ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף במדבר 24:25

From the land of Chittim. Even from the land of Chittim, which is very far,²Chittim is probably Cittium in the isle of Cyprus, which belonged to Phoenicia. this destruction was announced to the ships of Tarshish. Chittim is mentioned, because of the ships which passed the coast thereof.³Ships of Tarshish are ships coming from Tarshish; they passed the coast of Chittim (Cyprus), and heard there the news of the calamities of Tyre; because the enemy that besieged Tyre tried at the same time to get Cyprus into his possession, either by hostile attack or by a support given to her revolt against Tyre. The quotation from Num. 24:25, And ships from the coast of Chittim, is only to prove that Chittim was a naval power. Comp. (Num. 24:25)

במדין הוא, her father was a head in Midian. This description is somewhat difficult. If the Torah meant to tell us that Tzur was the head of the whole nation of Midian it should have written ראש בית אב למדין instead of במדין. The prefix ב only tells us something about location not about stature and position. Why did the Torah have to tell us that Tzur lived in Midian? Where else would he live? Perhaps the intention is to counteract an impression created when the Torah described Balak as a king, whereas Tzur was described as head of a nation within Midian. The Torah wanted to tell us that Balak did not remain king of Moav but had already been expelled and had returned to his homeland by the time the Israelites were commanded to harass the Midianites. Moreover, the words במדין הוא may be a subtle hint that at the time that his daughter slept with Zimri, Balak had already returned to his home in Midian. Compare my commentary on 24,25.

