민수기 23:31의 Musar

And when we reflect but a little upon this awesome thing, we understand immediately why the Holy One Blessed be He is more severe with this sin than with all others, to the point that He refuses to associate with the man of lashon hara at all to rescue him from his troubles, as will be adduced, please G-d, below in the name of the Sifrei, and as is written in the Zohar, Parshath Shelach: "R. Shimon said: 'The Holy One Blessed be He pardoned all, except lashon hara.'" For it is known that the love of the Holy One Blessed be He for His people, Israel, is exceedingly great, as Scripture states (Jeremiah 31:19): "Is not Ephraim a dear son to me, or a child that I dandle, etc.?" When a man has a dear son or a child that he dandles, and he sees that he is not acting properly, still, he "covers up" for him in his great love for him. And even though he chastises him at times, it will be with compassion and pity. But if some men come to him once or twice and tell him about his sons' waywardness, how he argues and wrangles with people for nothing, how he shames and insults everyone, then certainly he will grow angry with him and beat him and shame him for this. And who caused all this? The teller. The same is true in our case. The Holy One Blessed be He, in His great love for Israel, even though He knows all that is done in secret and in the open (as it is written [Jeremiah 23:24]: "Will a man hide himself, etc.?"), still He will not arouse Himself against them to do them evil, as it is written (Numbers 23:21): "He has seen no iniquity in Jacob" [see Rashi there]. But, if the accuser comes to Him and tells Him of this, He must give him some kind of answer [just as "the kingdom of the earth" must respond when someone cries out before them over some injustice done to him.] For thus has the King of the world established it, that a man's affairs are mediated through defenders and prosecutors.

[And, in my view, this is the intent of the verse (Bamidbar 23:21): "He does not see iniquity in Jacob … the L-rd his G-d is with him": When does He not see iniquity in Jacob? When the L-rd his G-d is with him. But when there is, G-d forbid, lashon hara in Israel, which leads to departure of the Shechinah, as stated in Midrash Rabbah, Parshath Shoftim, then, G-d forbid, He does probe their deeds.]

לא הביט און ביעקב . This is a reminder that even improper thoughts that have not surfaced, i.e. are "within Jacob," have not yet been translated into deeds, are frowned upon. We have elaborated elsewhere on this subject when we discussed the ten directives employed by G–d in creating the universe.

In view of these statements, we need to learn more about how the serpent and its evil influence began. The ability of the serpent to seduce is rooted in the power of Samael who rode it. Samael is the spirit of זנונים, lechery, whose lecherous feelings were aroused by the sight of Adam and Eve copulating. The serpent which used to walk on legs was punished by having its legs cut off. The thigh joint (to which the legs are attached) is within the domain of the sexual organs. Esau had the likeness of a snake as a birthmark on his thigh, as we have mentioned in Parshat Toldot. The Israelites, on the other hand, are holy, abstain from eating the גיד הנשה, and Bileam (Numbers 23, 23) testified already “כי לא נחש ביעקב, Israel is not infected by the serpent."

Moses said next: אתא מרבבות קודש, a veiled reference to the domain where all these holy secrets are stored in the meantime. Our sages report the ministering angels as asking Israel in the future: "what are the works of G–d?" (cf. Yalkut Shimoni on Numbers 23,23) This is proof that Israel will then occupy a position closer to the throne of G–d than that of the ministering angels. Had Israel not sinned with the golden calf and had they not thereby unhitched one of the four supports of G–d's מרכבה (Tanchuma Ki Tissa 21), they would have been granted the garments made of אור, light, that Adam had worn prior to the sin and would thus have benefitted from the part of the Torah symbolized by the letter א. At that time, i.e. at the time Israel accepted the Torah, מימינו אש דת למו, "the fire of His law flashed to His right." [The author understands Israel as being the subject of the word למו i.e. a reference to Israel as opposed to the angels. Ed.]

Now we understand what is meant by the Talmud that "Moses wrote his own book and the book of Bileam." Do not err to think that only because G–d taught him did Moses reach levels Bileam had reached, and that his learning was vicarious, second hand. Rather, Moses had attained the levels Bileam had attained by his own independent intellectual and spiritual efforts. The Talmud tells us that Moses learned all this as an experience, not like we learn history, i.e. from books describing what happened once to someone else.. Whatever Bileam had been able to work out by himself concerning Israel's future, Moses had been able to work out without special assists from G–d. What the Talmud means is that actually the whole portion of Bileam could just as easily have been recorded by Moses without instruction from G–d. There would have been no need for Bileam to pronounce blessings to enable us to learn all the lessons that our sages derive from them. The only "novelty" in the whole phenomenon is the fact that the קטיגור, "counselor for the prosecution," turned into a סניגור, "attorney for the defense." This is something that could only have occurred through Bileam, since he was Moses' counterpart among the nations. We have now illustrated the statement we set out from. The סטרא אחרא is bound to become a source of blessing if one only traces it far enough towards its holy source. We have described this earlier as "blood turning into milk." It follows (again as we have tried to describe earlier) that it is the Gentile nations who are in reality the source of Israel's refinement and consequently of its redemption.

In order to understand the Midrash we must keep in mind that the verses mentioned speak of four different levels of fondness expressed by G–d for Moses at the time the Tabernacle was completed when G–d's voice manifested itself in the אהל מועד, the Tent of Meeting. The first indication of fondness for Moses was in the very word ויקרא as opposed to ויקר, the expression used when G–d called upon Bileam (Numbers 23,4). The second expression is seen when the Torah adds: וידבר י-ה-ו-ה that Moses was being addressed by the Ineffable four-lettered Name of G–d. The repetition of לאמור, וידבר is an additional sign of the fondness of G–d for the person whom He addressed. Rashi felt impelled to provide an explanation for this unusual construction which did not occur during all the 38 years when the generation who had listened to the majority report of the spies were dying. Only after they had all died did G–d once more speak to Moses in this way (Deut. 2,16). A third sign of the fondness of G–d for Moses and Israel at this stage is the fact that the קריאה, the "call" or invitation, preceded the actual message. The Torah does not say (as is frequently the case) ויקרא ה' וידבר אל משה, but it starts with the introduction "ויקרא" to show that henceforth such a קריאה would precede the actual message. This was definitely a display of fondness. The fourth sign of fondness for Moses is the word אליו, to him, i.e. exclusively. Aaron was not included in this. If this demonstrated that Aaron, who occupied a very special and lofty position, was on a lower level of intimacy with G–d than Moses, the same certainly applied to other great people with whom G–d had conversed in earlier times.

