Perashat Balak 5776

Perashat Balak 5776

In this week’s perasha, Balak, we read about the curses of the heathen prophet, Bil’am, that Hashem turned into blessings for B’nei Yisrael.  
After some back and forth between G-d and Bil’am as to whether he was permitted to go and curse B’nei Yisrael, the Torah states that Bil’am went with the leaders of Moab as Hashem had commanded him, with the understanding that he was to utter, “only that word which I [Hashem] shall say to you.” [Bamidbar 22:20]  Immediately thereafter, we read that, “G-d’s anger burned because he [Bil’am] went.” [Ibid. 22]  These verses are difficult to understand; if Bil’am was following Hashem’s instructions, then why was He angry with him for going with the officers of Moab?  

There are several approaches to this question.  The Rashbam explains, that although Bil’am appeared to be following the dictate of G-d, in his heart he was still going with the officers of Moab in the hope of opposing Hashem’s desire and fulfilling Balak’s request of cursing B’nei Yisrael.  

The Hizkuni, one of the Ba’alei ha-Tosaphot, adds that if Bil’am was truly following Hashem’s command, he would have first asked Him what he was supposed to say.  Since he did not do this, it is further proof that he had no intention of heeding Hashem’s instructions at all.

Hakham Yosef Eliyahu Hayyim (the “Ben Ish Hai”) offers a different reason in his sermons.  In addition to the question posed above, of why would Hashem be angry if He already gave Bil’am the ok to accompany the officers of Moab, he points out that the word “hu” - “he”, referring to Bil’am, in the verse is apparently superfluous.  In the ensuing narrative, we are told that the angel stood in Bil’am’s way to block his passing, while, “he was riding on his donkey.” [Ibid.]  Was he not riding on his donkey until now?  The Torah already stated that, “Bil’am rose up in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab”! [Ibid. 21]    Similarly, after his lengthy dialogue with the angel, in which the angel is appeased, the angel says to Bil’am, “Go with the men.” [Ibid. 35]  Was he not already with the princes of Moab, that he now had to be instructed to go with them?  The Ben Ish Hai answers all of these questions as follows.  Although Bil’am received permission from Hashem to go with Balak’s emissaries, his path was not like that of the officers accompanying him.  They took their time as if they had, “all the time in the world,” whereas Bil’am demonstrated alacrity and zeal in his “burning” desire to curse B’nei Yisrael.  Therefore, the Torah states, “G-d’s anger burned because he [Bil’am] went.” [Ibid. 22]  At the end, Bil’am travelled alone, with the sole purpose of cursing the nation of Israel.  This was the reason for Hashem’s anger; although he had given permission for Bil’am to accompany the princes of Moab, he had not given him permission to “go it alone;” i.e., to fulfill his desire of cursing the people. That Bil’am set out on his own - without the Moabite princes but with his own agenda, is borne out by the verse which states, “And the angel of the Lord stood in the way as an adversary against him, and he [Bil’am] was riding on his donkey.” [Ibid. 22-23]   According to the Ben Ish Hai, this also explains the rest of the narrative, including the verse which states, “if it displeases you, I will return.” [Ibid. 34]  Bil’am is offering to return home if his mission does not meet with the angel’s approval.  Regarding this, the angel answers, “Go with the men!” [Ibid. 35]  The angel says, in the name of G-d, ‘I am not here to cancel your mission, but to warn you that you must go with the men - not with your own agenda and not with such haste and desire.’ The angel is telling Bil’am that he needs to suppress his zeal.  Therefore, says the Ben Ish Hai, the Torah relates, that from this point on that, “Bil’am went with the princes of Balak.” [Ibid.] Bil’am no longer tried to rush his donkey, he went in footstep with the officers of Balak.  

The lesson that we can learn from Bil’am is, of course, the total opposite of his behavior.  Our sages tell us that we should rush to do missvot and distance ourselves from committing sins.  The irony here is the extent to which the evil Bil’am would go to commit a sin. Imagine if we could employ even a fraction of that zeal in the practice of our missvot