[Par-reg] Parshat Balak - shiur #1
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Wed Jul 9 07:41:00 EDT 2008
Dedicated in loving memory of Morris Novetsky, Z"L,
on the occasion of his third yahrzeit 8 Tammuz,
by his children: Jay and Paula Novetsky,
Terry and Gail Novetsky, Danny and Nina Butler.
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THE TANACH STUDY CENTER www.tanach.org
In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem Leibtag
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PARSHAT BALAK
Is Bil'am really such a 'bad guy'? This may
surprise you, but if you read this week's Parsha
carefully, you'll have trouble pinpointing any specific
transgression that he commits.
Indeed, God's anger with his decision to travel
with Balak's messengers (see 22:12,22) suggests that his
true intentions may have been to curse Am Yisrael.
However, this fact may prove exactly the opposite - that
Bil'am is a man of high stature! After all, over and
over again, Bil'am overcomes his personal desire to
curse Yisrael and blesses them instead - "exactly as God
commands him" (see 22:18,38 23:12,26 & 24:13 - note how
most of these are the last lines of each "aliya"). In
fact, his final blessing - where he is quite fond of Am
Yisrael - appears to have been delivered on his own
initiative (see 24:1-6).
Why, then, do Chazal cite Bil'am as the
archetype 'rasha' (a wicked person / see Pirkei Avot
5:22)? Simply for once having 'bad intentions'?
In this week's shiur we attempt to answer this
question.
INTRODUCTION
As we mentioned above, in Parshat Balak it is
quite difficult to pinpoint any specific sin that Bil'am
commits. Instead, by the time the Parsha is over, one
is left with the impression that Bil'am may even be a
rather righteous and God-fearing individual. Let's cite
some examples:
Before he departs upon his journey, Bil'am makes
sure to make it absolutely clear to Balak's messengers
that he will not stray one iota from whatever God will
tell him (see 22:18).
Later on, upon his arrival at 'sdeh Mo'av',
Bil'am actually blesses Am Yisrael instead of cursing
them, precisely as God commands him (see 23:1-24:9). In
fact, Bil'am's blessings are so 'pro-Israel' that by the
conclusion of the story, Balak becomes so angry that he
basically tells Bil'am to 'take a hike':
"Balak's anger was kindled with Bil'am and, striking his
hands together, Balak tells Bil'am: I asked you to curse
my enemy and instead you have blessed them three times!
Now, run away to your own place..." (24:10-11).
Then, as though he had not disappointed Balak
enough, Bil'am's 'farewell address' to Balak includes a
harsh predication of how Yisrael will one day defeat
Mo'av and Edom in battle (see 24:15-19).
Finally, it's all over when "Bil'am gets up and
goes to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way"
(24:25). Clearly, as Parshat Balak reaches its
conclusion, we are left with the impression that Bil'am
& Balak split on 'no-speaking' terms. Bil'am, the
'loyal prophet of God', returned home - leaving Balak
'empty handed'.
Surely, had this been the only story in Chumash
about Bil'am, it would be quite difficult to judge him
as a "rasha". In the following shiur, we will show how
the primary source for Chazal's negative view of Bil'am
may be rooted in a different story, one that is recorded
later on in Parshat Matot - where the Torah tells us
about Bil'am's 'untimely death'.
We begin our shiur by showing how the story in
Parshat Matot forms the continuation of the story in
Parshat Balak.
BIL'AM & THE WAR WITH MIDYAN
Recall that immediately after the story of
Bil'am in chapters 22-24, we find the story of Bnei
Yisrael's sin with 'bnot Mo'av' (the daughters of Mo'av
and Midyan) in chapter 25. Although the Torah does not
tell us who instigated this sin, the juxtaposition of
these two stories already suggests a thematic connection
(see Rashi & Ramban 25:1).
Due to their sin, Bnei Yisrael are punished by a
terrible plague, but finally they are saved by the
zealous act of Pinchas (see 25:1-9). At the conclusion
of that entire incident, God commands Bnei Yisrael to
avenge the Midyanim (i.e. to launch a reprisal attack /
see 25:16-18).
The details of that ensuing battle are recorded
several chapters later - in Parshat Matot (see 31:1-12).
[Even though logic would dictate for Chumash to record
this battle immediately after its command, i.e. in
chapter 26; for some reason, Chumash interrupts this
narrative with several other 'parshiot' instead. The
reason for this 'interruption' will be discussed in next
week's shiur on Parshat Pinchas.]
In its brief detail of the battle against Midyan
(in Parshat Matot), the Torah informs us, almost
incidentally, that Bil'am is killed together with the
five kings of Midyan (see 31:8).
Why was Bil'am executed? Was he an officer in
Midyan's army, or was he simply 'caught in the
cross-fire'?
