Comentario sobre Números 24:1

וירא בלעם כי טוב וגו׳ AND BALAAM SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD, etc. He said: I do not need to put the Holy One, blessed be He, to a further test for it is evident that He does not wish to curse them.

AND HE WENT NOT, AS AT OTHER TIMES, TO SEEK FOR ENCHANTMENTS. [This means] that on the previous [two] occasions Balaam acted as an enchanter, and wanted to curse them by means of enchantment, and G-d came to him as if by chance, and not because he [Balaam] had concentrated on [attaining] prophecy, nor because of any superior status that he had achieved [because he was in fact not worthy of prophecy]. But now when he was told, For there is no enchantment in Jacob, neither is there any divination in Israel,¹⁵⁸Verse 23. whether to do them evil or good, Balaam abandoned his enchantments, and he went not [any more] as at [the] other times to seek them. Instead, he set his face toward the wilderness where Israel was [encamped], so that he would see them and prepare his soul towards them, so that the Divine communication would come unto him, as had happened to him twice [previous], and so indeed it happened to him now. Therefore Scripture states, and ‘the spirit of G-d’ came upon him,¹⁷⁵Verse 2. for now the hand of the Eternal was upon him as it was upon the prophets,¹⁷⁶Ezekiel 37:1: The hand of the Eternal was upon me. and just as Moses said, would that all the Eternal’s people were prophets, that the Eternal would put ‘His spirit’ upon them!¹⁷⁷Above, 11:29. — and it is further said: ‘The spirit of the Eternal G-d’ is upon me.¹⁷⁸Isaiah 61:1. Therefore Balaam now referred to himself as him who heareth the words of G-d,¹⁷⁹Verse 4. for he was [for that particular moment] a prophet.¹⁸⁰Genesis 20:7. Now Rashi commented: “And he set his face toward the wilderness. This is to be understood as the Targum [Onkelos] rendered it.” For the Rabbi’s [Rashi’s] Targum contained [the following text]: “He directed his face toward the wilderness in which the children of Israel had made the [golden] calf.” But this is not found in accurate editions of Onkelos’ Targum,¹⁸¹Nor is it found in our texts of Onkelos. and is [only] written in some of the texts [of Onkelos], which were emended on the basis of the Targum Yerushalmi,¹⁸²It is also found in our texts of the Targum of Yonathan ben Uziel. — There are three traditional Targumim (translations) of the Pentateuch: Onkelos, Yonathan, and Yerushalmi. The latter was lost for many centuries, and only parts of it have reached us. Recently, however, a copy of this Jerusalem Targum has been found in its full version, and the text quoted here by Ramban appears in it. but the correct interpretation is as we have explained [above, that Balaam turned to the wilderness in order to receive Divine communication as he had previously, and not because that was the place where they had made the golden calf].
Scripture says [in describing Balaam]: Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,¹⁷⁹Verse 4. meaning that he now saw through a lucid spectrum, as did the early prophets of whom it is said, And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the Name ‘E-il Sha-dai’ (G-d Almighty).¹⁸³Exodus 6:3. Or it may be that Balaam [only] received [the Divine communication] through a degree [of vision] less than theirs, since ‘the vision of’ the Almighty¹⁷⁹Verse 4. is not the same as the Almighty.¹⁸³Exodus 6:3. Thus the patriarchs saw by ‘E-il Sha-dai’ (G-d Almighty), [a double expression], whereas Balaam saw only by ‘the vision of’ the Almighty — two degrees lower than them [because only one Name of G-d is used, and he only saw a vision of it]. Therefore Balaam described himself as [one who saw the vision of the Almighty] with opened eyes, which is the degree of prophecy attained by the sons [i.e., the disciples] of the prophets, as it is said, Eternal, open the eyes of these men etc.,¹⁸⁴II Kings 6:20. and in connection with Balaam himself it says, upon his seeing the angel, And the Eternal opened the eyes of Balaam.¹⁸⁵Above, 22:31. Now do not [be induced to] think otherwise than that which we have explained in this matter, because of the statement of our Rabbis who said in the Sifre:¹⁸⁶Sifre, Berachah, 357. “And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses.¹⁸⁷Deuteronomy 34:10. In Israel there hath not arisen, but in the [other] nations of the world there has arisen. And who was he? It was Balaam. But there was a difference between the prophecy of Moses and that of Balaam, because Moses did not know about what G-d was going to speak to him [as will be explained further on], and Balaam knew about what He was going to speak to him, as it is said, The saying of him who heareth the words of G-d.¹⁷⁹Verse 4. Moses did not know when He would speak to him, as it is said, [then he heard the Voice] speaking unto him,¹⁸⁸Above, 7:89. and Balaam knew when He would speak to him, as it is said, and knoweth the knowledge of the Most High.¹⁸⁹Further, Verse 16. He spoke to Moses while he was standing, as it is said, But as for thee [Moses], ‘stand’ thou here by Me,¹⁹⁰Deuteronomy 5:28. and to Balaam He spoke when he was fallen down, as it is said, fallen down, yet with opened eyes.¹⁷⁹Verse 4. [The prophecy of Balaam may be] compared to the cook of a king, who knows what expenses the king has for [the food on] his table.”
The explanation of the meaning of this Beraitha¹⁹¹The teachings of the Sifre are considered Beraithoth. See in Vol. II, p. 133, Note 209, for fuller explanation of this term. is as follows: Scripture stated, And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses,¹⁸⁷Deuteronomy 34:10. and our Rabbis explained that this verse does not come to declare the superiority of Moses’ prophecy over that of the other prophets, since Scripture has already informed us of his superiority over them in two places — in the verse, And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the Name ‘E-il Sha-dai’ (G-d Almighty), but by My Name, the Eternal, was I not known unto them,¹⁸³Exodus 6:3. and in the verse, If there be a prophet among you etc.¹⁹²Above, 12:6. But now [in speaking of Moses’ prophecy]¹⁸⁷Deuteronomy 34:10. He did not say about Moses that he knew G-d, as Moses had requested, Show me now Thy ways, that I may know Thee,¹⁹³Exodus 33:13. for the verse there¹⁸⁷Deuteronomy 34:10. does not say that “he knew G-d face to face,” but says: whom ‘the Eternal’ knew face to face,¹⁸⁷Deuteronomy 34:10. because it is telling us an explanation of [the nature of] Moses’ prophecy. It is thus saying that to Moses our teacher [the Divine communication] used to come clearly, like one who speaks to his friend face to face,¹⁸⁷Deuteronomy 34:10. and tells him his words and his meaning until he sees from [the expression on] his face that he understands his words and his intention, and [indicates this] by saying so and by showing on his face that he recognizes what [his friend] wants. Thus the Rabbis [in the Sifre quoted above] said that Balaam had this [degree of prophecy only] when he prophesied in honor of Israel, for he fully understood the words of G-d and His intention and wish in all that was destined to happen to Israel. And even so there was still a difference between the prophecy of Moses and that of Balaam! For Moses did not know what He would tell him, and about what topic or which commandment He would speak to him, but he was ready at any time for the Divine communication, and the Holy One, blessed be He, would command him as He so desired. But Balaam had to concentrate and think about the [particular] matter which he wanted [G-d to speak to him about], and he would retire into solitude and prepare himself spiritually so that the [Divine] Spirit⁶³See Vol. I, p. 59, Note 237. See also ibid., pp. 228-231, where Ramban discusses at length the subject of angels in relation to prophecy. would come upon him, peradventure the Eternal will come to meet him, as is explicitly stated here [in our verse]. He knew [also] that if the Spirit were to come upon him, it would speak to him [only] about that subject which he had thought of, and not about any other matter. Furthermore, Moses did not know when He would speak to him, because he did not have any fixed time for the [Divine] communication, but whenever Moses wanted it and directed his mind towards [receiving] a Divine communication, He would speak to him; as Moses said, Stay ye, that I may hear what the Eternal will command concerning you,¹⁹⁴Above, 9:8. Although Moses had not been told in advance that G-d would speak to him, he knew that if he concentrated on receiving a Divine communication, he would surely receive one. and similarly whenever G-d wanted to command him from the Tent of Meeting,¹⁹⁵Leviticus 1:1. then he [Moses] heard the Voice speaking unto him.