Kabbalah sobre Números 24:28

It is written of Bilaam that "he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments" (Bemidbar 24:1), as was his wont, being a diviner. Of Laban too, the scripture says, "I have learnt by signs" (Beresheet 30:27), which means that he consulted magic and sorcery to learn of Jacob's plans. When he wanted to destroy Jacob, he planned to do it by enchantment and sorcery, but the Holy One, blessed be He, did not permit him to do so. Rather, He said to him: "that you speak not."

But come and behold, "and his spirit was troubled (Heb. וַתִּפָּעֶם)" corresponds to "And the spirit of Hashem began to move him (Heb. לְפַעֲמוֹ)" (Judges 13:25), for the spirit would appear and disappear, come and go, yet not settle upon him properly. It is therefore written, "And the spirit of Hashem began to move him," when (the spirit) just began (to inspire him). Here also the spirit would appear and leave, then appear, but would not settle upon him, so that he could understand. Of Nebuchadnezzar it is written, "and his spirit was troubled (Heb. וַתִּתְפָּעֶם)," for the inspiration was twice as strong. It would come and go, as it is written, "as on previous occasions (Heb. כְּפַעַם בְּפַעַם, lit. 'as time to time')" (I Shmuel 3:10), now upon this and now upon that, but his mind was not settled.

"And God saw the light, it was good;" What was it that He saw, that was good? Rabbi Hiyya said that this implies that He foresaw the actions of the wicked, and still stored the light, for reasons we've said before. But, Rabbi Aba says, "And God saw the light, it was good;" because it was good to hide. He saw its radiance beaming from one end of the world to the other, and He saw that it was better to conceal it, so that sinners might not benefit from it. Rabbi Shimon said that no anger or judgement may be found in "And God saw the light, it was good;" After all, it is written, "Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel" (Num. 24:1) and this is proven by the verse's closing, "And God divided the light from the darkness" (Gen. 1:4), to snuff wrath, even though the Holy One, Blessed be He, later (re-)combined the two.

And we need to wake you up to the many places in the Torah where the name Y"ah is said, as for example: "" (Exodus 17:16). What is 'from generation to generation'? And this is the explanation of the verse: the evil Amalek came from the power of the Primordial Snake, and Amalek's clinging and power come from there, and from the moment that the Primordial Snake threw its pollution on Chava, Adam cut the saplings upward and separated himself, distanced, and this is the secret of the separation of the Shechinah whose essence among the lower ones was "and the dove did not find a resting place for her foot" (Gen. 8:9). Even though Israel stood at Sinai and their pollution ceased, the defect of the moon did not cease permanently, and only at certain times, such as when the appropriate sacrifices were brought, goats on which it was known that Se'ir [a play on the words, goat, sa'ir and Se'ir] was clung onto, which is the first force of Amalek, as in "the first of peoples, Amalek" (Numbers 24:20). And when Amalek came it added sin to the defect of the moon, and it hurt the sciatic nerve on Yaakov, and therefore the kingship of David spread out. And behold, when the saplings were cut in the time of the Primordial Adam and Amalek hurt the sciatic nerve on Yaakov the reading of Amalek was established/fixed. And behold, this is, as if it were possible, that the last two letters of the Name were made defective through Amalek, and the reason is that the hand of YHV"H touched them, as in "and the hand of YHV"H was against them" (I Samuel 12:15). And it says "a snake makes its way over a rock" (Prov. 30:19) and its hint: "And Amalek came and waged war against Israel in Refidim" (Ex. 17:8). Refidim = Refyion yadayim (weakness of hands, see Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 17:8:4). And therefore it is necessary to say that the Primordial Snake and Amalek both hurt the two last letters of the Name, which are vav and hey, and what was left were the letters yud and hey in which they did not extend hand, since there is not place [in those letters] for the higher princes, because they [the letters] are Above, as we explained. And therefore [the text says] "a hand on the throne of Ya'h", the touched the Throne [kise, kaf-samech-alef] and made a defect on it, and it remained kaf"samech, they hurt the two last letters and Y"ah remained, and therefore, 'al kes Y'ah".

What is the opinion of Rabbi Elazar? From the verse, "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake" (Daniel 12:2). It is understood by, "those who sleep," (only some will rise); these are the Righteous (who repented) while they were alive, who will rise early. By how many years do they precede other people? Rabbi Yehuda replied, By two hundred and ten years. Rabbi Yitzchak said, Resh Dalet Yud ('210') years, as it is written, "Out of Jacob shall come (Heb. Yerd, Yud Resh Dalet) a ruler" (Num. 24:19). This indicates that the Righteous precede other men by two hundred and ten years. Rav Nachman said, Precedence depends on how much the body is worn in the dust. Rabbi Yosi said to him, If this be true, then there are many resurrections. All revivals will occur at the same time, as was said in the vision, "and the word was true, and for a long period ahead" (Daniel 10:1).

He said to him, It is written, "He went not, as at other time, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness" (Num. 24:1). Rabbi Yitzchak said that the lower side, which comes from the unholy spirit above, is the unholy spirit that ruled over the wilderness at the time when the children of Yisrael defiled themselves by committing the sin of the golden calf. He cast his spells to all directions in order to uproot the children of Yisrael, but could not do so.

The three heads of Atika
Three heads were engraved within each other, that is, the concealed Chochmah within the skull, and above each other, that is, the unknowable head above the skull. He explains, one head is concealed Chochmah, which is covered and unopened. This concealed Chochmah is the head for every head of any other Chochmah. This is the first head going upward. The second head is the upper head, the most concealed Atika Kadisha. It is the skull of Arich Anpin. The third highest head is the beginning of every beginning, a head that is not a head. That is, a head denotes the beginning of expansion and comprehension; yet nothing of this head is comprehensible, because what is inside this head does not know, nor is it known, since it is attached to neither wisdom nor understanding. Hence it is called, “Therefore now flee to your place” (Bemidbar 24:11), “And the living creatures ran and returned” (Yechezkel 1:14), because it is incomprehensible.

Of Bilaam, it is written: "The speech of the man whose eyes are open" (Num. 24:3), meaning that he had an evil eye, and wherever he looked, he drew the spirit of destruction on it. That is why he wanted to gaze on Yisrael, so that he could destroy all that his eye could see. Thus, it is written: "And Bilaam lifted up his eyes" (Ibid. 2), meaning he raised one eye and lowered the other, attempting to gaze on Yisrael with the evil eye.

In the book of Aggadah of Rav Yeva Saba he said, if they are deserving, it is metzach (forehead), Atika’s forehead, that is, the forehead of will. If they are not deserving, the letters are transmuted to machatz (smite) as said, “and shall smite the corners of Moab” (Bemidbar 24:17), that is, it metes out punishment to the wicked, as said above.