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.

This does not preclude a change in the future. Jacob was אוחז בעקב "holding on to the "heel" (Genesis 25,26) i.e. to humility already from the moment he was born. This is also the mystical dimension of ויבא יעקב שלם, that "Jacob attained perfection" (Genesis 33,18). When Jacob was called ישראל because he prevailed in a struggle with the Divine, this is an allusion to the World to Come, a domain even closer to G–d than the domain of the angels. This is alluded to in Numbers 23,23 by Bileam who said: כעת יאמר ליעקב ולישראל מה פעל א-ל. "Jacob is told at once, Yea, Israel, what G–d has planned." [The author tries to demonstrate that when manipulating the spelling of the name יעקב the name ישרון which is the name used to describe the Jewish people on their highest spiritual level, can be obtained. When one omits the first letter of a "word" representing the "full" spelling of a letter such as the letter י being spelled יוד, this is called a concealed way of spelling the word, נעלם. In our example, if you spell the word יעקב "full" i.e י"וד-ע"ין-ק"וף ב"ית, and you then omit the letters I have highlighted i.e. י-ע-ק-ב, you will be left with ו"ד-י"ן-ו",-י"ת. The numerical value of the last 8 letters is 566, the same as the numerical value of ישרון. Ed.]. This is the mystical aspect of Isaiah 40,4: והיה העקוב למישור, "and the crooked will become straight," an allusion to the perception of Jacob as devious and engaging in deception as claimed by Esau. The "concealed" spelling of these names is a hint of the great good in store for the Jewish people. The three names יעקב-ישראל-ישרון correspond to the שלמות of Jacob in three areas: his body, גוף, his relationship with the material goods of this world, ממון, and his spiritual life, נפש (cf. Rashi on Genesis 33,18). These three areas are the subject of the manner in which we are to relate to G–d with love, i.e. "בכל לבבך, ובכל נפשך, ובכל מאדך. The body will be as much part of an everlasting life in the future we speak of as is the soul in our times. All the Kabbalists are agreed that this is so because the body has been created בצלם אלוקים, in the image of G–d. The names ישראל and ישרון allude to this dual "perfection" of body and soul, i.e. that both will gain everlasting life. The name ישרון symbolizes ישר, that G–d has created man ישר, upright, honest. He could not have done otherwise for ישרים דרכי ה', "the ways of the Lord are upright" (Hosea 14,10). It is relatively easy for a soul, רוח, to return to the Celestial Regions it has come from. When we speak about שלימות ממונו, the Torah means אלוהי כסף ואלוהי זהב לא תעשו (Exodus 20,23), that one must not elevate the value one places on silver and gold as something akin to a deity.

It may well be that this is what Rashi meant when he described the שכינה as supplying extra attributes to each of these blessings. When Rashi comments in Sanhedrin 106, that a בת קול, a "heavenly echo," added the words נטע השם in 24,6, this need not be meant literally, but refers to a prophetic insight granted Bileam by G–d at the time, which he was forced to express. Since it had been his original intention to employ the formula of blessing as a curse, the term בת קול used by Rashi is quite appropriate. Just as an echo is a follow-up to the original sound, so these words were "follow-ups" to the first part of the blessing. In the discussion of the Talmud of Bileam's blessings on folio 105, Rabbi Eleazar says that the words וישם השם דבר בפי בלעם, refers to an angel who instructed Bileam, whereas Rabbi Yonathan says that G–d put a fishhook in Bileam's mouth, i.e. He had to pronounce this prophecy whether he liked it or not.

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.

The "winds" mentioned in the Midrash are references to the dispersal of Israel among the nations. We know this from Zecharyah 2,10: "For I have scattered you like the four winds." Rashi on Genesis 25,21, explains the word ויעתר to mean repeating, multiplying; he cites Proverbs 27,26: "the kisses of the enemy are profuse," in support of this. We already said that this verse in Proverbs alludes to the curses turning into blessings, i.e. the "enemy" showers you with kisses. Another thoroughly treacherous aspect of Bileam comparing Israel to cedars prior to adding the words עלי מים, is that the ארזים are always a symbol for the Patriarchs. The merit of the Patriarchs has always stood by Israel and saved it from destruction. Bileam wanted them to rely on that merit, thus make them feel they did not have to repent while in exile. This is why he emphasizes "there is no harm in sight for Jacob, no woe in view for Israel" (23,21). By lulling Israel into complacency with these flattering comments he hoped to prevent Israel from returning to G–d in penitence. If someone truly loves a person, has his real interests at heart, he will reprove him rather than flatter him, and will draw attention to any blemish such a person may suffer from. The word ארזים, cedars, also has a connotation of stubbornness as we know from Taanit 20b, that "a person should strive to be soft as a reed and not hard like a cedar. The remedy to such hardness lies in one's humbling oneself." Words of Torah are compared to water, since just as water starts in a high place and flows downwards, i.e. water is content to "lower" itself, so words of Torah which originate in high places cannot be fulfilled except by people who are first prepared to humble themselves (Taanit 7a). In light of the foregoing, the comparison to "cedars" is a great blessing indeed. It means that we ourselves are now comparable to the Patriarchs who in turn had been compared to the "cedars of Lebanon."