¹⁸⁸Above, 7:89. But Balaam knew how to determine the [exact] moment when he would have the [Divine] communication, and the Spirit would only rest upon him at that moment. Perhaps this is “the moment” that our Rabbis speak of in Tractate Berachoth¹⁹⁶Berachoth 7a. The Gemara there states that there is “one moment” every day when G-d, is angry, and Balaam knew precisely when that moment was. The anger is occasioned when the sun begins to shine “and the kings of the world put on their crowns and prostrate themselves to the sun.” — It is the Rabbis’ way of saying that the deification of nature by man occasions the displeasure of the Creator, for how could they change His glory for that which is His creation and tool! and in Tractate Sanhedrin,¹⁹⁷Sanhedrin 105b. The same text as in Berachoth 7a is also quoted there. and at that moment he [thought he] would utter the curse, and it was [only] at that moment that the Spirit would rest upon him, and never at any other time. Similarly the fact that Moses remained standing [during the Divine communication] indicates his superiority, whereas Balaam’s falling down denoted his inferiority, [implying] that he could not endure the prophecy, just as it says, if we hear the voice of the Eternal our G-d any more, then we shall die;¹⁹⁸Deuteronomy 5:22. Go thou near, and hear.¹⁹⁹Ibid., Verse 24. The Rabbis further said [in the Sifre quoted above]: “[The prophecy of Balaam may be] compared to the cook of a king, who knows etc.” [This comparison refers] to the first distinction [between Moses’ prophecy and that of Balaam, namely, that Moses did not know in advance about what G-d would speak to him, whereas Balaam did know], and the intention of the Rabbis thereby is to say that the cook knows what are the expenses of the [upkeep of the] king’s table, but his minister who is trusted in all his house²⁰⁰A reference to Moses. See above, 12:7. and knows his secrets, does not know the expenses of the household. This example indicates that the Sages’ intention was to say that Balaam himself knew, after concentrating [his intention on receiving a Divine communication], that G-d would tell him [to say]: How shall I curse, whom G-d hath not cursed?²⁰¹Above, 23:8. and the whole of the blessing [mentioned in the verses], and that afterwards he would hear the communication in [precisely] those words which he had thought of in his heart. This is, as I have mentioned,²⁰²Ibid., 22:5; 31. because he was a diviner, and thus future [events which would befall the people of Israel] would come into his heart [through divination]; but now on account of Israel he also heard the [Divine] utterance about them, and therefore he now prided himself, saying, The saying of him who heareth the words of G-d.¹⁷⁹Verse 4.
Now I have seen this same subject which is taught in the Sifre [quoted above] said in another form in the homiletics of Bamidbar Sinai Rabbah,²⁰³Bamidbar Rabbah 20:1. but there is no need for me to prolong [this subject]. The general idea is that the Sages intended to say that Balaam’s prophecy came to him in words which he clearly understood, and the reason for this was, as the Sages have said,²⁰³Bamidbar Rabbah 20:1. so that the nations of the world should not have an excuse to say: “If we had had a prophet like Moses, we would have served the Holy One, blessed be He.” But the degree of Balaam’s prophecy was [nonetheless] lower than that of the other prophets, because it was [only] by the ‘vision’ of the Almighty,¹⁷⁹Verse 4. as we have explained. And so also the Rabbis have said in Vayikra Rabbah:²⁰⁴Vayikra Rabbah 1:13. “The Holy One, blessed be He, only revealed Himself to the prophets of the [other] nations of the world with a half-communication,’ as it is said: ‘Vayikar Elokim’ (And G-d ‘happened to meet’ Balaam²⁰⁵Above, 23:4. [instead of saying ‘vayikra’ Elokim — and G-d ‘called’ to Balaam], but to the prophets of Israel [He revealed Himself] with a complete communication, as it is said: ‘Vayikra’ (And He called) unto Moses.”¹⁹⁵Leviticus 1:1. The meaning of [the expression] “a half-communication” you will understand from what we have explained [above].

