Comentário sobre Números 23:22

אל מוציאם ממצרים GOD BROUGHT THEM OUT FROM EGYPT — You said, (Numbers 22:5) “Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt” — it did not come out of its own account, but God brought it out (Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 14).

כתועפות ראם לו like the horns of a wild ox for him, seeing that it does not act like a lion, a predator. It only pushes with its horns like a wild ox, i.e. while it wants to expel the nations living in the land of Canaan. It is not bent on killing the inhabitants unless they resist occupation. We find a matching verse in Psalms 80,9 תגרש גויים ותטעה, “You (G’d) expelled nations and planted it. (Israel in their place)” All of this because G’d is not interest in the death of people. This is also the meaning of what our sages said in the Jerusalem Talmud Sheviit 6,1 “Joshua sent three letters to each of the nations inhabiting the land of Canaan; offering them a number of choices: 1) anyone wishing to emigrate can do so and will not be molested. 2) anyone wishing to make peace with us, i.e. to surrender, is welcome to do so. 3) anyone wishing to resist us by fighting us is welcome to do so.” The people of Canaan were obstinate attacking the incoming Israelites so that the latter were forced to kill them. It is clear therefore that the Jewish nation did not behave at all in the manner a lion behaves when he looks for prey. Instead, they acted in the manner of a wild ox when it feels forced to resist opposition.

א־ל מוציאם ממצרים, "G'd who has brought them out of Egypt, etc." Although the Talmud Berachot 38 understands the word מוציא as if it were in the past tense [in connection with the benediction we pronounce before eating bread, Ed.], the fact is that Bileam used the present tense rather than the past tense about G'd orchestrating the Exodus. Why did he do this? Perhaps we can best explain this in light of the statement in Pessachim 116 that every Jew throughout the ages must bring himself to feel that he himself took part in the Exodus of our forefathers from Egypt. In fact, basing themselves on this statement in the Talmud, the Kabbalists are sure that each and every year on the anniversary i.e. the night of the 14th of Nissan to the 15th, people have a chance to get rid of spiritually negative influences, the forces of the קליפה which they absorbed during the year, and emerge with all the sanctity of their souls intact. Bileam therefore alluded to the annual renewal of the spiritual part of the Exodus experience that the Jewish people experience. He even provided a reason for this when he said כתועפות ראם לו, "they are for him like the lofty horns of the wild-ox." This is an allusion to G'd continuously elevating the Jewish people spiritually to ever higher levels. This process will continue until every vestige of spiritual impurity has been purged from the Israelites. כי לא נחש ביעקב ולא קסם בישראל "for there is no enchantment in Jacob nor is there any divination in Israel." Bileam employs a double entendre; on the one hand he uses the word נחש in the sense it is used by sorcerers, on the other he alludes to the original serpent, the original temptress, seducer. Bileam claims that on both counts the Israelites are in the clear. They do not have anything to fear from either as they do not indulge in the practice of any kind of magic. Eventually, Jacob will become totally free of the evil urge, the angel of death, etc. Compare Zachariah 13,2 "I will remove the spirit of impurity from earth." ולא קסם, this refers to an impurity of a lesser degree. Bileam says that the Israelites will not even be afflicted by this and will be on a higher spiritual level than the angels. We know this from our sages in Bamidbar Rabbah 20,20 who told us that the words יאמר ליעקב מה פעל א־ל are an allusion to the angels asking and consulting Israel about the works of G'd.

אל מוציאם ממצרים, “the G’d who takes them out of Egypt.” Bileam counters Balak’s statement that the people of Israel had left Egypt under their own power, without Divine assistance (compare 22,5). He explains that G’d performed outstanding miracles overcoming horoscopic forces according to which the Israelites should have remained in Egypt much longer. Seeing he had already referred to תרועת מלך (in the sense of their being the King’s companion) he now describes that their companionship is the result of His taking them out of Egypt.

Like the power [of his] loftiness. Rashi means that the word ראם is in the sense of רום ["loftiness"] not ראם ["ram"] which is an animal, for it is not proper to compare the power of Hashem to an animal. Thus the Torah is saying as follows: Just as when a builder constructs a high and mighty building, you recognize him and know that he is mighty. So too Hashem built His world and founded it upon His might. He brought them out with might, “like the power of His loftiness and elevation” meaning like the might of His world. Thus Rashi means that כתועפות ["like the power"] here and וכסף תועפות ["and silver [shall be] your strength"] both denote strength.

