Published November 12, 2009
“And Balak saw everything that Israel did to the Emorites” (Bamidbar 22:2); this verse is the prelude to the whole story of Bil’am, his mission to curse Israel and its transformation into a soaring poetic blessing.
The Emorite kings, Sichon and Og, had previously respectively conquered parts of Moav and parts of Midian. Now Balak saw the defeat of these two powerful nations that were the northern defense line both of his kingdom of Moav and of the neighboring Midian, and became justifiably fearful of the future. This was exactly the same effect that the view of the encampment of Israel opposite Jericho had on that city: “Your terror has fallen upon us for we have heard what you did to the two kings of the Emori whom you utterly destroyed” (Yehoshua 2:10).
“Balak saw through his magicians and fortune-tellers that Israel was destined to suffer through him and that 24,000 men would die as a result of a plague [when they sinned with the daughters of Moav]” (Bamidbar Rabba 20:7). “He saw the misfortunes that would come on Israel more clearly than any other of their enemies who tried to oppose them by armed conflict, so he sought to eradicate a whole nation through the words and the breath of Bil’am, the soothsayer” (Tanchuma Yashan Balak 2).
Every problem and decision that lies before people is never monolithic but has a range of often conflicting physical, spiritual, moral, economic, cultural, social, religious and psychological aspects. Balak understood therefore that the military and security issue was overlaid with religious spiritual ones, especially in view of G-d’s miracles which had accompanied Israel’s Exodus from Egypt, the Splitting of the Red Sea, the Manna, Matan Torah and their 40 years wanderings in the desert. To Balak’s pagan mind, this spiritual and religious dimension called for divination, some- thing magical, supernatural or wizardly that would break the occult laws that limited their deities. They consult the dead, oracles, heavenly omens, and even the innards of birds and beasts in search of security and knowledge. Thereby men believed that they could somehow foretell the future and evade the fates in store for them; human arrogance, self-confidence and ambition that their own wisdom can make them into sorts of gods. Rabbi S. R. Hirsch points out in numerous places in the Torah that even in monotheism, misguided people see the korbanot and rituals as a means of bribing G-d on their behalf.
“Behold, Moav and Midian were always antagonistic to one another and warred with each other constantly, however, here their fear and hatred of Israel united them” (Tanchuma 3); an oft- repeated phenomenon of Jewish history where opposing classes, factions and nations become united through their common anti-Semitism that overrides all other political, economic and social interests. Although Moav and Midian had sorcerers and soothsayers of their own as witnessed by the charms of divination that they brought with them to persuade Bil’am, Balak sent for the great soothsayer Bil’am to cast a spell over Israel that would bring curses upon them instead of the blessings that at present covered them.
Bil’am’s sorcery was well known; Balak says, ‘For I know he whom you bless is blessed and whom you curse, is cursed’. Just as important, however, as his greatness was his origin. “Bil’am was Cushan-rishatayim who lorded over Israel in the days of the Judges (Shoftim 3:8-9); Bil’am was Lavan who oppressed Yaakov; he was the one who tried to curse Israel in the days of Balak. They all came from Aram Naharayim” (Chelek 108b). Aram Naharayim in Mesopotamia was in antiquity a place of great pagan spirituality, scientific wisdom and occult knowledge. The Abrahamic family’s roots are closely intertwined with this place and with its people in its cultural, religious and spiritual heyday. Aram Naharayim was the place that Avraham left to go to Eretz Yisrael, it was the place from which Eliezer brought Rivka as a bride for Yitschak, and it was the home of the Matriarchs Rachel and Leah. So Balak wisely sought some- body close to the roots of the Abrahamic family through which to try and destroy Israel.
Balak in his message to Bil’am said, “Peradventure I shall prevail and may drive them out of the Land”. He does not call for the destruction of Israel nor does he wish to conquer and rule over them, only to drive them out of the Land. It is essential to understand why the settlement by Israel of its Land should constitute a threat and danger to Balak, especially since that Land was not part of the territory of Moav, nor was Moav one of its Seven Nations. Furthermore, there was a clear commandment to Israel not to harm Moav nor to infringe its territory, so why was Balak fearful and why did Israel’s entry into the Land constitute a danger to him?
“While Israel was wandering in the desert they lived in a purely miraculous and spiritual manner, where G-d Himself provided Manna from Heaven water from Miriam’s well, and guarded them with Clouds of Glory. Such miraculous religious existence was normal to Balak’s religious and spiritual understanding so that he could be at ease with their existence. The Mishkan, Kohanim, Leviim, prophets, sacrifices and song could easily be understood and accepted. However, once Israel entered the Land, their whole religious and spiritual life was to change. Now war and peace, livelihood and economy, and housing, water and food were all to be created and earned through natural and human endeavor but yet to be sanctified through G-d’s commandments. Balak feared that he and the nations of the world would then also be required to sanctify themselves through the material, natural and mundane living in this real and every- day world ” (Shem MiShmuel).
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