To return to the subject that it was a cosmic necessity that the cursed Bileam pronounce these blessings rather than anyone else. In order to be converted into a blessing they first had to be intended as a curse. When Bileam claimed that he wished himself an end like that of the Jewish people, ותהי אחריתי כמוהו, he indicated awareness that though his "beginnings" had been similar to that of the Jewish people, namely holy, his end was not likely to be. Hence he prayed that in spite of everything he had done he should be rehabilitated after death (23,10).

Moses is known by seven different names, (Shemot Rabbah 40,4). Rabbi Yitzchak Luria writes that Moses used the 42-lettered Name of G–d when he killed the Egyptian in order to elevate that person's נפש. It is well known that the 42-lettered name incorporates seven different names. Yitro also had seven names (Shemot Rabbah 27,7). At that time, Yitro converted to monotheism and abandoned idol worship. Moses had not wanted to kill Bileam by using the 42-lettered name of G–d, but he had wanted him to die by the sword which is the symbol of defilement, טומאה. This is why Bileam did not die the מות ישרים, the "death of the righteous." He had not said אמות מות ישרים, I want to die the death of the righteous, but had said only "my soul will die the death of the righteous, using the word נפש to describe his soul. His נפש then was redeemed, not his body. So far the Ari zal (compare Numbers 31,8).

Each day the wicked Bilaam would come to them to learn the impure names and other forms of sorcery. This is the meaning of the verse, “Balak summoned me from Aram, from the Mountains of the Ancient Time (Bamidbar 23:7), and the verse, “Thus says the man who perceives the vision of the Almighty, the One Who Falls and the One with Open Eyes” (ibid. 3-4). Before Bilaam was able to study sorcery he was first obliged to defile himself through all sorts of impure acts such as having a carnal relationship with his donkey, for such is the custom of the students of sorcery. They must defile themselves and lie with an animal. That is why the Torah places side by side the injunctions, “Whoever lies [carnally] with an animal shall die,” and, “You shall not allow a sorceress to live” (Shemos 22:17-18). For the power of sorcery emanates entirely from the great sources of impurity, Heaven spare us. To begin with, whoever wishes to go to the Mountains of Darkness must prepare incense to offer before Uza and Aza’el so that he may accept them as divinities. At the same time he must abandon the service of Hashem and relinquish all portion in holiness. He must subjugate and indenture himself entirely to the Sitrah Acharah. These are the things that he must accept upon himself when he offers the incense.

עמוד האמת . The legislation in 18,10-12 which prohibits resorting to sundry ways to influence one's fate by consulting the occult or sacrificing one's children to the Moloch, is part of what we described as the "pillar of truth" in our opening comment on this פרשה. The Torah describes such activities as abominations and insists on תמים תהיה עם ה' אלוקיך (18,13) "You shall be whole-hearted with the Lord your G–d." The next instalment of legislation which comes under the heading of עמוד האמת, "the pillar of truth," tells us how to deal with false prophets. I have already explained how G–d created a domain whence the false prophets and their ilk derive whatever knowledge they possess. This was part of G–d's system of providing balances in this world. It is necessary in order to give meaning to the freedom of choice we have been granted. The Torah is at pains to point out that whereas we do not dismiss all these phenomena as total deception, yet the wisdom possessed by these media is not true wisdom. This is why the Torah emphasizes in 18,14 that "these nations whose land you are about to dispossess are in the habit of turning to soothsayers, etc." The Torah goes on to say that we, the Jewish nation, do not need to do so. We already have Bileam's assurance (Numbers 23,23) that "Israel does not need to employ snake-charmers, etc." Israel is fortunate that תתן אמת ליעקב, that G–d has given us access to truth, to genuine wisdom (Michah 7,20). We must make a point of always adhering to the attributes on the "right" side of the emanations.

