Commentary for Numbers 23:10

מי מנה עפר יעקב וגו׳ WHO HATH COUNTED THE DUST OF JACOB [AND THE NUMBER OF THE FOURTH PART OF ISRAEL] — Understand this as the Targum does: [who has counted] the infants of the house of Jacob, who are compared to the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:16). The words מארבע משריתא in the Targum mean; [who can count … even one] of the four (רבע “a fourth”) banners (companies of the tribes). — Another explanation of עפר יעקב is: Countless are the commandments which they practise in connection with dust: (Deuteronomy 22:10) “Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass [together]”; (Leviticus 19:19): “Thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seeds”. There are also the ashes of the red cow (Numbers 19:9 ff.), and the dust used in the ordeal to which a woman suspected of infidelity is subjected (Numbers 5:17), and others similar to these (Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 12).

WHO HATH COUNTED THE DUST OF JACOB? Balaam is saying: “I see them from the top of the rocks dwelling alone, and I cannot count them for they alone are like the dust of the earth, and no man can number the dust of the earth;¹³⁴See Genesis 13:16. nor can I count even rova Yisrael (one fourth of Israel) when they are encamped under four standards.” Thus he prophesied that they would increase in number and they shall not be diminished,¹³⁵Jeremiah 30:19. and the seed of Jacob will always be alone as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered.¹³⁶Hosea 2:1. This is Onkelos’ opinion [as to the meaning] of rova Yisrael [that it means “one fourth” of the total population of Israel, i.e., one standard of the four in which the people encamped].
It is also correct that the term rova be [interpreted as in the expression], Thou dost measure my going about ‘v’riv’i’ (and my lying down),¹³⁷Psalms 139:3. of [the same root as in]: Thou shalt not let thy cattle ‘tharbia’ (gender) with a diverse kind,¹³⁸Leviticus 19:19. and similar in expression to: and are come forth out of the fountain of Jacob.¹³⁹Isaiah 48:1.
Balaam said [in this verse]: Let me die the death of ‘yesharim’ (the righteous), and let mine end be like his, meaning that they are those who are inheritors of the Garden of Eden [i.e., they are assured of eternal life after death]. For since the end of man is death, therefore he wanted to die the death of ‘yesharim’ (the righteous), these being Israel, who are called Yeshurun,¹⁴⁰Deuteronomy 33:5: And there was a King in Jeshurun … because they spend their days in goodness.¹⁴¹Job 21:13. And let mine end be like his — like that of Israel whose portion is in [eternal] life,¹⁴²Psalms 17:14. and who do not go to Gehenna and destruction. Thus the general tenor of Balaam’s prophecy this time was that G-d does not want us to be cursed, and that we are a people [dwelling] alone, His portion and His people; we shall not mix with the [other] nations, nor be counted amongst them, and our end will be good, according to the way of the righteous.

תמות נפשי מות ישרים, if I were to die now I do not mind, provided that it would be the death of the righteous who will pass over into another life.

מי מנה עפר יעקב, Who can count the dust of Jacob? Considering the fact that Bileam was desperate to find some way in which to make a curse against Israel stick, he had also investigated another track. That track is one often employed by the forces of the קליפה, the spiritually negative forces. It is the track of "things numbered." We have learned in Baba Metzia 42 that "blessing does not take hold on things which have been numbered, measured, or weighed, but only on things concealed from the eye." Clearly, the author of this saying is trying to tell us that the examples given are subject to the effects of "the evil eye" and even though they may have been blessed such a blessing may not endure. Bileam, the master of the evil eye, had examined if the Jewish people could be hurt by his evil eye due to their having been numbered. He found out that they enjoyed the blessing of not being subject to being numbered. [generally, only males between the ages of 20 and 60 are ever reported as having been counted. Ed.] G'd had promised Abraham long before he had even had a son that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust of the earth, i.e. not subject to count as one cannot count the dust of the earth. and that as a result no evil eye could invalidate any blessing bestowed upon this people (Genesis 13,16). Although this blessing had been given to Abraham, it had only been fulfilled in the days of Jacob. This is why Bileam referred to "the dust of Jacob."

?מי מנה עפר יעקב, seeing that they have so many small children G’d does not want to curse them. Children do not know right from wrong. In fact, when adults do not know right from wrong G’d is also very reluctant to curse them as we know from the last sentence in the Book of Jonah where G’d makes this point to the prophet. In Yuma 22 the rhetorical question regarding collective punishment is asked: “granted that the adults have sinned, but what have the children been guilty of that they should suffer the fate of their elders?”

