Bilaam begins his curse/blessing. His opening remarks convey a profound message. Bilaam lived in Aram, which was northeast of Eretz Yisrael. He says that Balak led him from the mountains of the east, which, according to the Midrash Tanchuma, is an allusion to the Patriarchs who were the spiritual “mountains” of the eastern world. He claims that Balak distanced him from the feelings of gratitude they both should have felt towards our ancestors. Balak’s kingdom of Moav descended from Lot, Avraham Avinu’s nephew, who lived to father children only as a result of Avraham’s intervention. Bilaam’s ancestor, Lavan, was blessed…
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Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, interprets this pasuk as a perspective on history. Just as distances draw together in a panoramic view from a height, so it is with time. From a comprehensive survey of world history over centuries taken from above, events seem close together. When one views these events from the closer perspective of the present, they seem farther from one another. To quote Horav Mordechai Gifter, Shlita, “If one wishes to comprehend an event in history, one cannot look at it in the limited scope of the finite, here and now; rather, one must understand the event as…
Bilaam’s reputation was enviable in his pagan context. Indeed, employing the forces of tumah, impurity, he became a leader and prophet among the pagans. Chazal present their own description of this unsavory person. In Pirke Avos 5:19 they say, “Whoever has the following three traits is among the disciples of our forefather, Avraham, and whoever has three different traits are from the disciples of the wicked Bilaam. Those who have a good eye, a humble spirit and a meek soul are among Avraham’s talmidim. In contrast, those who have an evil eye, an arrogant spirit and a greedy soul are…
Bilaam was an archetyypical anti-semite. His ability to master the double-entendre is manifest in his description of the Jewish people. He portrays the Jews as a “people who shall dwell alone.” He seems to be saying that the Jewish people have the ability to resist assimilation, to weather the tide of paganism and immorality that characterize secular society. That is what he seems to be saying. In reality, Bilaam was offering a critique of the Jewish people. He was branding them for their exclusivity, labeling them as reclusive and unsociable isolationists. Historically, the anti-semites reviled us for not distancing ourselves…
As we enter the shul, our daily encounter with the Almighty begins with the pasuk that Bilaam recited. Let us put this into perspective. Bilaam was impressed and inspired by Klal Yisrael’s modesty and sensitivity to privacy issues, as evidenced by the arrangement of their tents. Bilaam was the paradigm of evil, a man whose sense of morality was so eroded that he sought to destroy Klal Yisrael through debauchery. He fully comprehended that Hashem despises licentiousness. He recognized Hashem’s reaction to Klal Yisrael’s promiscuous attraction to the daughters of Moav. Yet, during a brief moment of spiritual ascendency, granted…
Rashi attributes the weeping to the fact that Moshe “forgot” the law regarding a “boel aramis.” This law states that one who publicly cohabits with a gentile may be slayed by kanaim, true zealots. Hashem caused Moshe to forget, so that Pinchas could react and merit the blessing he received. Pinchas reminded Moshe of the law, but Moshe told him to take action, claiming that the one who made the law known should execute it. Horav Simcha Zissel Broide, Shlita, comments on the remarkable lesson to be derived from this pasuk. If Hashem decrees that a person should attain a…
Chazal note that the Torah does not use the word “pe’omim,” which means “times.” Rather, the Torah uses the word “regalim” which is an allusion to the Shalosh Regalim, Three Festivals — when Klal Yisrael went on Pilgrimage to Yerushalayim — and to the Bais Hamikdash. Bilaam wished to harm a nation whose devotion to Hashem was so strong, whose commitment so intense, that they left their fields and homes three times each year to serve Hashem in Yerushalayim. How could Bilaam think that the Almighty would permit him to harm such a dedicated nation? It is interesting to note…
Horav Ze’ev Weinberger, Shlita, writes that he once heard stated in the name of Horav Moshe M’Rozvandov, zl, an ambiguous statement regarding the relationship among Parshios Korach, Chukas, and Balak. He said that the letter “Kuf,” “e” is found in all three parshios. Kuf begins one, is in the middle of the next, and ends the third parsha. Korach, begins with a kuf; Chukas has the letter kuf in the middle, and Balak has it at the end. Needless to say, this statement is enigmatic. What lesson is to be derived from the position of the kuf in the names…
This is a paradigm of the sad tale of history, notes Horav Moshe Swiftz, zl. The gentiles acknowledge only that which the Jews have done to the Emorites. Did Balak also notice the violence which the Emorites perpetrated upon us? The gentiles see the Jew through their unique spectacles. They stand ready to condemn any Jewish action committed rightly or wrongly, without consideration and without empathy. Their eyes are closed; their senses are numbed with indifference to the plight of the Jew. Balak said, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth.” …
During a meeting of rabbonim held in Yerushalayim, an individual raised a question to the august assemblage. Suddenly an older man arose and addressed the group, “My friends, I am beyond the age of seventy, and I can, therefore, assure you that I am beyond being tainted by the pursuit of honor. I suggest that we render the following decision…” He went on to state his “humble” opinion. Upon hearing this, Horav Leib Chasman, zl, who was one of the attendees at the meeting, stood up and emphatically said, “With all due respect, I must disagree with my colleague. It…