Parshas Balak and Parshas Pinchas: FORETELL Mashiach, Eliyahu HaNavi, Vengeance of Hashem and Redemption

The Foretelling of Our Redemption in these Two Pashiot:

Parshas Balak and Kochav Yaakov – Mashiach

Parshas Pinchas and Eliyahu – Redemption
(listen carefully to the words)

Parshas Balak 14-24

I see him but not now:
 אֶרְאֶנּוּ וְלֹא עַתָּה אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ וְלֹא קָרוֹב דָּרַךְ 
Bilaam spoke about the very distant future of the Jewish People, the time when the final Messianic Redemption would come. His entire series of pronouncements encompassed four periods in Jewish History: In the Wilderness; the impending Conquest of the Land; their period of greatness after conquering the Land and their surrounding enemies; and now the End of Days (Ramban)

A Star has issued from Jacob:
כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל
Though speaking of future Jewish Kings, Bilaam spoke in the past tense, for it is common in prophecy that the prophet “sees” the subject of his speech as clearly as if it had already taken place.

The Star is a King and the Scepter is the Royal Power to overcome opposition and bring everyone under his sway (Rashi) The Jewish King will defeat the nobles of Moab as well as the entire world. Seth was the son of Adam and Eve who became the ancestor of all mankind, so that the children of Seth are all the people on the fact of the earth.

The King is the subject of dispute. The Ramban interprets this entire passage with reference to Messianic times. Messiah is called a “Star” more likely a shooting star, or meteor, because he will have to flash across heaven visible to the whole world, to gather Jews from their dispersion.

Edom shall be a conquest and Seir shall be the conquest of his enemies
הָיָה אֱדוֹם יְרֵשָׁה וְהָיָה יְרֵשָׁה שֵׂעִיר אֹיְבָיו וְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֹשֶׂה חָיִל:
His enemies, Seir and Edom – the Two Names of Esau’s descendants – will fall to his enemy, Israel. Israel will dominate Edom and destroy its most prominent city (Rashi) This describes the End of Days, because the current dispersion is called the Edomite Exile. This will end when Edom’s power is broken (Ramban)

(Stone Edition Chumash, Parshas Balak, 871)

Haftara Balak: Micah 5:6

ז  וְהָיָה שְׁאֵרִית יַעֲקֹב בַּגּוֹיִם, בְּקֶרֶב עַמִּים רַבִּים, כְּאַרְיֵה בְּבַהֲמוֹת יַעַר, כִּכְפִיר בְּעֶדְרֵי-צֹאן--אֲשֶׁר אִם-עָבַר וְרָמַס וְטָרַף, וְאֵין מַצִּיל.
And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples – like the dew from HaShem, like raindrops upon grass, that hopes not for a man and anticipates not the soul of a man – like a lion among the forest – like lion cut among a flock of sheep

ט  וְהָיָה בַיּוֹם-הַהוּא נְאֻם-יְהוָה, וְהִכְרַתִּי סוּסֶיךָ מִקִּרְבֶּךָ; וְהַאֲבַדְתִּי, מַרְכְּבֹתֶיךָ.
And it shall be on that day - the word of Hashem - I will cut down your horses from your midst, and I will cause your chariots to be lost, and I will cut down the cities of your land, and I will raze all your cities ]. . .] in anger and fury will I inflict vengeance upon the nations that do not listen.

ח  הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם, מַה-טּוֹב; וּמָה-יְהוָה דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ, כִּי אִם-עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד, וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת, עִם-אֱלֹהֶיךָ.
[. . .] O man, what is good, and what Hashem seeks from you; only the performance of justice, the love of kindness, and walking humbly with your G–d.

(Stone Edition Chumash, Haftorah Balak, 1189)

Parshat Pinchas

The mystery surrounding Eliyahu was so great that the Sages of Israel could not even agree on his exact identity. The Medrash (Breishit Rabba 71) tells us:

• One time, our teachers disagreed on this point: Some said that Eliyahu HaNavi was descended from the Tribe of Gad; others said he was from Binyamin. Eliyahu himself then stood before them and said: "Our teachers, why are you arguing about me? I am from the descendants of Rachel's sons [Joseph and Binyamin]."

And in the Gmara (Bava Metziah, page 114b), we read the following story:

• Rabba the son of Avuha found Eliyahu in a Gentile cemetery, and said to him: "Aren't you a Kohen? Why, then, are you inside a cemetery]?" Eliyah answered: "Did you not learn the Order of Taharot [Purities], in which it is taught in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai that the graves of non-Jews do not defile, as is written (Yechezekl 34,31), "You are My flock, flock of My pasture - you are man" - You are called Man, and non-Jews are not.”

On the other hand, Eliyahu often revealed himself to the Sages of Israel, and would routinely do so with Tannaim and Amoraim [Sages of the Mishna and Gmara]. They often asked the Prophet how the various Talmudic disputes were viewed in the Heavens.

הנה אנוכי שולח לכם את אליה הנביא לפני בוא יום ה' הגדול והנורא
Behold, I am sending you Eliyah the Prophet ahead of the arrival of the awesome day of Divine Judgement. (Malachi 3,23)

וּפִינְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר נָגִיד הָיָה עֲלֵיהֶם לְפָנִים ה' עִמּוֹ:
And Pinchas ben Elazar was ruler over the Priests; Hashem had been with him.
(Divrei HaYamim I 9,20)

Who is Eliyahu? Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish teaches in the Medrash Yalkut Shimoni (Pinchas 771):

• Pinchas is Eliyahu. Hashem said to Pinchas: You have placed peace between Israel and Myself in this world, and so in the future, you will also be the one to place peace between Myself and My children, as is written: Behold, I am sending you Eliyah the Prophet… And he will return the heart of fathers to their sons… (Malachi 3,23-24)

Parshas Pinchas: Kiryat Moshe