We read in Chronicles I 16,27: הוד והדר לפניו, עז וחדוה במקומו, "Glory and majesty are before Him, strength and joy are in His place." This verse contains a lesson about the exiles of the Jewish people, i.e. that they are for the good of the Jewish people. The chapter quoted describes an ongoing activity, i.e. בשרו מיום אל יום ישועתו, that even the redemption that has not occurred yet should be spoken of daily, or better still, it refers to a period of over one thousand years. Considering that in our eyes G–d's day is equal to a millenium, it follows that this is why Adam died on the day he ate from the tree (as he was warned he would in Genesis 2,17), though he lived close to one thousand years, the verse quoted in Chronicles, clearly refers to a period of exile. Lamentations 1,13, which describes the exile as already lasting כל היום,-at least one thousand years,- prompts the Zohar to comment that "my very glory," הודי, has proven to be my ruin." When you re-arrange the letter of the word הוד, you get דוה, as in כל היום דוה, "suffering constantly" (ibid.). I have already elaborated on this elsewhere, where I wrote that the word "הדר," is derived from "היפוך, i.e. "turning something around, reversing it," similar to the meaning of the expression "הדרן עלך," i.e. הפוך בה והפוך בה," (keep reviewing it, keep busy with it). What the Zohar meant was that the original "הוד," glory, will eventually lead to an even greater degree of "הוד" in the messianic future, just because that "הוד" had been converted to "דוה." We are told of that day in the future that ישמח ה' במעשיו, "that G–d will delight in His works" (Psalms 104,31). When you re-arrange the letters of the word ישמח, you have the word משיח, a reference to when that time will come. Concerning that day, the Midrash says that the Messiah will be given the combined “הוד, glory of Moses and הדר (its reversal) of Joshua, meaning that from the time of Joshua the spiritual decline set in, and the glory, הוד, kept turning into progressively more דוה, suffering. The הדר, decline would then reverse itself, i.e. the meaning of that term would no longer be negative. This process will lead to the cessation and disappearance of the iniquity due to the pollutants that the serpent spread throughout the world, and will enable the Messiah to make his appearance, and the new dimension of "light," the glory of the Messiah to manifest itself. The הדר (reduced measure of majesty in relation to Moses) of the new leader Joshua will be reversed at that time, a time described in Ezra 2,63 as the period when there is once again a High Priest who can stand in front of the אורים ותומים, the time when Elijah will have appeared. This period is alluded to when the Torah tells us in Numbers 27,21 that the new leader of the Jewish people will have to consult G–d by means of the אורים ותומים, i.e. the Ineffable Name worn by the High Priest Elazar in his breast plate. We also find an allusion to messianic times when the Jewish people are counted in our portion; the name of the son of Dan is given as שוחם (26,42), whereas in Parshat Vayigash, (Genesis 46,23) it is given as חשים. I have found that the Ari comments on this that the reason why the letter ו is missing in the spelling of that name in Genesis is to allude to the letters in the word משיח. In the time immediately preceding the arrival of the Messiah, one of the descendants of Dan will conduct a great battle. All this is mentioned in the Zohar's commentary on Parshat Balak (page 68-69, Sullam edition). It is based on Genesis 49,17: "Dan shall be a serpent (נחש) by the road, a viper (שפיפון) by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider is thrown backwards." According to the Zohar, the "serpent" is a reference to Shimshon whereas the "viper" is a reference to Elijah who rescued Tzaliah a descendant of Dan when the latter "flew" in pursuit of Bileam. The latter, escaped by means of sorcery and Tzaliah was at a loss what to do. When Numbers 23,3 describes Bileam as וילך שפי, this is a reference to Bileam's profound identification with the negative forces in this world as symbolized by the serpent. Jacob's blessing to Dan referred to above and resulted in two descendants of Dan referred to as Tzaliah and Ira asserting mastery over the evil forces of this world. Ira was one of David's warriors. This is what is alluded to in Samuel II 8,4: "David hamstrung all the horses (of his adversary)…"The רכב referred to in that verse alludes to Genesis 49,17, i.e. an exploit of Dan. The words ויפול רוכבו אחור in that same verse refer to someone called Shalyah from the tribe of Dan who will assist the משיח בן יוסף in the war preceding the coming of the Messiah. The verse in Genesis concludes with the word לישועתך קויתי השם, to indicate that looking forward to imminent redemption at that time will be justified. The reason why the son of Dan here is referred to as שוחם is to express the hope that this descendant of Dan at the time mentioned will be equivalent to the משוח מלחמה, the Priest whose special task it was to accompany Israel in battle (Sotah 42 on Deuteronomy 20,2). [Active participation in war was certainly not the Priest's normal function. In fact any priest who had killed a person was no longer fit to perform Service in the Temple. Ed.] Pinchas too, seeing that he was descended maternally from the tribe of Joseph, whose descendants will play the leading role in the battle preceding the coming of the Messiah, was such a משוח מלחמה. At a later stage this very שוחם is "transformed" into a חומש. When someone has inadvertently used sacred property, i.e. Temple property, for personal or mundane purposes, he must make restitution of the principal amount plus twenty per cent so that the total amount paid back is twenty percent (חומש) larger than the original. The people of Israel are considered as קדש לשם "sacred to the Lord," as Rashi explains on Song of Songs 8,12: האלף לך שלמה, ומאתים לנוטרים את פריו. Israel is considered G–d's vineyard, and anything stolen from it must not only be replaced, but the חומש, in this case מאתים, must be added to make the restitution legal.

You should know that when the wicked Bilaam saw that he could not harm Israel through his sorcery, as it is written, “How can I curse whom God has not cursed?” (Bamidbar 23:8), he advised Balak to order the Maobite daughters into immorality in order to cause the Israelite men to stumble. Then, when the Israelites did indeed stumble and twenty-four thousand Israelite men fell, Bilaam came to collect his reward from Balak. Later on, when Israel waged war against Midyan, Pinchas saw Bilaam flying through the air and he shouted to his soldiers (see the Zohar, 3:194a) and asked, “Is there anyone who knows how to fly after that wicked one?” For he saw that Bilaam was flying like a bird. One man by the name of Tzalyah from the tribe of Dan responded instantly. He knew how to subjugate the forces of impurity and to fly after him. But when that wicked one saw him coming, he cut his way through five levels of the atmosphere and continued flying hidden from the eye. At that moment Tzalyah found himself in peril and suffered great anguish because he did not know what to do.

But right away Pinchas raised his voice and spoke to the shadow by means of which Bilaam had cloaked himself in the five levels of the atmosphere and commanded that it become transparent once more and cease to conceal that evildoer. So the atmosphere became transparent once more and Tzalyah flew towards him. He succeeded in overpowering the wicked Bilaam and constrained him, forcing him to come before Pinchas. How did he constrain him? Tzalyah knew how to constrain the male as well as the female aspect of the chief impure forces of sorcery, both of which are called “Shefi.” Bilaam, on the other hand, knew only how to overpower the male aspect. Therefore regarding Bilaam it is written, “And he went [through the power of] Shefi” (Bamidbar 23:3). Whereas regarding the tribe of Dan it is written, “And Dan was a snake along the road, Shefifon along the path” (Bereishis 49:17). The “path” referred to is the path through the atmosphere in which the wicked one cloaked himself.

Similarly, in the future the vengeance against Hashem’s enemies will also be executed by Serayah of the tribe of Dan. Thus when Dan arises one should be on the lookout for Israel’s redemption, as it is written, “I have awaited Your salvation, Hashem” (Bereishis 49:18). When Bilaam came before Pinchas the latter said to him, “Wicked one! How many evil tribulations have you brought upon the holy people!” Then Pinchas addressed Tzalyah, “Go ahead and execute him. But not with a holy Divine name lest his request be fulfilled in which he asked, “Let my soul die the death of the upright” (Bamidbar 23:10). Several types of gruesome deaths were executed upon him on the spot, but he did not die until Tzalyah took a sword upon which was a snake was engraved on both sides. Pinchas said to Bilaam, “Through the very defilement with which you were engaged shall you die.” Whereupon he killed him and Bilaam was judged with that defilement in the other world. Meanwhile in this world all of his bones disintegrated and his flesh and body turned into snakes, evil snakes. Even the worms that consumed his flesh were transformed into snakes and from his bones were also fashioned great snakes.