לקראת נחשים, he stopped trying to divine the precise hour when a curse could stick to the Israelites, seeing that by no he had realised that it pleased G’d to bless the Jewish people. There was no hope that any curse could become effective.

וירא בלעם כי טוב, Bileam realised that it was good in the eyes of G'd, etc. In view of the Midrash we quoted on 22,12 that G'd had told Bileam that he should neither curse the Israelites nor bless them seeing they were blessed already and had no need for his blessing, how could Bileam assume that it pleased G'd if he continued blessing this people? We must therefore understand Bileam differently. Up until now he had been forced to bless this people although initially G'd had told him not to bless them seeing they were blessed already. In view of his experience so far Bileam had found out that G'd had turned his intended curses into blessings. Seeing this was possible, Bileam now reasoned that G'd could also do the reverse, i.e. turn his voluntary blessings into curses. On the other hand, if we add what we explained on 23,5 that it had not really been Bileam who had pronounced the blessings but an angel using his mouth as the vehicle, Bileam now concluded that there was really no point in consulting all kinds of charms, etc. but that he might as well bow to the inevitable. ולא הלן כפעם, and he did not go as on previous occasions, etc. He concluded a) that there was no point in it, b) that the charms had proved ineffective anyway. He therefore decided to change his strategy and turned his face towards the desert, i.e. to examine how the Israelites had angered their G'd while they had travelled through the desert. He hoped to find something which would enable G'd to let him curse these people.

ולא הלך כפעם בפעם לקרת נחשים, to try different locations in order to find one from which he could curse the people. The Torah reports that as of now Bileam had his heart in blessing the Israelites. As a result, ותהי עליו רוח אלוקים, the spirit of G’d now remained with him. G’d now inspired him out of a feeling of genuine liking for him.

ולא הלך כפעם כפעם לקראת נחשים, “he no longer went as every other time, toward divinations.” Nachmanides writes that on the previous occasions Bileam employed his sorcerer’s tools, wanting to curse the people, but Hashem happened upon him, i.e. as if by accident, not to endow him with real prophetic insights. Now that Bileam had been told by G’d, i.e. had been made to declare publicly that Israel is superior because it does not resort to divinations, etc., he absorbed the lesson and no longer resorted to the tools of his trade before viewing the people and awaiting inspiration. This is also why the Torah now explains that the source of Bileam’s inspiration had changed and

ולא הלך כפעם בפעם לקראת נחשים, “and he did not go as every other time towards divinations. The reason was that he had been told: “divinations are useless in connection with Yaakov” (23,23). As a result of abandoning this venue Bileam was granted a measure of Holy Spirit (verse 2).

I will mention their sins… The correct text is as follows: “Whether or not He wants to curse, I will mention…” Meaning, whether He wants to curse them or not, I will mention their sins.

Kap. 24. V. 1 וירא. Erst jetzt war der Nebel vollends von Bileams Sinn geschwunden, er glaubte nicht mehr, durch seine Magie einen umstimmenden Einfluss auf Gottes Entschlüsse herbeiführen zu können. Was sein Mund Verse 9 u. 20 des vorigen Kapitels gesprochen, das war jetzt Wahrheit in seinem Herzen. Darum schaute er einfach von dem ihm durch Balak angewiesenen Standpunkt hinaus in die Wüste und wartete, ob Gott sich ferner seiner als Organ bedienen wollte.

'ולא הלך וגו, “he did not continue to attempt using divinations;” he knew that such attempts would be futile. From this point on he blessed the Israelites with a full heart. G–d Himself assisted him in doing so. This is why the Torah immediately testifies at that point the spirit of Hashem came to rest upon him. Alternately, Bileam’s mindset actually was not deterred, but G–d forced him to utter blessings because he had been so inspired from above.

ולא הלך כפעם בפעם, “and he did not go aspreviously time after time;” seeing that there was no point in continuing to manipulate the G-d of the Israelites, Bileam knew that he had G-d’s approval as the Torah wrote in Numbers verse 2 that the spirit of the Lord had settled upon him. (B’chor shor)

ולא הלך כפעם בפעם HE WENT NOT, AS AT OTHER TIMES — as he had already done twice.

וישא אל המדבר פניו, to bestow limited blessings on them, blessings which contained potential harm for the nation if it did not live up to the premise underlying the blessings. Our sages (Taanit 20) have illustrated this point when they said “the curse of the prophet Achiyah from Shiloh was easier to live with than having to live with Bileam’s blessings.”

