<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">There are several interesting explanations as to why a weekly parashah is named after a <i>rasha</i>.<div>Actually, one or two m'forshim, in order to justify the title of the parashah, claim he really wasn't </div><div>a rasha, but rather misguided. Whatever the case, how would they explain "Balak?" One way to </div><div>look at it is that you can't judge a book by its title. Secondly, the Torah does not sanitize. Hence,</div><div><i>Balak</i> and <i>Korach</i> is <b><u>reality</u></b> and part of learning what not to do. </div><div><br></div><div>What I also find interesting is that the first two letters of Korach's name (kuf, reish) spell "cold."</div><div>Korach was, indeed, a cold, calculating indvidual. Also, as a side, the gematria of Korach is 308.</div><div>The gematria of <i>kivro</i> is 308. His name turned out to be <i>his burial place</i>. </div><div><br></div><div>There is an even more interesting coincidence with Balak. In the same parashah of Balak, Chapter</div><div>23, verse 11 has Balak speaking to Bilaam. He chastises him saying (paraphrase): '<i>I brought you</i></div><div><i>here to curse my enemy, but instead, you've blessed him</i>.' Balak is spelled <i>beis, lamed, kuf</i> and </div><div>the word Balak uses for "to curse" is <i>lakov</i>, spelled <i>lamed, kuf, beis</i>. Balak's name turned around </div><div>and backfired.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></body></html>