וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר ק֤וּם בָּלָק֙ וּֽשֲׁמָ֔ע הַאֲזִ֥ינָה עָדַ֖י בְּנ֥וֹ צִפֹּֽר׃
Il proféra son oracle en ces termes: "Prépare-toi, Balak, à m’entendre; prête-moi _l’oreille, fils de Cippor!
Midrash Tanchuma
(Numb. 23:11-14:) “And Balak said to Balaam, ‘What have you done to me; to curse….’ And Balaam answered and said, ‘Is it not that that which God places into my mouth….’ And Balak said to Balaam, ‘Please go [and] I will take you….’ So he took him to the Field of Zophim [at the top of Pisgah].” He saw that Israel would be breached there, for it was there that Moses died, as stated (in Deut. 3:27), “Go up to the top of Pisgah …, [for you shall not cross over this Jordan].” Is there a breach greater than this? What he saw was through divinations, and he was of the opinion that because of him they would fall there. (Numb. 23:14-16:) “And he built seven altars [and offered a ram and a bull on each altar]. Then he said unto Balak, ‘Stand here [beside your burnt offerings and let me make myself available to the Lord over there]….’ And God appeared to Balaam and he placed a word (davar) in his mouth.” Like a man who places a bit upon the mouth of his animal and twists him to where he wants [it to go]. So was the Holy One, blessed be He, twisting his mouth. When he said to him, “Return to Balak and bless them,” he said, “Why should I go to him to anguish him?” [So] he sought to go to [his own home] and not to Balak. The Holy One, blessed be He, put a bit into his mouth, [and said] (in Numb. 23:16, cont.) “Return to Balak and speak thus.” (Numb 23:17:) “So he [came] unto him, and there he was standing beside his burnt offerings together with the ministers of Moab.” Concerning the first occasion, it is written (in Numb. 23:6), “with all the ministers of Moab.”59Numb. R. 20:20. When they saw that they had derived no benefit at all, they left him; and only a small portion of the ministers of Moab were left with him. (Numb. 23:17:) “Balak said to him, ‘What did the Lord say?’” When he saw that [Balaam] was not in control of himself to say what he wanted, [Balak] sat himself down and mocked him. As soon as he saw that he was mocking him, Balaam said to him, “Get up from there. It is not fitting to sit while the words of the Omnipresent are being spoken.” (Numb. 23:18:) “Rise up Balak and listen; give ear to me, you son of Zippor!” Both of them were [distinguished] sons of [undistinguished] fathers, for they had made themselves greater than their fathers.60On the importance of having a distinguished lineage, see, e.g., Ta‘an 21b. [Hence (in Numb. 24:3),] “An oracle of Balaam son of Beor (literally, his son is Beor)”; (in Numb 23:18) “give ear to me, you son of Zippor (literally, his son is Zippor)!” 61The unusual wording of Numb. 23:18 and 24:3 suggests that Balak and Balaam both had fathers undistinguished enough to be called their sons. (Numb. 23:19:) “God is not a human, that he should speak falsehood.” He is not like flesh and blood. [When a person of] flesh and blood acquires friends and finds others nicer than they, he forsakes the former ones. But [the Holy One, blessed be He,] is not like that. It is not possible [for Him] to be false to the oath of the early ancestors. (Ibid., cont.:) “Has he promised and not fulfilled?” (This phrase can also be read as, “He has promised and not fulfilled.”) When he promises to bring evils upon them, He will cancel them, if they have repented. You find it written (in Exod. 22:19), “Whoever sacrifices to a god shall be devoted to destruction.” When they made the calf, they merited destruction. So I thought to curse and destroy them. But when they repented a little, He suspended [any punishment] and (according to Exod. 32:14) “The Lord repented of the evil which He had planned to do to His people.” And so too in many places. As he said to Jochaniah (in Jer. 22:30), “as none of his seed shall succeed….” But He said to his son’s son (in Hag. 2:22), “And I will overturn the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the might of the kingdoms of the nations,” since it is stated (Hag. 2:23), “’On that day,’ declares the Lord of Hosts, ‘I will take you, O My servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and make you as a signet.’” And so He suspended what He said to his [grand]father (in Jer. 22:24), “’As I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘if you, O King Coniah, son of Jehoiakim, of Judah, were a signet on My right hand, I would tear you off even from there.’” And so with the men of Anatoth, it is written (in Jer. 11:23), “No remnant shall be left of them, for I will bring disaster on the men of Anathoth.” [But] once they repented, see what is written (in Neh. 7:27), “The men of Anatoth were one hundred and twenty-eight.”