מי מנה עפר יעקב, “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov?” This is an apt simile, suggesting that they are as numerous as the dust of the earth that defies efforts to count it.

As Targum Onkelos interprets … of the four banners. Rashi explains that, “Who can count the dust…” is as Targum Onkelos interprets, and the Targum translates it as מארבע משרייתא [one] of the four camps"]. But since one might not know the meaning of this, therefore Rashi explains, “Of the four banners.”

V. 10. מי מנה עפר יעקב וגו׳, du, Balak, berechnest die Zahlengröße dieses Volkes, die Anzahl seiner Streiter, nach dieser Schätzung erscheint es dir zu mächtig, und wenn man es in dieser Beziehung schmälern könnte, glaubst du es besiegen zu können, glaubst überhaupt sein Wesen zu treffen, wenn es gelänge, seinem leiblichen Gedeihen Fluch zu bringen: מי מנה עפר יעקב, wer zählt denn, was irdisch ist an Jakob, ומספר את רבע ישראל und zählt in Zahl die tierischen Erzeugungen dieses Gottesvolkes (— רבע wie Wajikra 19, 19 u. 20. 16 —). Die Konstellation anderer Völker mag sich nach der Anzahl ihrer "Leiber" gestalten, in ihrer Vermehrung mögen andere Völker Gefahr erblicken, aus ihrer Verminderung Hoffnung schöpfen. Anders ist es bei Jakob-Jisrael. Ob sie als "Jakob" winzig an Zahl, als "Jisrael" zahlreich wachsend erscheinen — nicht was עפר ist, und sich — ja der Tier-רביעה ähnlich — physisch-animalisch vermehrt und vermindert, macht ihre Bedeutung, ihr Glück oder Unglück aus. Nicht einmal den leiblichen Tod haben sie zu fürchten, ihr wahres Wesen wird durch den leiblichen Tod nicht erreicht. תמת נפשי וגו׳, sterben möchte ich wie sie, möchte mein Ende dem ihrigen gleich wissen, ihr Sterben ist glückseliger als unser Leben, weil sie ישרים sind, weil sie der Bestimmung entsprechen, für welche überhaupt Menschen "Menschen" sind, und dieser Bestimmung ohne Abweichung in "gerader" Linie zustreben.

ומספר את רובע ישראל, “or count the number of Israel?” Our author traces the word רובע as related to רביעה, i.e. as a rainfall ensuring ample growth of the grass in the field. An alternate interpretation: he was able to see only one of the four flags denoting the encampment of the four (ארבע) army groups comprising the men of military age.

מי מנה עפר יעקב, “Who has counted the dust of Yaakov?” Who can even count the small dust particles of Yaakov, the young children. They have small children en masse that are never part of any census. The only Israelites that have ever been subject to a census are the ablebodied men between the ages of 2060. In other words, the number of Israelites who have never been couned by far outnumber those that have been counted. Even if we were to assume that some of the adults had been guilty of some sins, the vast majority of them, the children, certainly have not been guilty of any sins. Therefore I am unable to make any curses effective against them.

ומספר את רבע ישראל The word רבע implies their matings — the offspring which issues from their relations (cf. Nedarim 31a; and Rashi on Numbers 24:3).

ותהי אחריתי כמוהו, so that my offspring be like that of the Israelites. The children of man and those who are the biological issue of him are known as אחריתו, [literally the ones who are following behind him. Ed.] We encounter the word אחרית in this sense in Psalms 109,13 תהי אחריתו להכרית, “may his posterity be cut off. We encounter it in this context also in Daniel 11,4 ולא לאחריתו, “but not for any of his posterity.”

רבע ישראל, the descendants of Israel. The word is derived from רביעה, a mating process. Man is the product of such a process having taken place between father and mother.

ומספר את רובע ישראל, ”or who has numbered even a quarter of Israel?” Bileam declares himself as unable to even count a quarter of the banners of the Jewish people, suggesting that they keep forever increasing in numbers.

Another interpretation … one cannot reckon the commandments which they perform with dust. Accordingly the sequence of the verse is reversed, as if it had said: “Who can count what Yaakov does with dust,” meaning the commandments which they perform with dust. “Or count the seed of Yisroel” refers to the seed which emanates during their intercourse. Thus, it as if the verse had said “Who can count the commandments of dust that Yisroel perform, or [who can] count the seed of Yisroel’s intercourse. But I do not know how they will explain the word את. The reason why Rashi brings another interpretation is because according to the first reason there is the difficulty as to how one could not have known the count of the four banners, for surely it was possible to count them. Therefore, he brought the other interpretation where he explains that it refers to reckoning their reward [for the number of mitzvos they perform with dust]. However according to the other interpretation one has to reverse the sequence of the verse, therefore he also brought the first reason.

