Balak 24:05 · unit 2 — all returned to curse except study-houses

Parashas Balak · Aliyah 6 · Passuk 5 · TT unit 2

The Complete Passuk

מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

How goodly are your tents, Yaakov, your dwelling-places, Israel.

Chabad.org — 24:5

Source Citation

Torah Temimah: Sanhedrin 105b — R. Abba bar Kahana: all returned to curse except houses of prayer and study.

Sefaria — Sanhedrin 105b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא: כֻּלָּם חָזְרוּ לִקְלָלָה חוּץ מִבָּתֵּי כְּנֵסִיּוֹת וּבָתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וַיַּהֲפֹךְ ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת הַקְּלָלָה לִבְרָכָה״ — קְלָלָה וְלֹא קְלָלוֹת.

English: R. Abba bar Kahana said: All of them returned to curse except the synagogues and study-houses, as it is said, “And Hashem your God turned the curse into a blessing” — curse, and not curses.

Type of Learning

Scriptural precision (singular קללה) limiting which blessings remained permanent.

What Is Learned

Only the blessing over houses of Torah and prayer was never reversed — that is the blessing that endures.