Bamidbar Rabbah
“Then Israel sang” – why is Moses not mentioned there? It is because he was punished by means of water, and a person does not laud his executioner. Why is the name of the Holy One blessed be He not mentioned in it? This is analogous to a ruler who prepared a feast for the king. The king said: ‘Is my close friend there?’ They said to him: ‘No.’ He said: ‘I too will not go there.’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He said: Since Moses is not mentioned there, I too am not mentioned there.
“A well that princes dug, that the nobles of the people excavated, with a ruler’s staff, with their canes. And from the wilderness to Matana” (Numbers 23:18).
“A well that princes dug, that the nobles of the people excavated” – was there digging there? Rather, it was given due to the merit of the patriarchs, who were called princes, as it is stated: “He opened a rock and water flowed.… For He remembered His sacred word to Abraham His servant” (Psalms 105:41–42).
“That the nobles of the people excavated, with a ruler’s staff, with their canes” – the princes stood atop it drawing with their staffs, each and every one to his tribe and to his family. The space between the banners was filled with water flowing with a powerful current. A woman who needed to go to her friend from one banner to another would go by ship, as it is stated: “They went batziyot in the river” (Psalms 105:41). Tziyot means nothing other than ships, as it is stated: “A mighty ship [vetzi] will not cross it” (Isaiah 33:21). The water emerged outside the camp and surrounded it in a broad swath, as it is stated: “He leads me in circles of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalms 23:3). It causes endless varieties of vegetation and trees to grow, as it is stated: “He lies me down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters” (Psalms 23:2). All the days that they were in the wilderness, they made use of it in this way. That is why they lauded: “Rise, well.… that princes dug” (Numbers 21:17–18). “And from the wilderness to Matana”73The word matana means a gift. – it was given to them in the wilderness to serve them.
Another matter: Why was it given in the wilderness?74The midrash here interprets the verse as referring to the Torah. It is because had it been given to them in the Land [of Israel], the tribe within whose boundary it was would say: I take precedence in its regard. That is why it was given in the wilderness, so that they would all be equal in its regard.
Moreover, why was it given in the wilderness? Just as the wilderness is not sown and not cultivated, so, one who accepts the yoke of Torah, they unload the yoke of earning a livelihood from him. Just as the wilderness is exempt from tax,75Nothing grows there, so there is nothing to tax. so, masters of Torah are free men in this world.
Another matter: In the wilderness – who sustains the Torah?76This is a reference to one who knows the content of the Torah. It is one who conducts himself like a wilderness and withdraws himself from everything.
“And from Matana to Naḥaliel, and from Naḥaliel to Bamot. And from Bamot to the canyon that is in the field of Moav, by the top of Pisga, and overlooks the surface of the wasteland” (Numbers 21:19–20).
“And from Matana to Naḥaliel, and from Naḥaliel to Bamot” – three places, corresponding to the three courts in Jerusalem that would explain the Torah to all of Israel. “From Matana to Naḥaliel” – this is the Sanhedrin that was on the Temple Mount.77Naḥaliel can be read as the portion [naḥalat] of God [El] (see Eshed Haneḥalim). “And from Naḥaliel to Bamot” – this is the Sanhedrin that was in the Courtyard, alongside the altar.78Bama can refer to an altar (see Eshed Haneḥalim). “And from Bamot to the canyon that is in the field of Moav” – this was the Sanhedrin that was in the Chamber of Hewn Stone, in the area of Ruth,79This refers to the tribal portion of Judah, as Ruth was an ancestor of King David from the tribe of Judah. who came from the field of Moav – “she is a young Moavite woman who returned with Naomi from the field of Moav” (Ruth 2:6).
“And overlooks the surface of the wasteland” – this is the well that accompanied them until it entered the sea of Tiberias. One who stands upon the surface of the wasteland80Mount Nevo. sees it in the sea like an oven full, and that is the well that is overlooked from the surface of the wasteland.
“A well that princes dug, that the nobles of the people excavated, with a ruler’s staff, with their canes. And from the wilderness to Matana” (Numbers 23:18).