You should know further that the wicked Bilaam gathered all types of herbs for use in his sorcery and then put them in a pot, which he buried deep in the earth, fifteen hundred cubits underground. Years later when Dovid HaMelech was excavating holes on the site of the Temple to bring up ground water for use in the libations on the altar, holes that were also fifteen hundred cubits deep, he came across the pot that Bilaam had buried. He then removed it and diluted it with water that was fit for the libations. Concerning this was it written, “Moav is my wash basin” (Tehillim 108:10), for he “washed” it and removed the power of sorcery that was in Moav’s pot. Therefore whenever there is suspicion of harm due to sorcery it is a good strategy to neutralize it by reciting the fifteen “Songs of Ascent” (Tehillim 120-135), which Dovid composed at the time that he excavated those holes to bring up the groundwater (Sukkah 53a). Afterwards let them pray to Hashem to remove from Israel all the harm caused by sorcery. It is also advisable for every Jewish man and woman to stay as far away from sorcery as possible. Let them avoid all acts of sorcery, augury and divination and let them avoid hearing the recitation of any incantation. For the Holy One Blessed is He takes pride in His people that, “There is no augury among Yaakov and no divination among Yisroel” (Bamidbar 23:23). Whoever stays far from sorcery will be allowed to enter a partition in the World to Come within which even the ministering angels cannot stand (Nedarim 32a).

Another difficulty is the whole question of Bileam cursing the people. What possible difference could it make to G–d if Bileam did or did not curse Israel, seeing that G–d Himself had blessed the nation with peace? – Let us look at the way the Talmud in Berachot 7a, and in Sanhedrin 105b, treats the statement by the prophet Michah 6,5: "My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted against you; and how Bileam son of Be'or responded to him. Recall your passage from Shittim to Gilgal, and you will become aware of the gracious acts of the Lord." In response to the question of what is meant by the "gracious acts of the Lord," Rabbi Eliezer said that Israel should recognize how kindly G–d had dealt with them by not being angry at Israel during the period Bileam had been called to curse them. Had G–d at that time allowed Himself to be angry at Israel, not a shred of it would have been left. This is why Bileam begins by saying: "How can I curse where G–d has not seen fit to curse, how can I damn whom G–d has not damned" (23,8)! According to Berachot 7a Bileam knew the exact moment when G–d was angry. He had wanted to capitalize on the precise moment of the presence of the attribute of Justice within the greater presence of the attribute of Mercy. During that period however, G–d did not allow the attribute of Justice to accompany any part of the attribute of Mercy. Hence Bileam felt stymied This is his lament, "how can I curse when G–d failed to allow for such a possibility?" According to Tosaphot on that folio, Bileam would have been able to condense all his curses by uttering the word כלם "destroy them," into the "רגע," moment, that G–d's anger would have lasted. If however, we say that G–d converted the curses into blessings, the situation becomes quite different. He re-arranged the letters in that word to read “מלך,” and that would have been the reversal of what Tosaphot suggested he could have done. This is the deeper meaning of 23,21: ותרועת מלך בו, "and their king's acclaim is in its midst." As a result, there is no need to say that G–d reversed His usual method of allowing a minor presence of the opposite attribute when another attribute was in the ascendancy. The reason that we do not accept the premise of Ibn Ezra that once G–d's זעם, anger, is active there is no trace of mercy, is that the Torah itself describes G–d as practicing justice and mercy at one and the same time in Exodus 15,6: "Your right hand O Lord, glorious in power, Your right hand O G–d, shatters the foe." While G–d metes out justice to Israel's enemies, He practices mercy with His people. Rashi says specifically that the same right hand, i.e. the same attribute which saves Israel, annihilates its enemies.

Thus we can now also understand that the same sages described G–d's original blueprint of the universe as being based on the attribute of Justice. Only when G–d saw that such a universe would not be able to endure for long, did He decide to co-opt the attribute of Mercy (Bereshit Rabbah 12,15, and Rashi on Genesis 1,1). Why do the sages talk about ideas of G–d that were never executed? All that needs to concern us surely is what did transpire, not what could or should have transpired? Another difficulty is whether what the sages describe means that G–d had re-considered? Surely this cannot be; do we not have it on good authority that one of the things that distinguishes G–d from man is כי לא בן אדם ויתנחם, "For He is not human that He should reconsider or regret!" (Numbers 23,19).

לא תנחשו . The reason for this prohibition is to teach us not to rely on falsehoods, nor to attribute events to coincidence. We must remain aware that G–d supervises His universe and exercises control. If we want to know something essential about the future we can consult the Hight Priest who will receive an answer from G–d via the אורים ותומים in his breastplate. Even the wicked Bileam realized that כי לא נחש ביעקב, that Israel's relationship with G–d is such that it does not need to resort to soothsaying and similar black magic.