וישת אל המדבר פניו, “he set his face toward the desert.” Israel was encamped there in the wilderness of Moav. Bileam faced them to that he could see them, concentrate on what he was going to say, and make sure that his blessings would take full effect.
Rashi explains the words in accordance with Onkelos, who says ושוי לקבל עגלא דעבדו למדברא אפוהי, “to the calf which they had made in the desert.” According to Rashi, Bileam hoped to be able to curse the people. The author queries if Rashi had an accurate text of the Targum, seeing he only quotes two words from the Targum, i.e. ושוי למדברא, These words need not mean that Bileam addressed the spirit of impurity which resides in the desert and which caused the Israelites to fall victim to the sin of the golden calf.
Whenever Bileam wanted to receive inspiration from Hashem, the Torah first mentions that he offered an ox and a ram as burnt-offering (23,2). The reason Bileam requested Balak’s assistance in these sacrificial procedures was because he, Bileam, addressed the attribute of Mercy, whereas Balak was to address the attribute of Justice. This is the meaning of “he set his face toward the desert,” and on this occasion we do not read about Balak assisting in the procedures at all. [Our author considers Bileam alone the subject of the word ויעל פר ואיל במזבח, he did not want the attribute of Justice to be addressed at all as this would interfere with his train of thought. It is difficult to read this into the text. Ed.].

As Targum Onkelos renders. [Meaning:] He mentioned the sin of the [Golden] Calf they made in the desert.

We may also understand the word המדבר as related to דבור, speech; in Numbers 27,3 אבינו מת במדבר the Zohar volume 3 page 205 understands the word in that sense. If we follow this path Bileam referred to the fact that on each of the ten occasions on which the Israelites had angered G'd in the desert their sin consisted of what they said, i.e. דבור. Bileam was confident that amongst all the Israelites he was looking at there must have been a number who had been guilty of one or several of the rebellious comments which had angered G'd so often.

וישת אל המדבר פניו, “and he raised his eyes in the direction of the desert.” This was the region where the fields of Moav were located, the area where the Israelites were located at the time.

לקראת נחשים TO SEEK SEEK FOR ENCHANTMENTS — to practise enchantments whereby the Lord might perhaps come to meet him according to his (Balaam’s) wish. He said: Whether He wishes or does not wish to curse them, I will make mention of their sins, and the curse will fall upon them at the mention of their sins, therefore —

We can also take our cue from another comment of the Zohar volume 2 page 157 in which the מדבר, desert, is described as the "home" of Satan, i.e. the angel of death and the forces at his command. Bileam looked towards this region in order to awaken the forces of Satan, etc. Satan's armies are all hostile to Israel. Bileam was careful to say פניו, "his face," using a word describing his anger. One of the means to draw G'd near is שמחה ולב טוב, joy and being of good cheer. On the other hand, one attracts the forces of Satan when one is in a vile mood, angry, etc. Bileam displayed his bad mood, פניו, in the direction of Satan to secure his help. An example of the use of פני "My (angry) face," is found in Exodus 33,14 where G'd describes His presence as dangerous to the Jewish people when He is in the frame of mind described as פני.

וישת אל המדבר פניו HE SET HIS FACE TOWARDS THE WILDERNESS — Understand this as the Targum has it (Rashi’s Targum read, as in some editions: He directed his face towards the calf that the children of Israel had made in the wilderness).

There is still another way of explaining our verse. Bileam realised that only someone who is good himself is worthy to bless G'd's people, (compare Proverbs 22,9: "the generous man is blessed"); our sages in Sotah 38 suggest that in order to correctly understand this verse in Proverbs the word Yevorach "blessed," should be punctuated as if it had been written yevarech i.e. "he will bless." Inasmuch as Bileam was known for his avarice, he was obviously not suited to be the instrument G'd would choose to bless His people. Bileam now understood that he personally was unfit to bless the people and that the blessings which had come out of his mouth had been spoken by the angel. This is why he concluded that there was no point in heaping more sin upon himself by consulting his charms. Instead, he faced the desert, a place described in Exodus 18,5 as the place where G'd's Presence rests. Bileam made a spiritual turnabout, became a penitent, -but only in order to become worthy to bless the lsraelites.-The Torah informs us that he did not do so out of free volition, but לפנים, he did so in order to deceive G'd into believing he had done תשובה. Perhaps he did so only in order to fool the angel who had put the bar in his mouth. If he could get the angel to remove the bar, he would pronounce blessings of his own accord which were designed to cause harm to the people receiving same. According to Sanhedrin 105 he actually did so when he said כנחלים נטיו, "as valleys stretched out, etc." (24,6). The Talmud points out that this meant that the Israelites should not have orchards and vineyards. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit invalidated Bileam's evil intention, turning these so-called blessings into the real thing.