Komentarz do Liczb 22:24

במשעול — Understand this as the Targum does: IN A PATH. And similar is, (1 Kings 20:10) “If the dust of Samaria shall suffice לשעלים” — the dust that attaches itself to the soles of peoples’ feet when they walk. And similarly, (Isaiah 40:12) “Who hath measured the water בשעלו” — with his feet and through his walking (as one measures by pacing).

Unless specified otherwise גדר refers to a barrier of stone. Since below it is written (v. 25), “And pressed him against הקיר ["the wall"]” with a hei denoting the definite article, this implies that it was the same barrier that had been mentioned previously. Re’m explains similarly. [We see that] a קיר ["wall"] is always made of stone because in Parshas Metzora it is written, “Behold the affliction is in the walls of the house” (Vayikra 14:37) and afterwards it is written, “Remove the stones” (v. 40) which implies that the wall was made from stone. Consequently, קיר ["wall"] here, which refers to the barrier mentioned above, was made from stones (see Bava Kamma 29a).

V. 24. במשעול הכרמים. Die Bedeutung der Wurzel ”שעל“ ist nicht ganz sicher. Nach unserer Stelle verglichen mit: אם ישפק עפר שמרון לשעלים לכל העם (Kön. I. 20. 16) und מי מדד בשעלו מים (Jes. 40, 12) scheint שעל einen Fuß oder Schritt als Maß zu bedeuten, und משעול ist ein enger Pfad, welchen man nur schrittweise durchgehen kann. Dunkel jedoch bleibt dabei בשעלי שעורים (Jechesk. 13, 19). Vielleicht heißt שועל Fuchs, als Pfadschleicher zwischen Weinbergen, denen eben Füchse so verderblich werden. גדר, umgrenzen, ist verwandt mit כתר: dem umgrenzenden, von allen andern abschließenden Reif: die Krone (vergl. זֵר von ”זור“).

גדר מזה וגדר מזה, “with a fence being on either side.” There are some commentators who claim that this “fence” was the same as the stone piles erected by Yaakov and Lavan, at the time they parted company; the same commentators also identify Bileam as being the reincarnation of Lavan, as he displayed the same attitude towards the Jewish people as had Lavan towards the first Jewish family. They go further and identify Bileam as Kushan Rishatayim, Judges 3,8 (compare Talmud tractate Sanhedrin folio 105), where they describe all three characters as basically the same, each a reincarnation of the former. At this point Bileam/Lavan is perceived as having violated the pact concluded at that stone pile between Yaakov and Lavan (Genesis 31, 4454) It was logical therefore that this stone pile would now threaten Bileam for violating the oath sworn by Lavan to Yaakov at the time. The קיר, wall, mentioned in our story is a clear reference to the stones erected by both Lavan and Yaakov at that time. If Bileam is described a little while later as being lame, this is attributed to the ass having pressed him against that wall as punishment for his violating the original oath of peace between Yaakov and Lavan. (Compare 23,3, וילך שפי, “he walked with a limp.”)

גדר מזה וגדר מזה A FENCE BEING ON THIS SIDE AND A FENCE ON THAT SIDE — The term גדר without further definition is one of stone (and that is why in the next verse it is called a קיר which is a term for a stone wall; cf. Leviticus 14:37—40).