This explains why the Midianites brought their קסמים, enchantments, with them before setting out on their mission to Bileam (22,7). The purpose of these enchantments is to call down to earth the influence that various horoscopic constellations exert on our fates. Balak was superior to Bileam in that field. The significance of נחשים, on the other hand is, that they are instruments which deny that G–d has an entourage who act as His agents. Neither of these devices would prove harmful to Israel as long as the latter carried out the will of their Father in Heaven. The Jewish people's fate is not governed by the forces of nature, i.e. מזל. Horoscopes are something that G–d granted the nations in lieu of השגחה פרטית, G–d's personal supervision and intervention in our affairs. All other magic devices are quite ineffective against Israel as long as Israel are on the level of דביקות לה', "cleaving to G–d." The Talmud in Chullin 7, relates that a woman tried to remove some earth from under the feet of Rabbi Chaninah. Rabbi Chaninah told her to go ahead, that it would not help her to perform her magic since it is written in Deut. 4,35: "there is no one beside Him." How can this be? Do we not have a statement by Rabbi Yochanan who said that the reason sorcery is called כשפים, is because it is a denial of the forces of G–d! The Talmud answers that the case of Rabbi Chaninah is special, because he had so many personal merits that protected him. So far the Talmud on the subject. Concerning the above, Bileam said: "There is no נחש in Jacob, i.e. it is powerless against Jacob, and there is no a קסם that prevails against Israel (Numbers 23,23). Bileam was well versed in all these disciplines including his remarkable awareness of how G–d operates. He knew when to make a curse effective and draw forth G–ds wrath on someone. This is why he commenced by employing instruments of sanctity such as the building of seven altars, offering sacrifices on them, etc. He built as many altars in one single day as the patriarchs had built in their combined life times, as Rashi points out on 23,4. When he realized that G–d had not become angry at Israel and that his accusations had proved futile, he resorted to magic: הוא הלך לקראת נחשים, he forsook the approach via the sacred and turned to the profane. His attitude was that he would mention Israel's shortcomings regardless of whether G–d would react to this negatively or not. He hoped that the curse would attach itself to the mention of their sins (Rashi). Bileam abandoned recourse to the נחשים only from 24,1 onwards. He had become afraid that the merits of Israel were too great, hence he turned his attention towards the "desert," i.e. he recalled the sin of the golden calf which Israel had made in the desert and from the consequences of which G–d had saved it. When the Torah writes “ותהי עליו רוח אלוקים,” this refers to the Divine spirit resting on Israel, not on Bileam, see Zohar on 24,2.

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.

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.

Let us now explore the mystical dimension of the name יעקב. In Genesis 27,35 Isaac says to Esau: בא אחיך במרמה, "Your brother came with wisdom to take the blessings." This means that Jacob came to outwit Esau. Isaac referred to Jacob having outwitted what Esau stands for, i.e. Satan, the pollutant of the original serpent, seeing Esau is also Edom, the classic symbol of all that is polluted and cursed. This original serpent had been described in the Torah as ערום, sly (Genesis 3,1). This being so, Jacob had to resort to a wily strategy to outwit such an opponent. He had to counter with ערמה, slyness, in order to defeat the serpent or its representative at its own game. We find something similar when Rashi explains (Numbers 31,8) that the reason the Torah stresses that Bileam was killed by the sword was because the sword was his stock-in-trade. He should have stuck to his trade. Isaac had told Esau that he would live by his sword (27,40), whereas the traditional weapon of Israel is the mouth, i.e. prayer. Since Bileam perverted his function by using Israel's weapon, the mouth, Israel used his own traditional weapon against him. In order to best him absolutely, he had to be killed by the weapon that he had once considered himself a champion of. The Zohar goes as far as to say that the only way it was possible to kill Bileam was by the sword. Onkelos explains the meaning of יודע ציד in 25,27 as being "Esau was shrewd." The Tziyoni derives from that word נחשירכן (the word Onkelos uses to explain יודע ציד), that the mystical dimension of the serpent is contained in the ירך, reproductive organ, thigh, and that Esau had the likeness of a serpent tatooed on his thigh. This was the reason that Samael, or the spiritual representative of Esau, tried to injure that organ of Jacob's during the nocturnal confrontation. The reason he did not succeed was that Jacob did not contain any residual pollution of the serpent. Bileam alluded to this when he said in Numbers 23,23: כי לא נחש ביעקב, that Jacob was not infected by the serpent. Esau is rooted in the cursed serpent. Jacob and his descendants ירך יעקב, are of blessed origin. Jacob had to come with עקבה, trickery, the craft of the serpent, and he wrested the blessing from the clutches of the unworthy. We know from Proverbs 8,12 that חכמה and ערמה are used interchangeably, i.e. אני חכמה, שכנתי ערמה, "I, wisdom, am neighbor to ערמה.” Later on, when he had established a hold in the Celestial Regions, the source of all blessings, he is referred to as ישראל, since he had ascended to these "higher" regions. The level of ישראל in those regions is very high, seeing that Israel surpassed the level of the angels during his ascent. He occupies a position there that is not even accessible to the angels. He proceeds to rise higher and higher until he even surpasses the region of the ministering angels, the most highly placed angels. It is this that Onkelos referred to when he described Israel as "you are a great lion before G–d and men."

This is alluded to in Numbers 23,23: כי לא נחש ביעקב קסם בישראל, כעת יאמר ליעקב ולישראל מה פעל השם. "For there is no augury in Jacob, no divining in Israel; Jacob is told at once, yea Israel, what G–d has accomplished." [the traditional translation of this verse bears no semblance to the author's interpretation, and is presented only to demonstrate how far the author departs from the plain meaning, פשט. Rashi brings a similar explanation. Ed.] As a first step in his rise to lofty spiritual regions, Jacob got rid of נחש and its powerful influence. Once he had attained the stature of ישראל, not even a vestige of such an influence i.e. קסם remained The word Kessem is the same as קיסם, a sliver, splinter, something very small and insignificant. Israel continues to ascend higher and higher until a time comes when the ministering angels say to Jacob turned Israel who has penetrated and surpassed their ranks: "What did G–d do?"

