Midrash sur Les Nombres 21:29

30 (Numb. 21:26) “For Heshbon was a city of Sihon”: This text is related (to Is. 61:8), “Because I the Lord love justice.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (in Deut. 2:9), “Do not trouble Moab.” Now Heshbon had been part of Moab, since it is stated (in Numb. 21:26), “For Heshbon was a city of Sihon king of the Amorites, etc.” When Israel came, they took Heshbon, which belonged to Sihon and whatever [else] he had taken from the king of Moab. For if they had taken it from him [directly], they would have had major robbery on their hands. Instead Sihon took it from Moab, and Israel took it from Sihon. Thus they were acquitted from [the charge of] robbery. Therefore it is written (in Numb. 21:26), “For Heshbon was a city of Sihon.” (Numb. 21:27) “Therefore those who speak in parables say”: This refers to Balaam and his father, whom Sihon had hired to curse Moab. And it was they who had said (Numbers 21:27-8), “[Come to Heshbon,] let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established. For a fire has come forth from Heshbon, [a flame from the city of Sihon]. It has devoured Ar of Moab.” Thus they cursed Moab so that they might deliver [it] into [Sihon's] hand. (Numb. 21:29) “Woe be to you, O Moab.”

7 (Numb. 22:5) “And he sent messengers to Balaam ben Beor at Pethor”: [Pethor (Petor) was] the name of his city.⁷Sanh. 105ab. But others say that [the name implies] he was a money-changer,⁸Since pator in Aramaic denotes a table, these interpreters would read the clause: AND HE SENT MESSENGERS TO BALAAM BEN BEOR AT A MONEY-CHANGER’S TABLE. Cf. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 23:16. since the kings of the nations of the world took counsel with him, as the money-changer to whom they all would show [their coins]. Still others say that in the beginning he was an interpreter (poter) of dreams. He turned to being a diviner. Then he turned to the holy spirit.⁹See Numb. 24:2. (Numb. 22:5, cont.) “To the land of his kinsfolk,” for Balak came from there, and [Balaam] had told him, “Your destiny is to become king.”(Numb. 22:5, cont.) “To summon him”: Thus he wrote him, “Do not suppose that it is for myself alone that you are doing this and that I alone am honoring you. If you uproot them, you shall receive honor from all the nations, so that the Canaanites and the Amalakites shall all bow down to you.” (Numb. 22:5, cont.) “Here is a people that has come out of Egypt:” He said to him, “As for you, how does it concern you?” He said to him (in Numb. 22:5, cont.), “’Look, they have covered the face (literally: eye) of the earth.’ [There are] two eyes upon which the land depends, Sihon and Og. They have destroyed them and covered their eyes. And [now] what do I do?” (Numb. 22:5, cont.) “Now they are dwelling opposite me (mmwly)”: [What is actually] written [in the Biblical text] is mmly (from the root, mwl, which means, "cut off"), just as it says (in Ps. 118:10), “in the name of the Lord I will cut them off (rt.: mwl).”¹⁰With the word rewritten in this sense, the end of Numb. 22:5 reads: NOW THEY ARE DWELLING [THERE] CUTTING ME OFF. This interpretation of Numb. 22:5 is also given by Rashi, ad loc. (Numb. 22:6) “So come now please, curse (arah) [this people] for me”: What is the meaning of “curse ('rh) […] for me?” Perhaps I shall be able to control them little by little, like someone who picks (rt.: 'rh) figs. (Numb. 22:6, cont.) “For they are mightier than I”: [It is] not that they are more valiant than I, nor [is it] that their forces are numerous. It is simply that they conquer through their mouth, [and this is] something that I cannot do. (Numb. 22:6, cont.) “Perhaps I shall be able to smite them”: What reason was there for this one to engage them (i.e., Israel) in war? Did not the Holy One, blessed be He, tell them this, that [Israel] was not to take any of their land? [It was] simply that [Balak] was more of a master of sorceries and divinations than Balaam, for it is so written of him (in Numb. 22:2), “Now Balak [ben Zippor] saw (in a vision),” except that he did not really comprehend the things [he saw]. And so it says (in Is. 47:13-14), “You are wearied with your many deliberations; let those who study the heavens please stand up and save you, those who gaze at the stars.” When he saw that Israel would fall into his hand, he therefore gave his daughter over (to prostitution to lure Israel to sin);¹¹See Numb. 25:1-15. Numb. 25:15 specifically identifies the sacred prostitute Cozbi as the daughter of Zur, whom the midrash (above, section 7:4) has already identified with Balak. and through her, twenty-four thousand fell. To this end he would have engaged them in war, but he did not know how. Hence (as in Numb. 22:6), “Perhaps I shall be able to smite (nkh) them”: As one discounts (rt.: nkh) one twenty-fourth of a [se’ah];¹²On allowing a given species to have up to 1/24 of another species, see Kil. 2:1; yKil. 2:1 (27c); BB 6:2; BB 93b-94a, where as elsewhere a rova‘ is a quarter of a qav, which in turn is one sixth of a se’ah. Thus one rova’ equals one twenty-fourth of a se’ah. so also did twenty-four thousand fall from Israel there, [which is] one less.¹³24 x 20,000 = 480,000, and 24 x 5,000 = 120,000, it turns out that, if 25,000 is found to be 1/24 of 600,000 and only 24,000 fell, then 1,000 are missing In a long note Buber further explains that apart from the law of mixtures, in the removal of the hallah, what is taken is generally 1/24 of the dough (so Hal. 2:7). Buber also notes a variant reading which substitutes menabber (denoting one who removes the hallah) for menakkah (translated here as “discount”). So the Holy One cleansed Israel by removing 1/24 of the people. However, since there were 600,000 Israelites, 25,000 (=1/24 of 600,000), not 24,000, should have been removed. The thousand extra can be explained on analogy with the law of mixtures allowing 1/24 for impurities. The first part of the interpretation in the text comes from dividing 25,000 into two parts of 20,000 + 5,000 and then multiplying each separately and adding the results, instead of simply multiplying 25,000 by 24,000. Regarding the number of Israelites in the desert, Scripture gives the 600,000 figure only in Exod. 12:37. Cf. Exod. 38:26; Numb. 1:46; 2:32, which fix the figure at 603,550 adult males excluding Levites; also Numb. 26:57, which reports a census figure of 601,730 after the removal of the 24,000 in Numb. 25:9. (Numb. 22:6, cont.) “And drive them away from the land,” for he only desired to drive them away, so that they would not enter the land. (Numb. 22:6, cont.) “For I know that whomever you bless is blessed and that whomever you curse is cursed.” From where did he know? When Sihon desired to fight with Moab [and] was afraid because they were warriors, he hired Balaam and his father to curse Moab, for it says (in Numb. 21:27–29), “Therefore those who speak in parables say, [‘Come to Heshbon, let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established.] For a fire has come forth from Heshbon, [a flame from the city of Sihon. It has devoured Ar of Moab…]. Woe be to you, O Moab!’” Ergo it says (in Numb. 22:6), “for I know [that whomever you bless is blessed and that whomever you curse is cursed].”

