בס”ד
A THOUGHT ABOUT PARSHAT BALAK 5784
Parshat Balak 5784 – Why Bilaam was Not Allowed to Bless Israel with His Own Words
Although the Torah portion is named after Balak, it seems that the main character is Bilaam, the non-Jewish prophet hired by Balak to curse the Jewish people. Bilaam was a great prophet among the nations, and some commentaries suggest that in some ways he was as great as Moses.[1] This idea is drawn from Deut. 34:10
| And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the L-RD knew face to face; | וְלֹא-קָם נָבִיא עוֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּמֹשֶׁה, אֲשֶׁר יְדָעוֹ ד’, פָּנִים אֶל-פָּנִים |
While no prophet in Israel equaled Moses, among the non-Jewish nations, there was Bilaam. Nevertheless, there was a significant difference in the level of prophecy between Moses and Bilaam. G-d spoke to Moses face to face, as seen in Exodus 33:11 and Deuteronomy 34:10
| And the L-RD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. | וְדִבֶּר ד’ אֶל-מֹשֶׁה פָּנִים אֶל-פָּנִים, כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אִישׁ אֶל-רֵעֵהוּ |
| And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the L-RD knew face to face; | וְלֹא-קָם נָבִיא עוֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּמֹשֶׁה, אֲשֶׁר יְדָעוֹ ד’, פָּנִים אֶל-פָּנִים |
In contrast, G-d normally came to Bilaam only in visions at night. Rashi comments on Numbers 22:8:
“The Holy Spirit rested upon him only at nighttime, and similarly in the case of all the prophets of the non-Jewish peoples.”
No one but Moses received prophetic communication from G-d while fully awake. All other prophets (Jewish and non-Jewish) had to be in a trance state or unconscious.
Rambam (Maimonides) in Laws of the Foundations of Torah 7:1 describes the conditions and process for meriting to attain prophecy through one’s own efforts and abilities. He mentions two crucial points:
- Qualifications for Prophecy:
(a) Prophecy is granted only to a person who is very wise and of strong moral character, who can continually overcome their natural inclinations.
(b) This person must possess broad and accurate mental capacity and be physically sound.
- Spiritual Preparation:
(a) The candidate must devote themselves to studying deep, lofty concepts and detach from worldly concerns.
(b) Their thoughts should constantly be focused on the divine, striving to understand and grasp G-d’s greatness and wisdom.
Of those conditions, only 1(b) applied for the wicked Bilaam. Why then did G-d grant him such prophetic ability? The answer is given by Rashi in his explanation of Numbers 22:5:
“Why did the Holy One, Blessed is He, rest His Divine Presence upon a wicked non-Jew? So that the nations should not have an excuse by saying, ‘Were we to have had prophets, we would have repented.’ [G-d] established prophets for them. Yet they breached ‘the fence of the world,’ for originally, they were restrained regarding sexual immorality [see Rashi on Genesis 34:7], but this one [Bilaam] advised them to abandon themselves to licentiousness [see Rashi on Numbers 24:14].”
Despite his prophetic abilities, Bilaam made significant errors. One of his primary mistakes was believing there were times when G-d did not know everything. Rashi explains in Numbers 22:9 that Bilaam thought to himself:
“It seems, then, that there are times when everything is not manifest to Him; His knowledge is not always alike. I will select a time when I can curse and when He will not observe it”
This was a serious misunderstanding because G-d is omniscient, as we learn from Isaiah 46:9-10:
| Remember the former things of old: that I am G-d, and there is none else; I am G-d, and there is none like Me; Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying: ‘My counsel shall stand, and all My pleasure will I do’; | זִכְרוּ רִאשֹׁנוֹת, מֵעוֹלָם: כִּי אָנֹכִי אֵ-ל וְאֵין עוֹד, אֱלֹקים וְאֶפֶס כָּמוֹנִי. מַגִּיד מֵרֵאשִׁית אַחֲרִית, וּמִקֶּדֶם אֲשֶׁר לֹא-נַעֲשׂוּ; אֹמֵר עֲצָתִי תָקוּם, וְכָל-חֶפְצִי אֶעֱשֶׂה |
In the book “The Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge,” p. 18 this is summarized as follows:
“G-d does not recognize and know the creations in terms of the creations as we know them, but rather He knows them in terms of Himself. Thus, as He knows Himself, He knows every detail of the entire physical and spiritual creation for the existence of everything created is constantly dependent on Him, as it is His unified will for each thing to be, all as one from its beginning to its end.”
No one can act without G-d’s knowledge. To curse G-d’s chosen and beloved people was obviously a grave mistake. Therefore, in Numbers 22:12, G-d explicitly tells Bilaam not to curse the people. Rashi notes that when Bilaam heard he was forbidden to curse the people, he wanted to bless them instead, but G-d did not allow this either.
This can be understood by considering that Bilaam had intense hatred toward the Jews. When a person gives a blessing to someone he hates, the intention he has in mind includes some aspect of a curse.
Furthermore, Bilaam had a fundamentally different religious outlook from what G-d demands of the Jewish people. Bilaam’s name can be read as “Bli-Am” – without a people, suggesting his preference for a life in which the individual is central, not the community. Such individuals have little to no morality because for them, “I” is the most important person and they think they can do as they please. This results in an arrogant spirit and a greedy soul, ultimately leading to licentiousness, theft, murder, and a fractured society. In such a society, people seek religious cults outside the reality of everyday life, leading to separation from normal society.
This is in stark contrast to a society based on Torah principles. In such a society, there is justice, care for others, and respect for others’ rights to property and life. Religious life is not lived in isolation from society but is integrated into everyday social life. It is in the daily life with the people around us that we must learn to uphold G-d’s will and thereby reveal and honor Him.
Therefore, G-d did not want Bilaam to bless the Jewish people with his own words, as his personal blessings would effectively function as curses.
Lessons for Noahides from This Story:
- The Greatness of Moses: Moses was the greatest prophet, and the Seven Noahide Laws and their details must be observed because G-d gave them through Moses.
- G-d’s Omniscience: G-d is omniscient, which enables us to place our complete trust in Him.
- Blessings and Curses: A blessing that a person gives can act as a curse if the person has bad feelings toward the one he is blessing.
- Integrating Faith into Daily Life: A faith-based moral life should be a foundation within society. Unlike people in many other religions, we as Noahides should connect everyday life with awareness of G-d, not separating ourselves from society like monks. We must refine ourselves and society so that the world becomes a place where G-d can dwell and reveal Himself more fully.[2]
By embracing these insights, we can strive for a life of both spiritual and ethical growth in accordance with G-d’s will.
By Angelique Sijbolts
Footnotes/ sources
[1] See Rashi on Numbers 24:16.
[2] See Rashi on Numbers 24:16.[2] See also the blog HOW LONELY SITS THE CITY: How Lonely Sits the City” based on a Chassidic discourse by the Rebbe Rashab, Rabbi Shalom DovBer, the fifth Rebbe of Lubavitch
Aish Article: The Power of A Curse
Mayanot
by Rabbi Noson Weisz
With thanks to Rabbi Tani Burton and Dr. Michael Schulman for the input and feedback
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