“Balak is the name of a non-Jewish king who attempted to destroy the Jewish people. How can the Torah name a portion after such an evil person?
…Balak, the king of Moab, was the ancestor of Ruth the Moabite, who was the ancestor of King David, and from whom eventually will come the Mashiach…
Thus, Balak represents the transformation of darkness to light – the metamorphosis of the idolatrous kingdom of Moab to the sacred kingdom of David and Mashiach.
[As explained in ‘Scattered Sparks‘, we can understand how…] Balak was transformed from evil to good, darkness to light, [and] we too are reminded that if we make the effort, every obstacle can be overcome and the light revealed.”