Bileam says in Numbers 23,10: תמות נפשי מות ישרים ותהי אחריתי כמוהו, "May my Hereafter be like that of Israel." Here too we have the plural of ישר, ישרים. The אחרית referred to by Bileam are the last two letter in the word ישראל. Bileam hopes for a future beyond the grave equaling that of the patriarchs, matriarchs, and the 12 tribes of Israel together. Throughout Scripture we find several times the verse: ברוך ה' אל-ה ישראל; the מספר קטן [a system of numerical values in which the digit 0 is ignored Ed.] of the word א-ל-ה-י, i.e. 1+3+5+1 =10. The מספר קטן of the word ישראל, also amounts to ten, i.e. 1+3+2+1+3=10. This is the allusion to the statement of our sages that the Presence of G–d does not come to rest on fewer than ten Jews.

The מקומות in 12,2 which have to be destroyed are a reminder that there is only one מקום, "one place" i.e. G–d who is not confined by space but has created it." The entire passage is understood as a reference to what went wrong in גן עדן and how to go about repairing the damage that had occurred at that time.

When Israel had sinned, it was attacked by נחש the king of Ammon (Samuel 1,11,1). At that time, immediately after his appointment, Saul defeated the Ammonites. When Saul failed to carry out his task against Amalek completely, the נחש "serpent" (in the guise of the Philistines) raised its head; eventually Saul himself in desperation consulted with the witch of Endor, -an example of מעשה נחשים.- In the end, (Samuel I chapter 28) Saul was killed, and the kingdom reverted back to its permanent designates, to the house of Yehudah-David. David is described as אדמוני וטוב רואי, "ruddy, good looking," in Samuel I 16,12, the counterpart to Esau, who was called אדום, because he had absorbed all the pollutants of the original serpent which had made blood (red) the symbol of death. Esau had absorbed all this pollutant in order that Jacob might be free of it. We have shown that this was what Bileam alluded to when he proclaimed: כי לא נחש ביעקב, "that Jacob does not contain a vestige of the original serpent" (Numbers 23,23). The colour אדום, then can originate either in the קליפה, representing the blood of impurity, or in a sacred domain. When it originates in the sacred domain it is described, as in Samuel, as טוב רואי, "beautiful to behold." David is descended from Peretz, who was פורץ גדר, "achieved a break-through" against the forces of the נחש. David was an outstanding Torah scholar; when the honor of G–d was at stake he knew how to take revenge in the manner of a serpent. It is said of him: כי משורש נחש יצא צפע, "for from the stock of a snake there sprouts an asp" (Isaiah 14,29). The allusion is to David's father Yishai (cf. Targum) who is the נחש in our verse. These terms are used by the prophets as forces that are able to parry and subdue the original serpent, root of impurity.

When the Torah, i.e. in the words of Samael, refers to the name Jacob as something that will no longer apply to him but that he will be called Israel (32,29), the reference is to the period after that mentioned in 45,27. Once Jacob's "spirit had been revived,” his name Jacob, when mentioned, had a different connotation. It was his father who had called him by that name originally, because he had held on to Esau's heel. His father had, of course, not entertained the thought that עקב meant something derogatory, such as deviousness. Isaac, when naming Jacob, had looked forward to the time when the Messiah would be king of mankind, a time when Israel would be in its spiritual glory.

The meaning of the name "Israel" in the future envisioned would not only denote the fact that he had prevailed in a struggle between the forces of evil and of good. At that time, Israel would not compete with evil but with the most highly placed angels. The position of Israel then would be so exalted that angels would address halachic enquiries to Israel. Rashi has mentioned this in connection with Numbers 23,23: כעת יאמר ליעקב ולישראל מה פעל השם, "At such a time Jacob and Israel will be spoken to about what G–d's works are." [my translation reflects the commentary mentioned. Ed.] The name "Israel" also denotes something of eternal value. We have already explained that the first two letters 310-יש, refer to the 310 worlds that every צדיק and צדקת will inherit in the Hereafter, [based on להנחיל אוהבי יש, Proverbs 8,21 Ed.] The remaining letters רלא, are an allusion to the superiority of Israel over the angels, seeing that Israel possesses the merit of having observed the Torah which is based on 22 letters, (alphabet) These 22 letters are 231 gateways, i.e. the permutations constructed from the alphabet as explained in the Sefer Yetzirah. [The second Mishnah in the fifth chapter of the book explains how these permutations are worked; you combine the first letter א, for instance, with all the other 21 letters. The second letter ב, is combined with the remaining 20 letters. The third letter ג, is combined with the remaining 19 letters, etc. By continuing in this fashion you will arrive at a total of 231. Ed.] The name ישראל is a composite of יש+ראל. Jacob had seen an allusion to this already in his dream of the ladder, during the course of which he glimpsed the highest domain of holiness, a dimension of the World to Come. When he lay down, i.e. וישכב, the letters in that word are a composite of יש+כ"ב, the 22 letters of the Aleph Bet. We have elaborated on that theme in its place. When Samael named Jacob ישראל, however, that was not what he had in mind, and that is why Jacob had still suffered from the "touch" (ויגע) during the struggle with Samael even after he had obtained his blessing. This effect also expressed itself in the word וישכב, with which Shechem's rape of Dinah is introduced in 34,2 [It would have been sufficient to merely mention ויענה, "he violated her against her will," the word following וישכב. Ed.]. The same word וישכב is repeated in the Torah's description of Reuben's relations with Bilhah, his father's concubine, in 35,22. Subsequently, however, there was no longer any Nachash (in the sense of serpent) attached to Jacob [play on words of Numbers 23,23 כי לא נחש ביעקב where Bileam describes the virtues of the Jewish people], seeing the name Jacob referred to the World to Come ever since Jacob's spirit was resurrected. This in turn represented an additional spiritual level over and above the one where G–d called Jacob "El," in 33,20. When G–d called Jacob "Isra-el," we must view the "Isra" as an additional dimension to the title "El" that He had already bestowed on him. The numerical value of the word א-ל, is 10% (מעשר) of the numerical value of the word 310) יש).

