea in the town Safe (Al-Safi). The Wadi area is full of farmers which use the water mostly for vegetables like tomatoes and melons. In the Torah, the name Zered, and also Zared in pausal form, refers to this brook. It is mentioned briefly in Deut. 2:13 and more extensively in Numbers 21:12-13, as the place where the Israelites camp on their final approach to Moav. Also, according to Deuteronomy 2:13-18 it was the boundary between Moab and Edom in ancient times. **Picture: Limestone waterfall in Zered

Rav Question - שאלת רב

What did Bilam learn from the jennet, the female donkey? What are you learning from it?

Speechless in the Parasha: Balaq

How many times did Bil’am’s jennet talk? In what language? How many speeches did Bil’am carry? Were they good or not good?

Biblical Quiz - Answers: Balaq

Kids: A jenny (female donkey) Teenagers: Mikha is the 10th of the Tre-Asar Adults: Morashet-Gat, near the Philistine border in Judah Experts: A 1-day journey from Jerusalem Sages: Bil‘am is being identified by the sages as Lavan himself or as Lavan’s grandson. So either way maybe the jenny donkey was white :).  

Riddle Solved

"Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes" is a Latin phrase meaning "I fear the Greeks, even when they offer gifts" or "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts". In Hebrew it translates to: אני מפחד מהיוונים, גם אם מתנה יביאו.
It originates from the epic poem Aeneid by the Roman poet Virgil, where it's spoken by the Trojan priest Laocoön as he warns his people about the Trojan Horse. The phrase is a proverbial expression signifying a warning against trusting enemies, even when they appear to be friendly or offer gifts. It could also apply to friends with different interests than one owns.