The Torah doesn't tell us explicitly why he was
killed, but it certainly wants us to know that he indeed
deserved this 'death penalty' together with the other
leaders of Midyan - for it was they who instigated the
'sin of Baal Peor'.
To find the connection between Bilam and that
sin, we simply need to pay attention to a tiny detail
that surfaces later in that story - when Moshe Rabbeinu
meets the officers who had returned from that battle.
DVAR BILAM
Let's pay careful attention to the section where
Moshe reprimands the military officers for taking female
captives, noting how and why he mentions Bil'am in this
censure:
"And Moshe became angry at the military officers...
saying: Why did you leave the female captives alive?
Were they not the very ones who seduced Bnei Yisrael -*
bi-dvar Bil'am *- at the bidding of Bil'am - to go
against God in the matter of Pe'or, causing a
plague...!" (See 31:14-16).
What is Moshe referring to when he mentions
'dvar Bil'am'? From the context of these psukim, it
seems quite clear that dvar Bil'am refers to Bil'am's
advice to use the daughters of Mo'av and Midyan to lure
Bnei Yisrael towards the idol worship of 'Ba'al Pe'or'.
[This explanation is also advanced by the Gemara in
Sanhedrin 106a.]
If this assumption is correct, then the
connection between these two parshiot becomes clear. It
was Bil'am himself who instigated this entire incident -
as it was his idea to lure Bnei Yisrael into sinning.
Bil'am was so involved in this plot that this entire
incident is associated with his name!
Furthermore, from the very casual mention of
"dvar Bil'am" in Moshe's censure to the officers, it
appears that Bil'am's involvement in this scheme was
'common knowledge'. In other words, Moshe takes for
granted that the military officers are aware of what
dvar Bil'am refers to. Hence, everyone seems to know
that Bil'am was the instigator behind this devious plot.
Therefore, when Bil'am is executed, it is not
because he had once intended to curse Bnei Yisrael.
Bil'am is found guilty for it was he who orchestrated
this entire scheme.
So what led to Bil'am's sudden change of heart?
Why, after blessing Am Yisrael, does he turn around and
orchestrate their demise? Was 'dvar Bil'am' simply some
last minute advice to Balak before leaving?
It doesn't seem so. Recall from Parshat Balak
that when Bil'am was sent away, he and Balak were not
exactly on speaking terms. Furthermore, what was Bil'am
doing in Midyan at all? Had he not gone 'home' - i.e.
back to Petor?
To answer these questions, we must first
determine where Bil'am is from. To do so, it's time for
a short lesson in 'Biblical geography'.
BIL'AM'S 'HOME-TOWN'
To better understand Bil'am's true character, we
must first establish that he lived in Mesopotamia, a
very far distance away from Mo'av and Midyan! How do we
know this? In the opening psukim of the Parsha we are
told that:
"Balak sent messengers to Bil'am ben Be'or, to city of
Petor, which is by the River... to call him." (22:5).
In Chumash, the phrase: the River ('ha-nahar')
usually refers to the Euphrates (i.e. 'nehar prat'), the
main river flowing through Mesopotamia.
[See Devarim 1:7 - "...ad ha'nehar ha'gadol - nehar
perat"]
This assumption is confirmed in Sefer Devarim,
in a short reference to Mo'av and the story of Bil'am:
"... and because they hired Bil'am ben Be'or from Ptor,
Aram Naharayim" [Aram - (located between) the two great
rivers (the Euphrates and Tigris)] (see Devarim 23:5).
Furthermore, Bil'am's opening blessing states
specifically that he came from Aram, from the East
(modern day Syria/Iraq):
"from Aram, Balak has brought me... from mountains in
the East [harerei kedem]" (23:7).
Now we must show how that fact that Bil'am
resided in Mesopotamia affects how we understand a few
'missing links' in the story.
THE RETURN OF BIL'AM
Recall from the conclusion of Parshat Balak that
Bil'am had returned home (see 24:25), i.e. to
Mesopotamia, after blessing Bnei Yisrael (instead of
cursing them). Nevertheless, only a short time later we
find that Bil'am is 'back in the neighborhood' (as we
discussed above) - when Bnei Yisrael sin with bnot
Midyan. [See 31:8.] Thus, we must conclude that after
Bil'am had returned home, he came back to Mo'av - i.e.
for a second time!
So what motivated Bil'am's lengthy trek back to
Mo'av? Why was he so interested in giving Mo'av and
Midyan advice that he knew would cause Bnei Yisrael to
sin?
The answer is startling, but simple:
Bil'am the 'prophet' went home - but Bil'am the
'consultant' returns! Let's explain:
The very fact that Bil'am later returns to Mo'av
proves that his true intention all along was to curse
Bnei Yisrael. Yet as a 'prophet, [professionally
speaking,], he could not do so for 'how could he curse
he whom God Himself does not curse' (see 23:8).