Rabbi Zecharyah on the other hand, refers to the period after the name Jacob had been revived because Jacob was revived. After that development, the name Jacob, representing also a life of infinite duration, became more important than the name Israel. A careful look at the wording in that Midrash reveals that whereas the first sage described the name Israel as the principal name and Jacob as merely "auxiliary," Rabbi Zecharyah did not speak of something "auxiliary." He defined the name Israel as "additional." This choice of adjective is appropriate, seeing it alludes to the additional dimension of spiritual content the letters 231=ראל added to the letters א-ל, as described. When the Torah spoke about the "days when Israel would die approaching," this was phrased so as to alert us to the fact that only Israel, but not Jacob was to die. When the Torah -through the mouth of Bileam- speaks about both Jacob and Israel in Numbers 23,23, this is because both names are used in their spiritual, eternal dimension.

We are dealing here with the dimension of "Jacob" as well as with the dimension of "Israel." First, Jacob assumed the position of שר, Master, vis-a-vis the angel. This is what Samael meant when he said: "You have fought with G–d and man and prevailed;" That aspect of the name "Israel" made him superior to the angel. However, from that development alone I would not have known that even the part of him that was still called "Jacob" could attain the spiritual level of the angels. This is why Hoseah said: "The angel wept and implored Jacob." [Hoseah speaks two verses earlier about Jacob as being punished by G–d, whereas he worked his way up on the spiritual ladder. Ed.] The lesson we learn from this is that even in his capacity as "merely" Jacob, the angel had to implore him, weeping. This was a preview of how things were going to be in the future. Both the names "Jacob" and "Israel" will reflect the highest spiritual achievements, higher even than those of the ministering angels, as we pointed out in connection with Numbers 23,23. Jacob's "victory" over an angel of the type of Samael will then be matched by his "victory" over angels which represent only positive spiritual values.

One of the most prominent allusions to such a development can be seen in the relationship between Yehudah and Tamar. When Yehudah sent his partner to pay Tamar the promised kid and to retrieve his signet ring, etc., the Adulamite is reported as asking the men of her place איה הקדשה, "where is the harlot that had been at the roadside?" This can also be read as Ayeh haKedushah "where is the holiness?" He received the reply that there had not been a harlot in that place (Genesis 38,21-22). This is an allusion to the angels who are constantly asking each other for the site of G–d's holiness, and who, in the future, are going to address this question to Israel. Israel's spiritual level in those days will be so far superior to that of the angels that even those who had been considered as חצונים, will have become sanctified outsiders, from a spiritual point of view. At that time the name of G–d will be as we say in the קדיש prayer: י"הא שמיה רבא, His name will be great. The letters י"הא are an allusion to the three ways in which the Ineffable Name can be spelled as words, using either the method with the א, the method with the ה, or the method with the letter י. [Example: the letter ה can be spelled ה"א, or ה"ה, or ה"י. ] When all three methods are used G–d's name is "great." We have pointed out on another occasion that the question the angels ask Israel is: מה פעל א-ל I have elaborated on this when discussing the meaning of the קדושה.

When David says in verse 12 הפכת מספדי למחול לי, "You have turned my lament into dancing," he refers to the רגע באפו, "G–d's brief moment of anger" (verse 6). The curse is now to become a blessing instead. Berachot 7a discusses the brief span of G–d's anger based on Bileam's comment in Numbers 23,8 that he, the expert at timing G–d's "moods," had been unable (because of G–d's anger at the time) to find the opening to make a curse effective. Tosafot ask what good it would have done Bileam to pinpoint that anger, seeing it only lasts a רגע, moment (the length of time it takes to utter the word רגע); they answer that all Bileam had to say was "כלם," "destroy them!" By reversing that word כלם into מלך, king, the curse was converted into a blessing. This is the secret of the expression ותרועת מלך בו (Numbers 23,21), of which Bileam speaks. David also alludes to the repentance which we will perform when we experience persecution. According to the Arizal, the letters in the word תשובה, repentance, are the first letters of the words: תענית, שק, ואפר, בכיה, הספד. One can recognize a person's penitence by observing these five manifestations of remorse. In our Psalm the same idea is alluded to by the words: היודך עפר, הפכת מספדי, פתחת שקי, בערב ילין בכי. The תענית is alluded to by the words: ותאזרני שמחה, "You girded me with joy," parallel to Kohelet 9,7: אכול בשמחה לחמך, "Eat your bread [reversal of fasting. Ed.] joyfully."

When David says in verse 12 הפכת מספדי למחול לי, "You have turned my lament into dancing," he refers to the רגע באפו, "G–d's brief moment of anger" (verse 6). The curse is now to become a blessing instead. Berachot 7a discusses the brief span of G–d's anger based on Bileam's comment in Numbers 23,8 that he, the expert at timing G–d's "moods," had been unable (because of G–d's anger at the time) to find the opening to make a curse effective. Tosafot ask what good it would have done Bileam to pinpoint that anger, seeing it only lasts a רגע, moment (the length of time it takes to utter the word רגע); they answer that all Bileam had to say was "כלם," "destroy them!" By reversing that word כלם into מלך, king, the curse was converted into a blessing. This is the secret of the expression ותרועת מלך בו (Numbers 23,21), of which Bileam speaks. David also alludes to the repentance which we will perform when we experience persecution. According to the Arizal, the letters in the word תשובה, repentance, are the first letters of the words: תענית, שק, ואפר, בכיה, הספד. One can recognize a person's penitence by observing these five manifestations of remorse. In our Psalm the same idea is alluded to by the words: היודך עפר, הפכת מספדי, פתחת שקי, בערב ילין בכי. The תענית is alluded to by the words: ותאזרני שמחה, "You girded me with joy," parallel to Kohelet 9,7: אכול בשמחה לחמך, "Eat your bread [reversal of fasting. Ed.] joyfully."