“A well that princes dug, that the nobles of the people excavated” – was there digging there? Rather, it was given due to the merit of the patriarchs, who were called princes, as it is stated: “He opened a rock and water flowed.… For He remembered His sacred word to Abraham His servant” (Psalms 105:41–42).
“That the nobles of the people excavated, with a ruler’s staff, with their canes” – the princes stood atop it drawing with their staffs, each and every one to his tribe and to his family. The space between the banners was filled with water flowing with a powerful current. A woman who needed to go to her friend from one banner to another would go by ship, as it is stated: “They went batziyot in the river” (Psalms 105:41). Tziyot means nothing other than ships, as it is stated: “A mighty ship [vetzi] will not cross it” (Isaiah 33:21). The water emerged outside the camp and surrounded it in a broad swath, as it is stated: “He leads me in circles of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalms 23:3). It causes endless varieties of vegetation and trees to grow, as it is stated: “He lies me down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters” (Psalms 23:2). All the days that they were in the wilderness, they made use of it in this way. That is why they lauded: “Rise, well.… that princes dug” (Numbers 21:17–18). “And from the wilderness to Matana”73The word matana means a gift. – it was given to them in the wilderness to serve them.
Another matter: Why was it given in the wilderness?74The midrash here interprets the verse as referring to the Torah. It is because had it been given to them in the Land [of Israel], the tribe within whose boundary it was would say: I take precedence in its regard. That is why it was given in the wilderness, so that they would all be equal in its regard.
Moreover, why was it given in the wilderness? Just as the wilderness is not sown and not cultivated, so, one who accepts the yoke of Torah, they unload the yoke of earning a livelihood from him. Just as the wilderness is exempt from tax,75Nothing grows there, so there is nothing to tax. so, masters of Torah are free men in this world.
Another matter: In the wilderness – who sustains the Torah?76This is a reference to one who knows the content of the Torah. It is one who conducts himself like a wilderness and withdraws himself from everything.
“And from Matana to Naḥaliel, and from Naḥaliel to Bamot. And from Bamot to the canyon that is in the field of Moav, by the top of Pisga, and overlooks the surface of the wasteland” (Numbers 21:19–20).
“And from Matana to Naḥaliel, and from Naḥaliel to Bamot” – three places, corresponding to the three courts in Jerusalem that would explain the Torah to all of Israel. “From Matana to Naḥaliel” – this is the Sanhedrin that was on the Temple Mount.77Naḥaliel can be read as the portion [naḥalat] of God [El] (see Eshed Haneḥalim). “And from Naḥaliel to Bamot” – this is the Sanhedrin that was in the Courtyard, alongside the altar.78Bama can refer to an altar (see Eshed Haneḥalim). “And from Bamot to the canyon that is in the field of Moav” – this was the Sanhedrin that was in the Chamber of Hewn Stone, in the area of Ruth,79This refers to the tribal portion of Judah, as Ruth was an ancestor of King David from the tribe of Judah. who came from the field of Moav – “she is a young Moavite woman who returned with Naomi from the field of Moav” (Ruth 2:6).
“And overlooks the surface of the wasteland” – this is the well that accompanied them until it entered the sea of Tiberias. One who stands upon the surface of the wasteland80Mount Nevo. sees it in the sea like an oven full, and that is the well that is overlooked from the surface of the wasteland.
Bamidbar Rabbah
“He said to Balak: Stand here with your burnt offering, and I will be happened upon there” (Numbers 23:15).
“The Lord happened upon Bilam, and placed speech in his mouth, and said: Return to Balak, and so shall you speak” (Numbers 23:16).
“He built seven altars…stand here with your burnt offering…. The Lord happened upon Bilam, and placed speech in his mouth” – like a person who places an iron bit in an animal’s mouth and restrains it, and leads it to wherever he wishes. So, the Holy One blessed be He restrained his mouth. When he said to him: "Return to Balak" and bless them, he said: ‘What, am I going there to disappoint him [Balak]?’ He sought to go off on his own. The Holy One Blessed be He placed an iron bit for him. “Return to Balak, and so you shall speak.”
He came to him, and, behold, he was standing with his burnt offering, and the princes of Moav with him. Balak said to him: What did the Lord speak?” (Numbers 23:17).
