Comentário sobre Números 22:26

ויוסף מלאך ה' עובר AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD WENT FURTHER — went further in front of him — it went on so as to be before him in another spot. It is similar to, (Genesis 33:3) “And he passed in front of them”. — And there is a Midrashic explanation in Tanchuma: What reason had he to stand in three places? He (the Angel) showed him (Balaam) symbols referring to the three patriarchs (Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 8).

אשר אין דרך לנטות ימין ושמאל, “where there was no room to turn right or left.” This needs to be understood allegorically, [I suppose because both the words “right” and “left” are superfluous. Ed.] The words are understood as referring to people who veer theologically to the ‘right’ or ‘left, i.e. Avraham and Yitzchok each had a son who did not follow in his father’s footsteps. By the time Yaakov appeared on the scene of history all his children followed in his footsteps. The descriptions of the ability of the ass to pass the angel in the first two instances, though with difficulty, and not without discomfort to its owner, were to be a message to Bileam that by now there was no loophole in the conduct of the descendants of Avraham that would allow him room for his curse to be effective.

To place himself before him in a different place. Rashi is answering the question: The word עבור ["passed"] is only appropriate where one crosses a river or between two objects, but here we do not find that [Bil'am] passed through anything. Therefore he explains that עבור here means “[passed] before him” as if to say that he went to another place to stand before him. The reason why Rashi stated לעבור ["to pass"] instead of עבור ["passed"] is that this is the rule of the root עבר that it comes with a lamed. Re’m.

V. 26. עבר ,ויוסף וגו׳ עבור eigentlich an jemandem vorübergehen, daher auch: an ihm vorbei in die Richtung gehen, der er selbst zu folgen hat.

ויוסף מלאך ה עבור, “and the angel of the Lord went further;” according to Rashi he hinted to him that a people founded on the merits of three patriarchs such as Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov, would hardly be intimidated by the curses of the likes of a moneyoriented Bileam. In Lavan’s time Yaakov had not yet been able to draw on the merits of three patriarchs as could the Israelites in the meantime. When Bileam thought that the fact that Yishmael and the sons of Keturah, all of whom Avraham expelled, were asign of spiritual weakness in that house, the merit acquired by Yitzchok at the binding of him at Mount Moriah, offset any such notion. When Bileam thought that the fact that Yitzchok had also sired Esau showed spiritual weakness in the family of that patriarch, the fact that all of Yaakov’s children had remained true to the Abrahamitic tradition blocked his attempts in that direction to harm the Israelites by cursing them. This is the implied meaning of the words: אשר אין דרך לנטות ימין ושמאל, “where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left.”

אשר אין דרך, ”where there was no path.” Seeing that he had come to a narrow place where Bileam was deprived of the protection of the two lads he had taken along with him, we find here confirmation that when a threesome walks together, or even a twosome such as when Avraham and Yitzchok went to the way to the Akeydah, Satan was unable to frustrate their holy mission. Now when circumstances had arisen that forced Bileam to be on his own, Satan had a chance to target him. [This appears to be a departure from Tanchuma’s approach on that verse. Ed.]

He showed him the signs of the Patriarchs. It appears to me that the meaning is as follows: At the first stop he had space at either side, therefore it is written, “The donkey turned aside from the way” (v. 23) implying that it only had to turn aside a little. At the second stop it could only move to one side, as it is written, “She was pressed against the wall” (v. 25) implying that it pressed itself against that side of the wall in order for the angel to pass by. At the third stop there was no room to turn to the right or to the left, as it is written in the verse. What were the sign? That if he wanted to curse the sons of Avrohom he would find a space at either side where the curse could fall, for the sons of Yishmoel and the sons of Keturah were descended from him. And if he wanted to curse the sons of Yitzchak, he would find a space at one side, for Eisav was descended from him. And if he wanted to curse the sons of Yaakov then he would not find a blemish in them, thus he could not touch them. This is what was meant when the Torah writes at the third stop that it was “במקום צר ["in a narrow place"]” which alludes to Yaakov as it says [about him], “ויצר לו ["he was distressed"].”