Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Bilang 23:19

ממחליק לשון, “more than the flatterer with his tongue;” with these words Solomon in the above quoted line, refers to Bileam, who instead of rebuking Israel, heaped words of flattery upon them (Numbers 24,5). He referred specifically to what Bileam had said there, i.e. מה טובו אהליך יעקב, “how goodly are your tents, Yaakov. (Compare D’varim Rabbah 1,2.) Our author elaborates with a parable. A prince had two ministers, one of whom he loved and the other he had grown to hate. He cautioned the minister whom he loved not to commit any misdemeanours, as if such would come to the attention of the King he would be severely punished, the king not exercising any mercy. He encouraged the minister he hated to live his life without restraints as even if he did become guilty of a misdemeanour he had someone at court who would intervene on his behalf. Moses acted similarly; seeing that he loved Israel, he warned them not to become guilty not to follow the wrong path as this would lead to disaster for them. (Deut. 11,16) Bileam, on the other hand, seeing that he hated Israel, would praise them, hoping that in their exuberance they would commit acts through which they would forfeit the goodwill of their heavenly Father. Concerning the Jewish people, Bileam had said in Numbers 23,19: לא איש א-ל ויכזב, “G–d is not like man who threatens and relents,” in dealing with the gentile nations He never relents; but when dealing with the Jwewish people, דבר ולא יקימנו, “even though He had expressed verbally His wrath and threatened punishment, in the end He will not carry out what He had threatened.” (same verse) Concerning the Jewish people, Solomon said in Proverbs 27,6: נאמנים פצעי אוהב ונעתרות נשיקות שונא, “wounds inflicted by a loved one are long lasting; the kisses of an enemy are profuse.” Concerning Moses, Solomon said in Proverbs 24,25: ולמוכיחים ינעם ועליהם תבא ברכת טוב, “but those who rebuke the wicked will experience delight; blessings of good things will come upon them.” You will note that Solomon does not conclude with the word עליו, “upon him,” the rebuker, but he uses the plural mode, עליהם, “upon them,” i.e. the ones who have been rebuked.

ותמת שרה בקרית ארבע, “Sarah died there at Kiryat Arba, etc.” The main thrust of the verse is to alert us to the fact that this righteous woman died and was buried in Eretz Yisrael. The Torah emphasises that the place called קרית ארבע at that time was renamed חברון afterwards in order that no one should forget that we speak about a town inside Eretz Yisrael. At the conclusion of Sarah’s burial in verse 19, the Torah repeats once more that the cave of Machpelah where she is buried is situated היא חברון בארץ כנען, “at Chevron in the land of Canaan.” The Torah teaches that it was a great privilege to be buried in the same burial ground reserved for such outstanding individuals as Adam, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, a place which would later on (28,17) be called “the gateway to heaven.” [The author apparently views the site where Yaakov had the dream as being Chevron rather than Mount Moriah. Ed.]
The reason the town was called קרית ארבע, “the city of Four,” is because four pairs of outstanding human beings were buried in the cave of Machpelah there. They are: Adam and Chavah, Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivkah, and Yaakov and Leah.

לקח ,לקחי ist die Lehre vom Standpunkt des Lernenden, die aufgenommene oder aufzunehmende Lehre. – נשל .נזל von dem bisherigen Halt loslösen, נצל das gewaltsame Trennen von einem Halt. נזל, die natürliche schwächste Kohärenz der Teilchen, bezeichnet die Bewegung des Flüssigen. Daher der Gegensatz: נצבו כמו נד נוזלים (Schmot 15, 8). – אמרה ,אמרתי gewöhnliche Bezeichnung von Gottes Verheißungen, Zusagen. Vergl. Bamidbar 23, 19.

I will not be inquired of by you! in your request. Yet at the end of this Book (36:37): He says: “I will...be inquired of by the house of Israel.” This is one of the places that teach us that the Holy One, blessed be He, recants on evil. And regarding matters similar to this, it is said (Num. 23:19): “He says but He does not do.” Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma (Vayera 13).

ויתעצב GRIEVED HIM — means, in the mind of God man became an object to be troubled (punished): it entered God’s heart to grieve him. This is how the Targum of Onkelos understands the verse. Another explanation of verse 6: וינחם AND [THE LORD] REPENTED — The thoughts of God turned from Divine mercy to Divine justice: He considered what to do with man whom He had made on the earth. Wherever this term is used in the Scripture it means “considering what to do”. Examples are: (Numbers 23:19) “nor the son of man that He should consider (ויתנחם)”; (Deuteronomy 32:36) “and reconsider (ויתנחם) regarding His servants”; (Exodus 32:14) “and the Lord reconsidered (וינחם) regarding the evil”; (1 Samuel 15:11) “I am reconsidering (נחמתי) that I have set up Saul to be king” — all these passages denote a change of mind.

But, hearken now... The prophet who would prophesy for peace. He said: I prophesy retribution. If it does not come, I am not a liar, for the Holy One, blessed be He, renounces the evil, but the prophet who prophesies for peace, etc., when the word of the prophet comes, etc., but if his word does not come, he is a liar, as it is said, “God is not a man that He should lie, etc.” (Num. 23:19). In this manner Rabbi Tanhuma (Vayera 13) expounded.