“He came to him, and, behold, he was standing with his burnt offering” – initially, it is written in his regard: “He, and all the princes of Moav” (Numbers 23:6). When they saw that it was to no avail, they left him, and only some of the princes of Moav remained with him.62Before it said “all” the princes of Moav, and now it only says “the princes of Moav.”
“Balak said to him: What did the Lord speak?” He [Balak] saw that he [Bilam] was not under his own control, to say what he would have wanted; he [Balak] sat himself down and was mocking him. When Bilam saw that he was mocking him, Bilam said to him: 'Stand, you are not permitted to sit when the words of the Omnipresent are being said.'
“He took up his parable and said: Rise, Balak, and hear; listen to me, son of Tzipor” (Numbers 23:18).
“Rise, Balak, and hear; listen to me, son of Tzipor” – both of them were worth one hundred dinars, sons of [men worth] half that, as they rendered themselves greater than their fathers.
“God is not a man, that He will deceive, or the son of man, that He will reconsider; will He say and not perform, or speak and not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19).
“God is not a man, that He will deceive” – He is not like flesh and blood, as flesh and blood acquires friends, finds others better than they are, and forsakes the first ones. But He is not so. It is impossible for Him to reconsider the oath of the initial patriarchs.
“He will say and not perform”63The simple understanding is that this statement is a rhetorical question, but it is expounded and interpreted as a statement. – He says to bring evil upon them, but if they repent, he nullifies the evil. You find written in the Torah: “One who sacrifices to gods will be destroyed” (Exodus 22:19). They crafted the calf and were deserving of elimination, and I thought to curse them and eradicate them. A short time later they repented and he nullified it: “The Lord reconsidered the evil” (Exodus 32:14).
Likewise in many places, as He said regarding Yekhonya: “As no man of his descendants will succeed” (Jeremiah 22:30), and it says: “I will overturn the thrones of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations” (Haggai 2:22). “On that day, the utterance of the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubavel son of She’altiel,64See II Chronicles 17–19, and the Radak on verse 18; he explains that all the people mentioned in verse 18 were the sons of She’altiel. My servant, the utterance of the Lord, and I will make you like a signet upon my heart.”65This is an allusion to “place me as a signet upon your heart” (Song of Songs 8:6). He abrogated what He had said to his father: “As I live, the utterance of the Lord, for if Konya66This is a reference to Yehoyakhin the son of Yehoyakim, who was exiled to Babylonia eleven years before the destruction of the Temple. See II Kings 24:8–17. son of Yehoyakim king of Judah, would be a signet upon My right hand, then from there I would sever you” (Jeremiah 22:24).
Likewise, regarding the people of Anatot: “There will be no remnant of them” (Jeremiah 11:23). When they repented, He sustained them, as it is written: “The people of Anatot, one hundred [and twenty-eight]” (Nehemiah 7:27).
“He did not behold evil in Jacob, and did not see sin in Israel; the Lord his God is with him, and the blast of the King is in its midst” (Numbers 23:21).
“He did not behold evil in Jacob” – He does not look at the transgressions that they have made, but rather, He looks only at the matters of which they are proud.
“The Lord his God is with him, and the blast of the King is in its midst.” ‘[Balak,] you said to me: “Go, please, curse Jacob for me” (Numbers 22:6). An orchard that has a guard, the thief cannot damage it, but if he is sleeping, the thief enters. But these, “Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalms 121:4). How can I harm them?’
“The Lord his God is with him” – Balak said to him: 'Since you cannot touch them due to Moses, their functionary, see what will be with the one that will replace him.' He said to him: 'He is tough like him; "and the blast of the King is in its midst" – he sounds an uninterrupted shofar blast, and an interrupted shofar blast topples a wall.'67See Joshua 6:20.
“God, who took them out of Egypt, is like the horns of the wild ox for them” (Numbers 23:22).
“God, who took them out of Egypt” – [Bilam said to Balak:] ‘You said to me: “A people emerged from Egypt” (Numbers 22:5), on their own. That is not so, but rather, He took them out.’
“Like the horns [ketoafot] of the wild ox” – this is His mode: If they sin a little, he lowers them like a bird, as it is stated: “Ephraim, its glory will fly away like a bird [keof yitofef]” (Hosea 9:11). If they merit, He elevates them like a cloud, as it is stated: “Who are these who fly like a cloud?” (Isaiah 60:8).