However, even though he may be faithful to God
as a professional 'prophet', he is far less faithful as
a person.
It seems as though Bil'am's desire to cause Bnei
Yisrael harm was so great that he searches for a
different venue to bring about their demise. Instead of
using his 'prophetic abilities', this time Bil'am uses
his 'prophetic knowledge' to create a situation where
God Himself will curse Am Yisrael.
As reflected in his blessing of Bnei Yisrael,
Bil'am 'the prophet' recognizes the special relationship
between God and His Nation. He fully understands why
God does not allow him to curse them, for it is His will
that Bnei Yisrael fulfill their Divine purpose to become
God's special nation.
On the other hand, Bil'am finds a loophole.
Being a prophet, he also realizes that should Bnei
Yisrael themselves fail in their obedience to God, He
Himself would punish them. In other words - this
special nation could not be cursed without reason.
However, should they sin, God would have ample reason to
punish them. Bil'am's conclusion is shrewd: to cause
Bnei Yisrael to be cursed - by causing them to sin.
Bil'am finally found a method to 'curse' Bnei
Yisrael. He advises Mo'av and Midyan to cause Bnei
Yisrael to sin.
This may be the underlying reason why Chazal
consider Bil'am the archetype "rasha" - for he utilizes
his prophetic understanding, the special trait which God
gave him, to further his own desires rather than to
follow God's will. In a general sense, taking special
God-given qualities, but using them in an improper
manner, can be considered the 'way of life' of the
wicked.
BETWEEN AVRAHAM AND BIL'AM
In the Mishna in Pirkei Avot (5:22), not only is
Bil'am called the rasha, he is also contrasted with
Avraham Avinu:
"Whoever has the following three traits is among the
'talmidim' (disciples) of Avraham Avinu; and whoever has
three other traits is among the 'talmidim' of Bil'am
ha-rasha:
BIL'AM AVRAHAM
evil eye good eye
arrogant spirit humble spirit
greedy soul meek soul
...
Both Avraham and Bil'am are men of renowned
spiritual stature. However, Bil'am exploits this
quality for his own personal pride and gain, while
Avraham Avinu utilizes this quality towards the
perfection of mankind. A rasha, according to Chazal is
one who harnesses his God-given traits and abilities
towards an unworthy purpose. A disciple of Avraham
Avinu is one who harnesses these qualities towards a
worthy purpose.
In Chumash, we find several textual parallels
between Bil'am and Avraham Avinu that support this
comparison. We will note two examples:
(A) BRACHA & KLALA
Avraham:
"and I will bless those whom you bless, and those who
curse you shall be cursed, and through you all nations
on earth shall be blessed" (Br.12:3).
Bil'am:
"for it is known, that he whom you bless shall be
blessed, and he whom you curse shall be cursed" (22:5).
(B) ARAM NAHARAYIM
The homeland of both Avraham and Bil'am is in
Aram Naharayim, the center of ancient civilization:
Avraham: see Breishit 24:4 & 24:10, and
Br.11:27-31.
Bil'am: see Bamidbar 23:7 & Devarim 23:5.
These parallels point to this thematic contrast
between Bil'am and Avraham Avinu. As Bnei Yisrael, the
chosen offspring of Avraham Avinu, are about to enter
the Land that God had promised him - to become a
'blessing for all nations' (Br. 12:3), they meet a final
challenge. Just as God's prophecy concerning Avraham is
about to become a reality, Bil'am - the prophet with the
ability to bless and curse - together with Mo'av (the
descendants of Lot) and Midyan (the descendants of
Yishmael) make a last minute attempt to thwart the
fruition of this destiny.
PROFESSIONAL BIAS
Once could suggest that this confrontation may
be reflective of a more fundamental conflict. Unlike
the people of Mo'av, whose fear was motivated by a
practical threat upon their national security (22:3-4),
Bil'am's fear of Am Yisrael may have been more
ideological.
From a thematic perspective, the very existence
of Am Yisrael posed a 'professional threat' to Bil'am
himself! Bil'am, as echoed in his three blessings,
perceived the Divine purpose of Am Yisrael: a Nation
destined to bring the message of God to mankind. This
novel concept of a Nation of God threatened to upset the
spiritual 'status quo' of ancient civilization. Up
until this time, if there was a Divine message for
mankind - it would be delivered by inspired
'individuals' - e.g. men such as Bil'am himself.
However, once Bnei Yisrael would become a nation
in their land, this same purpose could be fulfilled by a
nation - and not only by an individual.
On a certain level, this confrontation between
Bil'am and Am Yisrael continues till this very day. Is
it possible for a nation, a political entity, to deliver
a Divine message to all mankind? While Bil'am and his
'disciples' continue to endeavor to undermine this goal,
it remains Am Yisrael responsibility to constantly
strive to achieve it.
shabbat
shalom
menachem
=============================
FOR FURTHER IYUN
A. Note the commentary of the Abarbanel where he
explains that Bil'am is a descendant of Lavan.
