parshat Balak

My community has a small minyan for Kabbalat Shabbat that accepts Shabbat early, and no second minyan (there is a larger minyan for the rest of Shabbat). Must I accept Shabbat at the time the early minyan does, which is sometimes difficult for me?

Jewish communities have the minhag to read ch. 5-6 of Micha as the haftara of Parashat Balak. The simple explanation is that in this section, the navi mentions Balak and Bilam and their plot to destroy Bnei Yisrael, which Hashem foiled. We would like to suggest an additional rationale.

An entire parasha is dedicated to the story of Bilam and his blessings. What is the reason that Hashem decided it is so important to us?

A brief Dvar Torah on the Parsha, based on R. Samson Raphael Hirsch’s Torah Commentary