“For there is no divination in Jacob, and no sorcery in Israel; now, it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, what God has wrought” (Numbers 23:23).
“For there is no divination in Jacob, and no sorcery in Israel” – you circulate, divine, and engage in sorcery; in what way will you dominate them? They are not so. When they need to wage war against an enemy, the High Priest stands and dons the Urim and the Tumim and consults with the Holy One blessed be He. All the nations engage in sorcery and divination, and these [Israel] smash them with their repentance, as it is stated: “Who negates the omens of deceivers, and leads diviners astray” (Isaiah 44:25).
“Now, it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, what God has wrought” – his eye saw Israel in the future, sitting before the Holy One blessed be He like a student before his teacher, and asking Him regarding each and every portion [in the Torah]: ‘Why was it written?’ Likewise it says: “For its merchandise will be for those who sit before the Lord,68Here, too, Israel are referred to as students who sit before God. to eat to satiation and for elegant garments” (Isaiah 23:18), and it says: “But your Teacher will no longer be concealed, and your eyes will see your Teacher” (Isaiah 30:20). The ministering angels will see them and ask them: ‘What did the Holy One blessed be He instruct you?’ It is because they are unable to enter their demarcated area,69This refers to the area where Israel sits, as students before their teacher. The verse states that they will be told what God has wrought, and the midrash explains that this means to the exclusion of the angels. as it is stated: “Now, it will be said to Jacob…”
“Behold, a people will rise like a lion cub, and like a lion, will raise itself; it will not lie down until it has devoured prey, and the blood of the slain it will drink” (Numbers 23:24).
“Behold, a people will rise like a lion cub” – there is no nation in the world like them. They sleep from the Torah and the mitzvot,70When they are asleep they do not study Torah or fulfill commandments. and rise from their sleep like lions, quickly recite Shema, and crown the Holy One blessed be He as king. They become like lions and go out to engage in labor and commerce. If one encounters any obstacle, or if demons come to harm any of them, he crowns the Holy One blessed be He as king.
“It will not lie down until it has devoured prey” – when he recites: “The Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4), the demons are consumed from before him, and they whisper after him: ‘Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and for all time,’ and they flee. With the reciting of Shema, he is passed from the day watchmen to the night watchmen. When he comes to sleep, he commits his spirit to the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Into Your hand I commit my spirit” (Psalms 31:6). When he awakens, he crowns the Holy One blessed be He as king and the night watchmen pass him to the day watchmen, as it is stated: “My soul awaits the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning” (Psalms 130:6). That is why Bilam says: ‘What nation is like this one?’
“And the blood of the slain [ḥalalim] it will drink” – he prophesies that Moses will not die until he takes revenge against him and against the five kings of Midyan, as it is stated: “It will not lie down until it has devoured prey” – this is Bilam. That is, “and the blood of the slain71The Hebrew word is ḥalalim, which is in the plural. it will drink.” “They killed the kings of Midyan among their slain” (Numbers 31:8). “With the holy vessels” (Numbers 31:6) – this is the frontplate on which it was written: “Sacred to the Lord” (Exodus 28:36). “And the trumpets for sounding the blasts in his hand” (Numbers 31:6). Moses said to Israel: ‘The wicked Bilam performs sorcery for them and flies, and causes the five kings to fly. Show him the frontplate upon which the name of the Holy One blessed be He is inscribed, and they will fall.’ Know that, indeed, it is written: “They killed the kings of Midyan among72The Hebrew can also be translate "on their slain" implying that they fell on the slain from above. their slain: Evi, Rekem…and Bilam son of Beor” (Numbers 31:8). What did that wicked one seek with the kings of Midyan? Is it not written: “Bilam rose, and went, and returned to his place”? (Numbers 24:25).73His place was in Petor, not in Midyan. It is rather that when he heard that twenty-four thousand fell by his counsel, he went to collect his wages. That is why Bilam son of Beor was mentioned with the five kings of Midyan.
“The Lord happened upon Bilam, and placed speech in his mouth, and said: Return to Balak, and so shall you speak” (Numbers 23:16).
“He built seven altars…stand here with your burnt offering…. The Lord happened upon Bilam, and placed speech in his mouth” – like a person who places an iron bit in an animal’s mouth and restrains it, and leads it to wherever he wishes. So, the Holy One blessed be He restrained his mouth. When he said to him: "Return to Balak" and bless them, he said: ‘What, am I going there to disappoint him [Balak]?’ He sought to go off on his own. The Holy One Blessed be He placed an iron bit for him. “Return to Balak, and so you shall speak.”