Bileam may also have meant that it would be a practical impossibility to count the whole people even if they wanted to count themselves. G'd had specifically forbidden them to conduct or submit to a headcount. Any attempt to arrive at the number of Israelites had to be conducted via either the counting of coins or some other object, but not the people themselves.

Fassen wir diese erste "Spruchrede" Bileams zusammen, so hatte er damit auf die durchaus spezifische Verschiedenheit Israels von allen anderen völkergeschichtlichen Erscheinungen hinzuweisen und Balak zu sagen, dass dieses Volkes Zukunft durchaus von allen den physisch-materiellen Voraussetzungen unabhängig ist, welche das Gedeihen anderer Völker bedingen, und daher auch von all den schadenden Einflüssen unerreichbar ist, denen die Wohlfahrt anderer Völker erliegen könnte. Indem aber damit sein Wort die Beurteilung der Völkerwohlfahrt überhaupt von dem Prinzipium abhängig macht, aus welchem sie ihr Gedeihen schöpfen, so ist seine Rede ein wahrhaftes משל, ein über den konkreten Einzelfall hinübergehender, an dem konkreten einzelnen die "allgemeingültige" Wahrheit zum Bewusstsein bringender Ausspruch.

תמות נפשי מות ישרים, “may I die in the same way as do the righteous. Here is proof that there is an afterlife, if Bileam, the arch enemy of Israel wishes for himself the same kind of afterlife reserved for righteous or repentant Israelites. After all, it is indisputable that he was speaking while having been temporarily inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Or count the seed of Yisroel. Regarding Yisroel, who are people of great wisdom, who undertake important matters for the sake of the entire community, and who endure for all generations… Therefore, who can comprehend the collective power that results from their actions? The term seed is used to imply this — that they bear fruit which itself multiplies for generations.

ומספר את רובע ישראל, “nor who has numbered even one quarter of Israel?” Balak himself had told Bileam that only a small section of it was visible from their vantage point. (verse 13)

תמת נפשי מות ישרים LET ME DIE THE DEATH OF THE UPRIGHT amongst them.

ותהי אחריתי כמוהו, “wish that my end (final destiny) would be like theirs!” Bileam wishes himself the kind of share in life after death that is reserved for deserving Israelites. None of the Israelites are destined to perish in purgatory.

The seed… (Divrei Dovid) Explains this matter according to the teaching in the chapter [entitled] Kol Hayad (Niddah 16b) that the angel who is appointed over pregnancy is called Layla [“Night”]. He takes the drop [of seed] before Hashem and says “Creator of the Universe, what shall become of this drop? Will it be strong or weak, wise or foolish?” With this Bil’am mentioned the praise of Yisroel, that even a repulsive matter such as this was important for Hashem involve Himself with.

ומספר את רבע ישראל, "or numbered the births of Israel?" We have already explained that Bileam had mentally divided the Israelites into two categories, the elite and the average Israelites. He referred to the latter as "Jacob," whereas he referred to the elite as "Israel." When he had said: "who counted the dust of Jacob," he referred to the number of average Israelites, whereas when he referred to the numbering of Israel, he meant the elite amongst the people. He was impressed to have found out that there was an innumerable number of righteous people amongst the Israelites. Alternatively, he may have meant that although the actual number of righteous was not all that impressive, their impact on the Israelite society on the whole made them appear as innumerable. The reverse is true of the wicked. Although they may be large in number, their influence may be negligible. We know this from what G'd said to King Chiskiyah who had complained about the large numbers of Assyrians facing him (compare Sanhedrin 27). G'd assured Chiskiyah that the wicked are not important in proportion to their number. The reason that Bileam referred to רבע is an allusion to the righteous who are "lying" within their tents as we know from Jacob's blessing to Issachar in Genesis 49,14: "couching down between the sheep-folds." [The author uses the word רבע and רבץ interchangeably .Ed.] Another reason may be that the שכינה רבעת עליהם, that G'd's presence is constantly "resting" uopn them. There is also a mystical dimension here, i.e. that the righteous are the cause that G'd's Unity is able to fuse with the terrestrial world.

The death of the righteous. Since he touched upon this characteristic of exemplary kindness possessed by Yaakov and Yisroel, he felt anguish for himself — if only he could be worthy by the end of his life to die the death of the righteous. The word righteous implies proper conduct in worldly affairs between man and his fellow. Bil'am did not have the heart to pray that he should die the death of the pious or devout, for this is a matter which involves Torah and mitzvos which only apply to Yisroel. However, regarding this matter, he prayed to be similar to Yaakov who excelled in the trait of righteousness, since there is also an abundance of kindness among the nations of the world.

