Musar sobre Números 23:9

We have now learned that the three parts of the Tabernacle correspond to the three parts of the universe concerning which King David said in Psalms 103,20: "Bless the Lord, O, His angels, mighty creatures who do His bidding, ever obedient to His bidding. Bless the Lord all His hosts, His servants who do His will; bless the Lord all His works, through the length and breadth of His realm." David's son Solomon also adopted his father's outlook when he alluded to this in three consecutive verses in Song of Songs 5,13-15. Three different parts of the human body form the subject of those verses, each one representing a different aspect of the universe and how man's composition reflects this division of the universe into three constituent parts. I (Rabbenu Bachyah) have explained this in detail when I discussed Jacob's dream of the ladder." Thus far the quotation from Rabbenu Bachyah.

The gifts Israel received from the שרים of Esau, Ishmael and others are what is alluded to by Bileam (Numbers 23,9) when he said of Israel: הן עם לבדד ישכון ובגוים לא יתחשב. "It is a nation which resides in solitary splendour and is not included in the count of nations." A special reward is reserved for Israel, but they also participate in any good the Gentiles receive. This latter participation in the good received by the Gentiles לא יתחשב, is not counted i.e. is not deducted from their general reward. Compare Rashi on this verse.

Now Bileam concludes the blessing with the words עלי מים, words of which G–d fully approves, and he grants Him Divine insight, so that he can say that nothing will actually destroy such a cedar. A cedar planted on the waters is superior to a reed that stands in the water, since it is far stronger. It is impervious to all winds, whereas the reed is bent over by most winds. This is a clear allusion to the fact that something that was once subjected to a curse emerges much stronger than before it had been cursed. Even while the curse, i.e. exile, was the fate of the Jewish people, only the South wind, could affect it; other winds did not prove harmful.

Those who ask this question do not really display much wisdom. The very quality that enabled Isaac to be judged by the attribute of Justice is what secures Israel's eventual lofty status, its joining the ranks of בני עליון, superior beings. First we must examine the meaning of the מדרשים, Bereshit Rabbah 12,15 et al., which report G–d as having wanted to create a universe that would be administered solely by the attribute of Justice. These Midrashim report that when G–d realized that such a universe could not endure for long, He co-opted the attribute of Mercy. I have dealt with this problem at length on page 14 of this volume, where I also explained that one must not conceive of G–d as having "changed His mind," having abandoned a previous plan, seeing לא בן אדם ויתנחם, "He is not human that He should have regrets" (Numbers 23,9). All that happened to G–d's original plan is that instead of the yardstick of the attribute of Justice being applied universally, it is applied only to בני עליה, the truly righteous. To them G–d applies the most stringent yardstick. It is the application to them of the undiluted attribute of Justice which stamps them as superior creatures, בני עליה. They are but few in numbers. G–d applies a mixture of the attributes of Justice and Mercy to the vast majority of people. In the future under discussion, however, when everybody will qualify as a member of that formerly select group, everybody will be judged by the undiluted attribute of Justice and will prevail even under such scrutiny. It is impossible for people nowadays to qualify for such a status until after their bodies, i.e. the raw-material their bodies are made of, have undergone a process of refinement such as the experience of exile and other afflictions. The more of such suffering the Jewish people experiences, the greater the evidence that G–d has decided to become very exacting with us in order to prepare us for that idyllic state. When viewed under this perspective, we understand that the application of the attribute of Justice is really an expression of the greatest love, חסד, of G–d for the Jewish people.