1. Does this support the basic points made in the
shiur.
2. What parallels exist between Bil'am and Lavan?
3. Did Lavan ever receive 'nevu'a'? Did Hashem ever
speak to him? If so, what was the content? Is it
parallel to Bil'am?
4. Could the struggle between Lavan and Yaakov also be
considered of a spiritual nature?
B. Bil'am was almost successful. Bnei Yisrael's sin
with bnot Mo'av and Midyan led to some 24 thousand
casualties. The plague was stopped due to the zealous
act of Pinchas (25:6-9). His act returned Bnei Yisrael
to their covenantal partner. In reward, Pinchas
receives the covenant of the 'kehuna' (25:10-13).
1. In what way does his reward reflect his deed?
2. What are the responsibilities of the 'kohanim' in
addition to working in the mikdash?
3. How does this relate to the ultimate fulfillment of
our national destiny?
C. An additional textual parallel exists between
Avraham and Bil'am: Travelling in the morning with two
servants etc.:
Avraham - Va-yashkem Avraham ba-boker, va-yachavosh et
chamoro
Va-yikach et shnei na'arav ito .. (Br. 22:3)
Bil'am - "Va-yakom Bil'am ba-boker, va-yachavosh et
atono...
u-shnei na'arav imo" (Bamid. 22:22-23)
Could this parallel be the source of the Midrash Chazal
describing the 'satan' who challenges Avraham Avinu on
his journey with Yitzchak to the Akeida? If so, explain
why.
D. As you read the opening chapter of Parshat Balak,
note the the numerous textual parallels between this
story, and the opening story of the Exodus as described
in the first chapter of Sefer Shmot. Can you suggest a
thematic parallel that this textual parallel may be
alluding to?
E. Who wrote 'Sefer Bil'am'?
Parshat Balak seems to be an integral part of
Chumash; however, the Gemara in Bava Batra 14b makes a
very strange statement: "Moshe katav sifro (chumash -his
book), parshat Bil'am, and sefer Iyov (Job)."
It is understandable that we need to know
that Moshe wrote Sefer Iyov, but why would there be
any 'hava amina' that he didn't write Parshat Bil'am ?
Rashi (in Bava Batra) explains that every other
parsha in Chumash is connected in some way to Moshe -
either 'tzorcho', 'torato' (mitzvot), or 'seder ma'asav'
(narrative).
Rashi explains that everywhere else in Chumash Moshe is
in some way directly involved. In parshat Bil'am, no
one including Moshe should have known about the entire
incident between Bil'am and Balak.
The obvious question then arises, who wrote the
story of Bil'am that appears in Chumash?
If not Moshe, what other navi was there who could have?
This question is answered by Rabbeinu Gershom
(al atar) that the possibility exists that this parsha
was written by Bil'am himself! Since he was a navi, his
brachot and conversations are quoted directly!
In order that we do not come to that conclusion,
the Gemara must tell us that Moshe wrote down this
entire Parsha directly from Hashem, and did not receive
them via Bil'am.
How does this relate to the machloket regarding: 'Torah
-megila nitna', or 'sefer chatum nitna'?
F. One could also ask how Bnei Yisrael aware of
Bil'am's involvement in the sin of bnot Mo'av. Why was
dvar Bil'am common knowledge among Bnei Yisrael? Who
told them that it was Bil'am's idea?
The answer could be quite simple. Most
probably, the daughters of Midyan (who sinned with Bnei
Yisrael) had informed their 'patrons' as to who had sent
them. [The 'word' got around.]
G. "Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov"
>From the time that Bnei Yisrael leave Har Sinai, Sefer
Bamidbar has few positive events to record. The nation
appears to be going from one sin to the next
(mit'onenim, mit'avim, meraglim, korach, mei meriva
etc.). With all the complaining, internal strife etc.,
it is difficult to find anything positive.
It 'davka' takes an outsider, like Bil'am, looking from
a distance at Am Yisrael, to perceive the greatness of
this nation despite all of its problems. When Bil'am
recognizes that an entire nation is following Hashem
through the desert, he proclaims:
"Ma tovu ohalecha yaakov..."
This is an important insight for today also. Sometimes
we become over-disillusioned with ourselves, as we see
so much disagreement, lack of unity, lack of commitment
etc. We become so involved with the details that we
sometimes are unable to take a step out and look at the
whole picture, to see our achievements. With all the
problems in Israel today, there continue to be great
achievements in all walks of Jewish life. It is
important to periodically take a step back and assess
the good as well as the bad. It gives us the motivation
to continue to achieve. "Ma tovu ohalecha Yaakov" - a
nice attitude to start off the day!
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