He came to him, and, behold, he was standing with his burnt offering, and the princes of Moav with him. Balak said to him: What did the Lord speak?” (Numbers 23:17).
“He came to him, and, behold, he was standing with his burnt offering” – initially, it is written in his regard: “He, and all the princes of Moav” (Numbers 23:6). When they saw that it was to no avail, they left him, and only some of the princes of Moav remained with him.62Before it said “all” the princes of Moav, and now it only says “the princes of Moav.”
“Balak said to him: What did the Lord speak?” He [Balak] saw that he [Bilam] was not under his own control, to say what he would have wanted; he [Balak] sat himself down and was mocking him. When Bilam saw that he was mocking him, Bilam said to him: 'Stand, you are not permitted to sit when the words of the Omnipresent are being said.'
“He took up his parable and said: Rise, Balak, and hear; listen to me, son of Tzipor” (Numbers 23:18).
“Rise, Balak, and hear; listen to me, son of Tzipor” – both of them were worth one hundred dinars, sons of [men worth] half that, as they rendered themselves greater than their fathers.
“God is not a man, that He will deceive, or the son of man, that He will reconsider; will He say and not perform, or speak and not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19).
“God is not a man, that He will deceive” – He is not like flesh and blood, as flesh and blood acquires friends, finds others better than they are, and forsakes the first ones. But He is not so. It is impossible for Him to reconsider the oath of the initial patriarchs.
“He will say and not perform”63The simple understanding is that this statement is a rhetorical question, but it is expounded and interpreted as a statement. – He says to bring evil upon them, but if they repent, he nullifies the evil. You find written in the Torah: “One who sacrifices to gods will be destroyed” (Exodus 22:19). They crafted the calf and were deserving of elimination, and I thought to curse them and eradicate them. A short time later they repented and he nullified it: “The Lord reconsidered the evil” (Exodus 32:14).
Likewise in many places, as He said regarding Yekhonya: “As no man of his descendants will succeed” (Jeremiah 22:30), and it says: “I will overturn the thrones of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations” (Haggai 2:22). “On that day, the utterance of the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubavel son of She’altiel,64See II Chronicles 17–19, and the Radak on verse 18; he explains that all the people mentioned in verse 18 were the sons of She’altiel. My servant, the utterance of the Lord, and I will make you like a signet upon my heart.”65This is an allusion to “place me as a signet upon your heart” (Song of Songs 8:6). He abrogated what He had said to his father: “As I live, the utterance of the Lord, for if Konya66This is a reference to Yehoyakhin the son of Yehoyakim, who was exiled to Babylonia eleven years before the destruction of the Temple. See II Kings 24:8–17. son of Yehoyakim king of Judah, would be a signet upon My right hand, then from there I would sever you” (Jeremiah 22:24).
Likewise, regarding the people of Anatot: “There will be no remnant of them” (Jeremiah 11:23). When they repented, He sustained them, as it is written: “The people of Anatot, one hundred [and twenty-eight]” (Nehemiah 7:27).
“He did not behold evil in Jacob, and did not see sin in Israel; the Lord his God is with him, and the blast of the King is in its midst” (Numbers 23:21).
“He did not behold evil in Jacob” – He does not look at the transgressions that they have made, but rather, He looks only at the matters of which they are proud.
“The Lord his God is with him, and the blast of the King is in its midst.” ‘[Balak,] you said to me: “Go, please, curse Jacob for me” (Numbers 22:6). An orchard that has a guard, the thief cannot damage it, but if he is sleeping, the thief enters. But these, “Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalms 121:4). How can I harm them?’
“The Lord his God is with him” – Balak said to him: 'Since you cannot touch them due to Moses, their functionary, see what will be with the one that will replace him.' He said to him: 'He is tough like him; "and the blast of the King is in its midst" – he sounds an uninterrupted shofar blast, and an interrupted shofar blast topples a wall.'67See Joshua 6:20.
“God, who took them out of Egypt, is like the horns of the wild ox for them” (Numbers 23:22).
“God, who took them out of Egypt” – [Bilam said to Balak:] ‘You said to me: “A people emerged from Egypt” (Numbers 22:5), on their own. That is not so, but rather, He took them out.’
