Ethical Teachings of the Torah

I pray you, curse this people for me" (Bamidbar 22:6) {3}

Ever since Creation, G-d has revealed Himself in various ways to Mankind so that prophecy and spiritual elevation could flow through man created like His Image. “The nations of the world would have had justification for idolatry and immorality by saying to G-d, ‘we would have kept Your Torah as does Israel, but You separated Yourself from us’; so G-d gave them kings and prophets just as He gave them to Israel” (Bamidbar Rabba 20). The greatest of their prophets was Bil’am. “‘There never did arise in Israel a prophet like Moshe’ (D’varim 34:10). In Israel not, but amongst the nations of the world there has arisen one. Who? Bil’am” (Sifrei).
Why then was Bil’am the last of their prophets, whereas after Moshe prophecy continued in Israel for generations? We can see definite differences, both conceptual and behavioral, between the kings and prophets granted by G-d to the nations and those that He sent to Israel. These differences prevented the nations from bringing to fruition the promise and the potential of the spiritual greatness and religiosity revelation granted to them, while Israel became the embodiment of G-d’s revealed Words and Laws in this world.
“See how the prophets of Israel differ from those of the nations: All the prophets of Israel cautioned Israel against sinning and urged them to repent and assured them of atonement; this gentile prophet, however, sought out and found a means through which a nation could be led to immorality and sin. All the prophets of Israel were filled with love and kindness so they sought mercy and merit for the nation; this gentile prophet was filled with hatred and cruelty so he sought to destroy a whole nation without reason or fault. Even when he utters words of blessing he does so in spite of himself, against his will and struggles like a fish that is hooked;  G-d had to twist his mouth and pierce it like a man drives a nail into a board” (Bamidbar Rabba 20:16).
Repeatedly, the prophets of Israel sought to refuse the role given to them, pleading imperfections and unworthiness. Moshe is the most humble of men, he argues that that he is unsuitable because he is heavy of speech, and pleads with G-d to send somebody else who is more qualified and suitable (Sh’mot 2). Yirmiyahu (Chapter 1) asks how he possibly can be sent as a prophet when he is merely young and does not know how to speak. Yeshayahu says of himself that he has uncircumcised lips and that should make him unacceptable as a prophet. All our prophets consistently and constantly make it known and obvious that the source of their words and prophecies is G-d Himself; they merely repeat and bring His Messages.
However, Bil’am, the Prophet of the Gentiles is totally different. He confidently and arrogantly accepts Balak’s description of him as the one who has the power to bless or curse, to, as it were, force Heaven to endorse his wish. Bil’am introduces his prophecies with proclamations of his personal greatness and spiritual importance; as, “the man whose eyes have been opened, who has fallen down yet has uncovered eyes” (Bamidbar 24:3-4). “In Israel altars and sacrifices are an invitation for mankind to draw close to G-d. Bil’am, however, uses them as a vehicle for debasing the Divine Will to his own evil purpose” (Ramban). “When Balak built the seven altars that Bil’am asked for, G-d asked Bil’am, ‘what is this that you have done?’ ‘I have prepared them for You’, was the reply. This is like a merchant who falsifies his weights and when found guilty by the officials of the Beit Din, says to them, ‘I have already sent a gift to you’. G-d said to Bil’am, ‘evil one, what are you thinking of doing to My People?’ ‘I have prepared seven altars in Your Honor’, was Bil’am’s reply” (Midrash HaGadol).
“G-d raised Shlomo as the king over the whole world and he built the Temple, wrote books of wisdom, of faith and of love between G-d and Israel. G-d raised up Nevuchadnetzar as king of the gentiles; he destroyed His Temple and His City, uttered words of curses and hatred, and sought to rise up above the heights of the clouds; he said, ‘I will be like the Most High Himself’ (Yeshayahu 14:14). G-d gave David great wealth that he used to build the Bet HaMikdash; He gave wealth to Haman who wanted to buy therewith the slaughter of a whole nation” (Tanchuma Yashan).
There must be a set of basic and fundamental thoughts and concepts that would explain these differences between the kings and prophets of Israel and those that G-d provided in a similar way and for a similar purpose to the nations of the world. This would help explain why the kings and prophets of the nations did not realize the spiritual and the religious potential and opportunity given to them.
“The people of Padan Aram were idolaters just as the people of Canaan were, yet Avraham sent Eliezer there to find a wife for Yitschak, while forbidding the daughters of Canaan as brides. This is because idolatry is an intellectual and mental sin, one that can be corrected by education and reason, whereas chesed, rachamim and midot tovot have to be inculcated and bred into one’s being. In Padan Aram, in the family of Avraham these merits were developed and inherited from one generation to the next, whereas the Canaanites had no such tradition and no such inheritance” (Shem MiShmuel).
It was this difference in merits rather than in intellect and wisdom between Avraham and Bil’am, that made it impossible for the gentile world to realize its spiritual potential and gifts. “Those who have a good eye, a humble modest spirit and a meek soul are amongst the talmidim of Avraham Avinu. Those who have an evil eye, an arrogant spirit and a greedy soul are from the disciples of the wicked Bil’am” (Avot 5:22).

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