FOR THEY [the Midianites] HARASS YOU BY THEIR WILES. The meaning [of the expression by their wiles] is, as I have explained,¹¹Above, 25:1. that this evil plan [to lead the Israelites astray through their seduction by the Moabite women] was contrived by the elders of Midian, as it is said, And Moab said unto the elders of Midian,¹²Ibid., 22:4. [thus showing] that it was with them [the elders of Midian] that the Moabites originally took counsel. And they gave this advice [later on] to Moab, to encourage their daughters to prostitute themselves with them [the Israelites], and thereby cause them to join Baal-peor, and to draw them away from G-d, even though this advice is not [explicitly] mentioned there. Moreover, [a proof that the Midianites gave this idea to the Moabites is] that they even sent them their own king’s daughter to commit harlotry with them, this being the meaning of the expression, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister.¹³Verse 18 here. For were this not done with the knowledge [and encouragement] of the counsellors of the [Midianite] kingdom, what was the distinguished Midianite princess seeking in Shittim, in the plains of Moab, that she should come to the camp of a foreign people, for Israel was in the plains of Moab, in Shittim, and how did this [important] Midianite woman come to be there? But [the only reasonable explanation of this is that] she was very beautiful, and therefore the elders of Midian sent her there, because they said: “Through the figure of a beautiful woman many people become corrupted.”¹⁴This saying is quoted in Tractate Yebamoth 63b, from the book Ben Sira. It is probable that Balaam was also involved in [giving] this counsel, for on his return from the land of Moab [after he departed from Balak]¹⁵Above, 24:25. he passed through Midian, from where he had come, and he deliberated with the counsellors of the kingdom. Perhaps Balaam stayed there a while in order to know what would [ultimately] happen to them [i.e., the Israelites], and that is why the Israelites found him in Midian and killed him.¹⁶Further, 31:8. In that case the meaning [of the verse], And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place¹⁵Above, 24:25. is that Balaam “went on his way [with the intention] of returning to his land” [but he did not actually get there, since he stayed on the way in Midian]. And it indeed appears so [that Balaam participated in giving this evil advice], for the Israelites would not have killed one who had prophesied except after [receiving a special] permission of the Torah [to do so, and we do not find any mention of such permission]. But after they had been told [that they were to punish the Midianites because] they harass you by their wiles wherewith they have beguiled you etc.,¹⁷Verse 18 here. [it is self-understood] that all those who took part in this beguilment were liable to the death penalty, and therefore they killed Balaam as well, since they knew that he was the one who had proposed this evil design.
Now the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded [the Israelites] to avenge themselves of them [the Midianites], but as for the Moabites, He had already warned them, Be not at enmity with Moab.¹⁸Deuteronomy 2:9. For Israel had at first come to the border of Edom, and He had warned them [against fighting] them, [as it is said], and take ye good heed unto yourselves;¹⁹Ibid., Verse 4. and afterwards they arrived at the border of Moab, and He told Moses, Be not at enmity with Moab.¹⁸Deuteronomy 2:9. He said furthermore, Thou art this day to pass over the border of Moab, even Ar; and when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, harass them not,²⁰Ibid., Verses 18-19. and He [further] stated, Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of Arnon; behold, I have given into thy hand Sihon.²¹Ibid., Verse 24. And after all this Balak saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites,²²Above, 22:2. that is, to the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, and then this whole episode [of the blessings of Balaam, and the seduction at Shittim by the Moabite women] took place. If so, [we must perforce say] that the warning Be not at enmity with Moab¹⁸Deuteronomy 2:9. was declared before the command Harass the Midianites.⁹Verse 17. And therefore I am astonished at the expression of the Agadah [homiletic exposition], where the Rabbis say in Tractate Baba Kamma:²³Baba Kamma 38 a-b. “Be not at enmity with Moab, [neither contend with them in battle].¹⁸Deuteronomy 2:9. But would it have entered Moses’ mind to wage war [against Moab] without the permission [of G-d, so that he had to be especially told to refrain from doing so]! But Moses of his own accord reasoned by [the syllogism of] a kal vachomer,²⁴“Minor and major.” See Vol. II, p. 133, Note 208 for a full explanation of this term. saying: ‘If, in the case of the Midianites, who only came to assist the Moabites, the Torah said, Harass the Midianites, and smite them,⁹Verse 17. surely [this duty applies] even more so to the Moabites!’ But the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: ‘It is not so as it has entered your mind! I have two [good] doves who are to come forth from them — Ruth the Moabitess, and Naamah the Ammonitess.’”²⁵See Ruth 1:4; I Kings 14:21. Naamah was the mother of Rehoboam, who was one of the righteous kings of the kingdom of Judah. But He had already warned Moses [against waging war on Moab] long before the kal vachomer [could have occurred to Moses, since He had, as explained above, given the command not to harass Moab before the incident with the women, and thus before the command to punish Midian for their share in that incident]! Moreover, if [it was only to negate] Moses’ kal vachomer [that he had to be warned against fighting Moab], why did He have to warn him [also] not to fight the children of Ammon²⁰Ibid., Verses 18-19. [since they played no part at all in the incident at Shittim]! Perhaps the Rabbis were not so particular in their language in the Agadah [about the actual chronological order of events]; since their main [intention] was to say that it was known [beforehand] to Him, blessed be He, that when He would command Moses, Harass the Midianites,⁹Verse 17. Moses would have [an opportunity to argue by the syllogism of] a kal vachomer²⁴“Minor and major.” See Vol. II, p. 133, Note 208 for a full explanation of this term. that he ought to wage war against Moab, without any other [special] permission, therefore He warned him in advance not to do so. And because He warned him about Moab, therefore He also admonished him with respect to the children of Ammon, so that Moses should not think that [the fact that] He only forbade him [not to fight] Moab was [tantamount to an implied] permission to [wage war] against the children of Ammon who had also dealt evil to the Israelites because they met them not with bread and with water.²⁶Deuteronomy 23:5. Ramban there explains that it was only the Ammonites mentioned in Verse 4 ibid., who were guilty of this, whereas the Moabites [also mentioned there] did meet the Israelites with bread and water. They are excluded, however, from the assembly of the Eternal because they hired Balaam to curse the Israelites. According to another Midrash²⁷Also quoted by the Rabbis in Baba Kamma 38b. [the reason why Israel was commanded to punish Midian but not to attack Moab], was because the Moabites acted out of fear that they [the Israelites] would plunder them, but the Midianites meddled with a strife not their own,²⁸See Proverbs 26:17. as Rashi wrote in the section of Eileh Mas’ei.²⁹In our text of Rashi this explanation is found in the section of Matoth — further, 31:2.
According to the plain meaning of Scripture, a further reason [for the different treatment that G-d commanded with respect to the Midianites and with respect to the Moabites] is that the lands of Ammon and Moab G-d had given unto the children of Lot for a possession,³⁰Deuteronomy 2:19. because of Lot their father who ministered to the righteous one [Abraham] and went into exile with him to that Land; therefore He did not allow [anyone] to do them evil in their countries. However, because of their sin in showing hostility to Israel and not treating them in a friendly manner, He punished them by excluding them from [the possibility of joining] His people, by commanding, An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the Eternal,³¹Ibid., 23:4. measure for measure.