“Like the horns [ketoafot] of the wild ox” – this is His mode: If they sin a little, he lowers them like a bird, as it is stated: “Ephraim, its glory will fly away like a bird [keof yitofef]” (Hosea 9:11). If they merit, He elevates them like a cloud, as it is stated: “Who are these who fly like a cloud?” (Isaiah 60:8).
“For there is no divination in Jacob, and no sorcery in Israel; now, it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, what God has wrought” (Numbers 23:23).
“For there is no divination in Jacob, and no sorcery in Israel” – you circulate, divine, and engage in sorcery; in what way will you dominate them? They are not so. When they need to wage war against an enemy, the High Priest stands and dons the Urim and the Tumim and consults with the Holy One blessed be He. All the nations engage in sorcery and divination, and these [Israel] smash them with their repentance, as it is stated: “Who negates the omens of deceivers, and leads diviners astray” (Isaiah 44:25).
“Now, it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, what God has wrought” – his eye saw Israel in the future, sitting before the Holy One blessed be He like a student before his teacher, and asking Him regarding each and every portion [in the Torah]: ‘Why was it written?’ Likewise it says: “For its merchandise will be for those who sit before the Lord,68Here, too, Israel are referred to as students who sit before God. to eat to satiation and for elegant garments” (Isaiah 23:18), and it says: “But your Teacher will no longer be concealed, and your eyes will see your Teacher” (Isaiah 30:20). The ministering angels will see them and ask them: ‘What did the Holy One blessed be He instruct you?’ It is because they are unable to enter their demarcated area,69This refers to the area where Israel sits, as students before their teacher. The verse states that they will be told what God has wrought, and the midrash explains that this means to the exclusion of the angels. as it is stated: “Now, it will be said to Jacob…”
“Behold, a people will rise like a lion cub, and like a lion, will raise itself; it will not lie down until it has devoured prey, and the blood of the slain it will drink” (Numbers 23:24).
“Behold, a people will rise like a lion cub” – there is no nation in the world like them. They sleep from the Torah and the mitzvot,70When they are asleep they do not study Torah or fulfill commandments. and rise from their sleep like lions, quickly recite Shema, and crown the Holy One blessed be He as king. They become like lions and go out to engage in labor and commerce. If one encounters any obstacle, or if demons come to harm any of them, he crowns the Holy One blessed be He as king.
“It will not lie down until it has devoured prey” – when he recites: “The Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4), the demons are consumed from before him, and they whisper after him: ‘Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and for all time,’ and they flee. With the reciting of Shema, he is passed from the day watchmen to the night watchmen. When he comes to sleep, he commits his spirit to the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Into Your hand I commit my spirit” (Psalms 31:6). When he awakens, he crowns the Holy One blessed be He as king and the night watchmen pass him to the day watchmen, as it is stated: “My soul awaits the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning” (Psalms 130:6). That is why Bilam says: ‘What nation is like this one?’
“And the blood of the slain [ḥalalim] it will drink” – he prophesies that Moses will not die until he takes revenge against him and against the five kings of Midyan, as it is stated: “It will not lie down until it has devoured prey” – this is Bilam. That is, “and the blood of the slain71The Hebrew word is ḥalalim, which is in the plural. it will drink.” “They killed the kings of Midyan among their slain” (Numbers 31:8). “With the holy vessels” (Numbers 31:6) – this is the frontplate on which it was written: “Sacred to the Lord” (Exodus 28:36). “And the trumpets for sounding the blasts in his hand” (Numbers 31:6). Moses said to Israel: ‘The wicked Bilam performs sorcery for them and flies, and causes the five kings to fly. Show him the frontplate upon which the name of the Holy One blessed be He is inscribed, and they will fall.’ Know that, indeed, it is written: “They killed the kings of Midyan among72The Hebrew can also be translate "on their slain" implying that they fell on the slain from above. their slain: Evi, Rekem…and Bilam son of Beor” (Numbers 31:8). What did that wicked one seek with the kings of Midyan? Is it not written: “Bilam rose, and went, and returned to his place”? (Numbers 24:25).73His place was in Petor, not in Midyan. It is rather that when he heard that twenty-four thousand fell by his counsel, he went to collect his wages. That is why Bilam son of Beor was mentioned with the five kings of Midyan.