민수기 23:28 해설: Rashi, Kli Yakar, Siftei Chakhamim & Rav Hirsch

ראש הפעור THE TOP OF PEOR — Balak was a great soothsayer and he foresaw that they would once be punished on account of Peor, but he knew not by what. He said: Perhaps the curse will fall upon them from there (be effective against them if pronounced there). So, too, all astrologers: they see something that will once happen but they know not exactly what they see (cf. Sotah 12b).

And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor. Now they returned to the third approach, because they saw that they had no place to cast aspersion or blemish, neither on the roots nor on the branches. If so, they [the Israelites] are in a state of perfect completion, and anything that is perfect in every way is more susceptible to the evil eye having power over it. This happens when one blesses one’s fellow with a loud voice and recounts his praises loudly so that all the nations hear and become jealous of them, introducing the evil eye among them, and through this, it will be considered a curse for him. Therefore, they took [him to] the top of Peor so that he would open his mouth without restraint and loudly recount their virtues.

It is similar with all the star gazers… (Nachalas Yaakov) Rashi here virtually repeats his comment above concerning the peak of the mountain (v. 14). However he adds that “it is similar with all [star] gazers…” Apparently it was understandable above that he saw there would be a breach at the peak of the mountain, since there indeed was one. For it states at the end of Parshas VeZos Habracha (Devarim 34:1), “Moshe went up… to the peak of the mountain… and Moshe died there…” However, there was no breach at the peak of Pe’or, so why did Balak take him there? And Rashi answers that nonetheless there was a breach through Pe’or. Rashi thus poses the difficulty that if so, Balak was not a sorcerer, for surely he erred. He answers, “It is similar with all [star] gazers…”