פָּרָשַׁת בָּלָק Parashat Balak
INTRODUCTION:
Parashat Balaḳ (Num. 22:2-25:9) contains the following sidrot:
Hundred-and-Twenty-Third Sidra՚, Balaḳ sends for Bilՙam, Bilՙam's donkey, and the oracles of Bilՙam;
Hundred-and-Twenty-Fourth Sidra՚, the oracles of Bilՙam continued;
Hundred-and-Twenty-Fifth Sidra՚, Israel at Poՙor.
ANALYSIS:
Hundred-and-Twenty-Third Sidra՚ (Num. 22:2-23:9): Balaḳ sends for Bilՙam, Bilՙam's donkey, and the oracles of Bilՙam.
Balaḳ son of Ṣippor king of Moab sees how Israel defeated the Amorites dispossessed them and took over their towns. Now he and his fellow Moabites fear that they to will suffer the same fate as the Amorites. The Moabites decide to form an alliance with the Midianites convincing their Elders that the Israelites threaten both of their nations - whilst in reality Israel had no desire upon the territory of either nation. Balaḳ sends the Elders of Moab and the Elders of Midian, with divinations in hand, as messengers to Bilՙam son of Boՙor who lives in Pethor beside the River (the Euphrates). It would seem from the context of the Torah that Balaḳ's ancestors hailed from the same land as did Bilՙam. The Elders inform Bilՙam that Balaḳ is summoning him due to the Israelites, who have come out of Egypt and are so many that they cover the land, and what's more, they have settled opposite him! Balaḳ wants Bilՙam to curse the Israelites since they are too strong for him to defeat. Balaḳ believes that if Bilՙam does curse the Israelites, it will weaken them providing Balaḳ with a chance to defeat them in battle and expel them from the land. Balaḳ states concerning Bilՙam, "For I know that whomever you bless is blessed, and whomever you curse is cursed" (Num. 22:6). Bilՙam tells the Elders to spend the night with him and he will report to them in the morning the word that YHWH will speak to him. God comes to Bilՙam and asks him whom are the men staying with him. Bilՙam responds that Balaḳ son of Ṣippor king of Moab summoned him since he wants him to curse Israel. God warns Bilՙam that he is not to go with these men, nor is he to curse the nation of Israel for it is blessed. In the morning, Bilՙam tells Balaḳ's officials that they are to return home since YHWH refuses to give him leave to go with them. The Moabite officials return to Balaḳ and inform him that Bilՙam refuses to come, so Balaḳ sends yet again more officials to Bilՙam this time of a higher status and more honoured than the previous officials. When the officials reach Bilՙam they politely ask him to come with them, telling him that if he does leave with them then Balaḳ will bestow upon him great honours and all his desires will be fulfilled; but only if he will come and curse Israel. Bilՙam informs Balaḳ's servants even if Balaḳ was to give him his house filled with silver and gold he cannot go beyond the word of YHWH his God to do anything small or great. Bilՙam tells the officials to stay the night so that he will know what else YHWH may say to him. God comes to Bilՙam at night and tells him if his visitors have come to summon him then he may go with them, however, he is only to do the word that YHWH speaks to him. It would seem from this section that YHWH only communicates with Bilՙam at nighttime, probably in a dream vision. Bilՙam rises in the morning and accompanied by two young male servants, saddles his she ass, and leaves with the Moabite officials.
God's anger burns against Bilՙam since he decided to go, so while on the journey the messenger of YHWH stations himself in the way as an adversary [שָׂטָן] to him. Bilՙam's she ass sees the messenger of YHWH stationed in the way with his drawn sword in hand, so she turns aside from the way and goes into a field with vineyards. Bilՙam then strikes his she ass to make her turn back onto the way. However, the messenger of YHWH stands in a narrow path between the vineyards forming a fence on either side. The she ass seeing the messenger of YHWH presses against the wall and Bilՙam's foot is pressed against the wall in the process; so Bilՙam once again strikes her. Then the messenger of YHWH repositions himself and stands in a narrow spot where there is no pathway to turn to the right or to the left. Since there is nowhere for it to turn Bilՙam's she ass crouches down beneath him. Bilՙam's anger burns so he strikes the she ass yet a third time with his staff. Then YHWH opens the mouth of the she ass and she says to Bilՙam, "What have I done to you, for you have struck me, these three times?" (Num. 22:28). Bilՙam replies, "For you have dealt wantonly with me; oh if there was a sword in my hand, by now I would have killed you" (Num. 22:29). The she ass responds by reminding Bilՙam that she is his she ass, the same one upon whom he has been riding since she became his possession. Has she ever done this sort of thing to him before? Bilՙam answers with a simple no. Then YHWH uncovers Bilՙam's eyes and he too sees the messenger of YHWH stationed in the way with his drawn sword in hand, so he bows down and prostrates himself. The messenger of YHWH wants to know why Bilՙam struck his she ass these three times, since it was he who was Bilՙam's adversary. He tells Bilՙam, three times the she ass saw him and turned aside, but surely, if she had not turned aside then he would have killed Bilՙam while letting the she ass live. Bilՙam confesses to the messenger of YHWH that he has sinned since he did not know that he was stationed to meet him in the way and if his journey is evil in the eyes of the messenger of YHWH, then he will head back. However, the messenger of YHWH tells Bilՙam to go with the men, but only the word that He speaks to him that word only shall he speak.
When Balaḳ hears that Bilՙam is coming he goes to meet him at the City of Moab, which is on the far edge of the Arnon border. When they meet, Balaḳ tells Bilՙam that he feels slighted because he did not come when first petitioned. Bilՙam responds that he has now come, but he is only able to speak the word that God places in his mouth. Bilՙam goes with Balaḳ and they come to the village of Ḥuṣoth, there Balaḳ slaughters oxen and sheep for Bilՙam and the officials with him. In the morning, Balaḳ together with Bilՙam ascend the Heights of Baՙal and from there Bilՙam can see the edge of the people. Bilՙam tells Balaḳ to build for him right there seven altars and to prepare for him seven bulls and seven rams. Balaḳ does as Bilