Parshas Balak for Kids

פרשת בלק

A king hires Bilaam to curse Bnei Yisrael. His donkey sees the malach before he does, and every time he opens his mouth to curse, a brachah comes out instead - "Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov."

In a Torah Tale book, your own child is the hero of this story - drawn from their photo, on every page, in their own name. Written under rabbinical guidance with strict tznius, printed and shipped to your door in English, Hebrew or Yiddish.

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What happens in Parshas Balak

Balak, the king of Moav, is afraid of Bnei Yisrael and hires Bilaam to curse them. Hashem tells Bilaam not to go, but he goes anyway. On the road, his donkey sees a malach blocking the way and will not move forward. Bilaam hits the donkey three times, until Hashem opens the donkey's mouth to speak, and then Bilaam's eyes are opened to see the malach too.

Balak brings Bilaam to high places to look down at the camp. Three times Bilaam opens his mouth to curse, and each time only brachos come out. Rashi explains that Bilaam saw the tents of Bnei Yisrael set up so that no doorway faced another, showing their modesty and care for one another. That is when he says the words we say every morning: "Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov," how good are your tents, Yaakov. Hashem turned the curse into a blessing because He loves His people.

Lessons and middos for children

  • Kindness to animals

    Bilaam was rebuked for hitting his donkey. A child can be gentle with every creature Hashem made.

  • Tznius and respect in our home

    Bilaam praised the tents because each family respected the others' privacy. We can knock before entering and respect each other's space.

  • Hashem protects us

    No one could curse Bnei Yisrael when Hashem wanted to bless them. We can feel safe knowing Hashem watches over us.

Questions for the Shabbos table

  1. What did the donkey see that Bilaam could not?
  2. Why did Bilaam say "Mah tovu" when he saw the tents?
  3. What can you do to make our home a place of brachah?
  4. How should we treat animals, and why?

How your child steps into the story

Your child watches from the edge of the camp as Bilaam looks down from the mountain, and helps keep the tents in their proper rows that make Bilaam say Mah tovu. The book ends looking ahead to Parshas Pinchas and the bris shalom Hashem gives him.