תמות נפשי מות ישרים, “let me die the death of the righteous!” He had foreseen in the stars that he was destined to die by the sword.

Among them. Not just a regular righteous [death], for if this was his intent, the blessing would not have been directed to Yisroel. Thus, how could Balak say, “I took you to curse my enemies but you have in fact blessed them” (v. 11)?

Bileam also alluded to the miracles G'd had performed for the Jewish people in Egypt at the time Pharaoh had decreed that all Jewish boy babies be drowned in the river Nile. At that time the Egyptians tried to keep track of eventual births by the Israelite women through counting the number of nights after the women had undergone ritual immersion. This proved to be of no avail as G'd performed numerous miracles in order to frustrate the calculations of the Egyptians. You will find details about this in Shemot Rabbah 23 and in Sotah 11.

תמת נפשי מות ישרים, "May I die the death of the upright." These were Bileam's own words, they had not been inspired by G'd. We have already been told in Yalkut Shimoni (item 768) on this verse that whenever Bileam wanted to say something that would not prove harmful to the Israelites G'd did not interfere. The reason Bileam said מות ישרים instead of saying כמותם, "just like they," which would refer to the death of the Israelites is that the wicked Bileam here asked for something exceptional. We are told in the Zohar volume one page 122 that at the time of death the righteous are divided into two groups. In the case of the first group, the soul leaves the body and proceeds directly to the Celestial Regions without crossing any barriers in between. The second group of righteous people are not that fortunate as they have to undergo a period when they will be examined concerning any sins they had committed during their lifetime and for which they had not been punished. Even a minor sin can become the cause for the soul to experience some delay before entry into the Celestial Region to which it has been assigned. Bileam was careful to request that his soul should experience immediate transfer to the Celestial Region for which he hoped to qualify.

On the other hand, it is possible that even these words were spoken while Bileam was under the influence of the Holy Spirit. In that event he wanted to experience death "at the hands of ישרים," i.e. the 12,000 righteous Israelites Moses would choose to conduct the punitive campaign against Midian. In the event, his wish was fulfilled.

There is a third possibility namely that Bileam planned to become a penitent close to death so that he would have benefited by his wickedness in his terrestrial life while also "cashing in" on his repentance just before forfeiting his extra-terrestrial life. Now that Bileam, -though acknowledging by implication that his had been an extremely despicable life- wanted to delay his repentance, he was denied this opportunity. It is not unusual to hear potential penitents say that if they were assured of immediate death as soon as they become בעלי תשובה, penitents, they would opt for it. What they cannot contemplate is a continued life on earth as צדיקים, righteous people, and the demands made by life on earth on such people. Bileam did not ask to die the death of righteous Israelites, something obviously not possible; all he wanted was to die like a Gentile penitent.

ותהי אחריתי כמהו, "and may my end (future) be like theirs" Bileam referred to the Jewish people. He was referring to the hereafter which is described as the "end (final purpose) of the world." Even the righteous are examined once more before a final decision is made if they are entitled to the ultimate happiness in that world. Bileam prayed that he would be allowed to qualify on both counts.

According to the interpretation I have mentioned that Bileam wished that his death in this world should occur at the hands of the righteous Israelite soldiers who would conduct the punitive expedition against Midian, we must understand the words: "let my end be like theirs" in a different vein. According to Kabbalists, even the קליפות, the spiritually negative forces, contain some minute element of sanctity which is trapped inside them. It is this element which enables such forces to exist at all in our world. When such קליפות, i.e. the "owners" or better "captors" of these sparks of sanctity are killed by Israelites, the spark of sanctity is set free. It may happen that this spark attaches itself to the spiritual part of the Israelite who set it free. When Bileam prayed that he wanted to die at the hands of the righteous, he meant for the spark of sanctity inside him to become attached to the sanctity, i.e. soul of the Israelite who would kill him so that eventually he, Bileam, would become like the Israelite. Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (Ari zal) wrote in the Sefer hagilgulim, the book dealing with transmigrations of souls, that the soul of Bileam reappeared on earth in the guise of the she-ass of the pious Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair. This shows that it was rehabilitated. Although Bileam himself died at the hands of a righteous Israelite soldier, even the spark of sanctity within him had become so tainted already that it had to undergo a laborious process of cleansing until eventually it resurfaced on earth as the life-force of Rabbi Pinchas' she-ass. Having done so (and living an exemplary life under its illustrious master), it eventually qualified for a life in the hereafter.