(Numb. 21:25:) “Israel took all these towns….” This text is related (to Is. 61:8), “Because I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery with a burnt offering.”¹⁵²Numb. R. 19:30. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (in Deut. 2:9), “Do not trouble Moab.” Now Heshbon had been part of Moab, since it is stated (in Numb. 21:26), “For Heshbon was a city of Sihon king of the Amorites,” but he had fought against the former king of Moab [and taken all his land away from him as far as the Arnon]. When Israel came, they took Heshbon, which belonged to Sihon and whatever [else] he had taken from the king of Moab. For if they had taken it from him [directly], they would have had major robbery on their hands. Instead Sihon took it from Moab, and Israel took it from Sihon. Thus they were acquitted from [the charge of] robbery. Therefore it is written (in Numb. 21:26), “For Heshbon was a city of Sihon.” (Numb. 21:27:) “Therefore those who speak in parables say.” This refers to Balaam and his father, whom Sihon had hired to curse Moab. And it was they who had said (Numbers 21:27-8), “[Come to Heshbon,] let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established. For a fire has come forth from Heshbon, [a flame from the city of Sihon]. It has devoured Ar [of Moab].” Thus they cursed Moab so that they might deliver it into [Sihon's] hand. (Numb. 21:29-31:) “Woe be to you, O Moab…. Yet we have cast them down; Heshbon has perished…. Thus Israel dwelt (in all the cities) [in the land of] the Amorites.” [Only] Jazer survived.¹⁵³Numb. R. 19:31. (Numb. 21:32:) “So Moses sent to spy out Jazer.” These spies were zealous. They said, “We have confidence in the prayer of Moses. [Yet] he has already sent messengers [that were] spies in the past and they brought a catastrophe. But we shall not do so. Rather, we will trust in the Holy One, blessed be He, and make war.” They then did so and slew the Amorites who were in [the city]. (Numb. 21:33), “Then they turned and went up […].” What is the meaning of “Then they turned and went up?” R. Johanan says, “The wars of Sihon took place in Elul. Then they celebrated the festival in Tishri,¹⁵⁴Numb. R. 19:32. then after the festival came the war with Og. [Just as you say with regard to the festival of Passover] (in Deut. 16:7), “and in the morning you shall turn to your tents.” (Numb. 21:33, cont.:) “And Og king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people,” for the Holy One, blessed be He, had gathered [them all] before [Israel] in order to deliver [Og and his people] into their hand.