V. 22. אל מוציאם וגו׳. In Mizrajim waren sie noch eine zusammenhanglos niedergehaltene "Vielheit", und in dieser zu jeder Selbsthülfe machtlosen Vielheit hat Gott sie aus Mizrajim geführt und zu einem Volke "geeint". Der Gott, der so ohne ihr Zutun ihre Befreiung bewirkt hat, das ist auch der Gott, der auch ohne ihr Zutun sie weiter zur ganzen Höhe der Macht und Selbständigkeit führt, das verleihet diesem Volke einen so furchtbaren, Re'em gleichen Machtaufschwung. Es hat diese Macht nicht zu suchen, hat dazu nicht aus sich physische und geistige Hebel anzusetzen, sie wird ihm von Gott bereitet entgegengebracht. Gott will sie mächtig und groß und fordert von ihnen nur תרועת מלך: Königshuldigung, die sich in Sichfernhalten von jedem אָוֶן, von Missbrauch des von Gott Gewährten betätigt.

כתועפות ראם לו, “He is for them like the horns of the wild ox.” The word תועפות is equivalent to “double, twice as much.” G–d’s protection for His people has been demonstrated to be at least twice as strong as the strength of the wild ox. The word: וכפלת in Exodus 26,9, is rendered by the Targum as ותעוף. We find that expression also used in Job 11,17: תעופה כבוקר תהיה, “you will shine you will be like morning,” (when the light is especially bright.) Bileam likens G–d to the wild ox in His listening to human beings, just as on other occasions the prophet Hoseah 11,10 likens G–d’s roaring to that of the lion, and the prophet Amos 3,8 also compared Him to a lion, as inspiring fear and dread.

כתועפות, like the lofty horns;” the construction of this word implies that there is more than one of these horns. Our author cites Zecharyah 5,2 as a parallel, מגלה עפה, “a flying scroll.” The horns of the Reem, are twice as strong as ordinary horns. Although there is no known animal nowadays that is called Reem, the Torah uses the mythical animal as an example of this creature possessing strong horns. People in Moses’ time were still familiar with that species.

כתועפת ראם לו means [GOD BROUGHT THEM OUT OF EGYPT] IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE STRENGTH BEFITTING HIS SUBLIMITY (רום) and loftiness. Similar is (Job 22:25) “and silver of strength (‎תועפות‎)"‏ — they (the word תועפות here and in the verse quoted) are both expressions signifying strength. — And I say that really it has the same meaning as the verb in (Genesis 1:20) ועוף יעופף which signifies: a bird that raises itself into the heights and lofty spheres — and this is evidence of great strength. Accordingly ותועפות ראם really signifies “a flight in the heights”. — Another explanation of תועפות ראם is: “the strength of Reemim” and our Rabbis said that this refers to “the demons’” (their strength is subject to Him) (cf. Gittin 68b).

This is a great application of power. Meaning that Rashi wishes to give a reason as to why the power is referred to with the term תועפות. He answers that it is from the same derivation as עוף יעופף ["let birds fly"], because the fact that a bird flies is a great application of power. For it is the manner of anything that is made up of the four elements [of matter] that when one throws it in the air, it falls to the ground. Yet a bird flies in the air, which is [apparently] the opposite of its nature, thus it is certain that it has a great strength.

תועפות, von יעף identisch mit עיף und עוף (siehe Bereschit 1, 20 und 7, 14), bezeichnet ein stetiges Hinanstreben zur Höhe. Daher תועפות הרים das Hinanstreben der Berge, im Gegensatze zu מחקרי ארץ, den Tiefen der Erde (Ps. 95, 4).

This refers to the demons and evil spirits. Meaning: Like the power of the demons which fly quickly from one end of the world to the other. According to the first reason there is the difficulty as to why the Torah had written ראם [according to that interpretation meaning ‘loftiness’] therefore Rashi brought the other interpretation because demons and evil spirits are called ראמים. However, according to the other interpretation there is the difficulty that the verse should have written ראמים, therefore he also brought the first reason. (Kitzur Mizrochi) One must explain why Rashi here mentions demons and evil spirits rather than angels. Gur Aryeh discusses this at length. But it is possible to say that it was because Bil’am’s principle acts were through demons and evil spirits, for originally he was a sorcerer. Thus since Balak was also a great sorcerer, as explained further on (Rashi to v. 28), he therefore scared Balak according to his understanding.