Rabbi Hillel Eisenberg shares an anecdote in his book The Parsha on Fire.
He relates that his father suffered a serious and life threatening heart attack. It was so serious that he was only given a 5% chance of survival. A few weeks after the event, his father left the hospital completely cured. Shortly after returning home, his father was walking in the neighborhood and he encountered a Jewish neighbor who had often expressed his negative views on Judaism and faith.
When they met, the neighbor told Rabbi Eisenberg’s father that he owed him a debt of thanks.
When he was met with surprise, the neighbor said when he heard about the cardiac arrest he offered a heartfelt prayer to Gd. The neighbor continued to say that Gd must have been so shocked and surprised to hear from him in an actual prayer - that Gd must have answered this powerful entreaty.
This week’s Torah portion is called Balak.
It’s an interesting reality that the Torah portion is named after a very evil person.
Balak was a true hater of Jews.
He did everything in his power to destroy the Jewish people.
(Isn’t it ironic how contemporary this story is? Virulent Jew hatred was fomenting in Biblical times and although it continues to this day we are still here surviving and thriving! Boruch Hashem)
So why should such a person be accorded the honor of having a Parsha named for him?
Not only did Balak receive an epynomous portion he received an even greater gift.
Balak had a Grandaughter whose name is Rus or Ruth.
Rus was not only one of the greatest women in Jewish history, she was also the forebear of King David and ultimately Messiach.
This is truly confounding.
Balak dedicated his life, using any means at his disposal, offering fervent prayers and multiple sacrifices to Gd, beseeching for the destruction of the Jewish people, why would he be so rewarded?
As Rabbi Eisenberg teaches us, all of of Balak’s actions were forms of passionate prayer.
“Prayer uttered in sincerity can turn Gd away from the stature of the person talking. It can overshadow previous deeds and external scenarios. The passion and meaning injected into those prayers, the fire burning in the soul of the one praying, can pierce the very heavens”.

This week’s Torah portion is called Balak.
It describes the way the world viewed the Jewish people as they were marching through the desert.
The Jewish nation had experienced miracles coupled with great ups and downs.
Despite receiving the Torah at Mt Sinai, the acme of experiences, they sank to the nadir with the sin of the Golden Calf.
And when the opportunity arrived to enter into the Land of Israel, the spies sent to reconnoiter saw the greatness of the land and its inhabitants, but did not have the necessary faith in Gd or in themselves to enter the Land.
Due to their insecurity and feeling like they looked like grasshoppers in the eyes of the inhabitants, they feared to enter and shared a negative report.
This resulted in the punishment of marching through the desert for 40 years.
We know how the Jewish people felt about themselves.
But how did the other nations really see the Jews?
We get a glimpse of understanding from this portion.
It turns out that the other nations were actually fearful if the Jewish nation.
It turns out that a powerful king by the name of Balak, hence the name of the portion, was so fearful of the Jews, he hired a sorcerer to curse the Jewish nation.
That prophet was called Bilaam, and every time he attempts to curse the Jews, his words come out in the form of a blessing.
The words he spouts, are actually coming from Gd.
This is a curious phenomenon.
The last Torah portions are an accumulation of failures on the part of the Jewish people.
The track record is pretty abysmal and it would not be surprising if the Jews thought Gd had pretty much given up on them.
But they are given an insider’s peek when they hear the words of Bilaam, who is only a mouthpiece for Gd.