Not Reckoned Among the Nations Rabbi Sacks on Balak, Covenant & Conversation)

The Office of Rabbi Sacks

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 601 Ratings

🗓️ 9 July 2025

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to the Covenant & Conversation series, Rabbi Sacks’ commentary pieces on the weekly Torah portion, exploring ideas and sharing inspiration from the Torah readings of the week. This audio on Parshat Balak was recorded by Rabbi Sacks in 2019. Follow along with the audio here: https://rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation/balak/not-reckoned-among-the-nations/ Read and download the written essay, and all translations. For intergenerational discussion on the weekly Parsha and Haftara, a new FAMILY EDITION is now also available: https://rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation-family-edition/balak/not-reckoned-among-the-nations/ ___________________ For more articles, videos, and other material from Rabbi Sacks, please visit www.RabbiSacks.org and follow @RabbiSacks. The Rabbi Sacks Legacy continues to share weekly inspiration from Rabbi Sacks. With thanks to the Schimmel Family for their generous sponsorship of Covenant & Conversation, dedicated in loving memory of Harry (Chaim) Schimmel.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Balak, not reckoned among the nations.
0:06.0	The year is 1933.
0:08.0	Two Jews are sitting in a Viennese coffee house reading the news.
0:12.0	One is reading the local Jewish paper.
0:14.0	The other, the notoriously anti-Semitic publication Der Stormer.
0:19.0	How can you possibly read that revolting rubbish, says the first?
0:22.7	The second smiles.
0:23.8	What does your paper say?
0:24.9	Let me tell you.
0:25.8	The Jews are assimilating.
0:27.1	The Jews are arguing.
0:28.1	The Jews are disappearing.
0:29.6	Now let me tell you what my paper says.
0:32.1	The Jews control the banks.
0:33.5	The Jews control the media.
0:34.8	The Jews control Austria.
0:36.4	The Jews control the world. My friend, if you want the good media, the Jews control Austria, the Jews control the world.
0:37.7	My friend, if you want the good news about the Jews, always read the anti-Semites.
0:43.9	An old and bitter joke.
0:46.0	Yet it has a point in a history and it begins with this week's parisher.
0:49.7	Some of the most beautiful things ever said about the Jewish people were said by Bilam.
0:55.0	Who can count the dust of Jacob? May my final end be like theirs. How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your
	...

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