I just noticed that my meme for this portion looks like a demented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.. hmmm. So anyway, totally weird Torah portion because it doesn’t feature anyone we know! Just this strange prophet Balaam who isn’t even necessarily an Israelite but lives in Northern Ammon. This week we are going to look at actual documents from Mari that contain references to Balaam himself, even making mention of his father’s name, which we also know from Scripture.
This week’s featured link is to my friend Sarah Hawke’s Valente’s latest book called, “Marriage, a Mystery, and Me.” If you are like most parents, discussing sex with kids is like pulling teeth and so you might want to consider allowing Sarah to help you out with that. I’m afraid I just flat out answered my kids when they asked, but then I am a scientist and hard to embarrass.
http://www.whatislovely.com/marriagemysteryme/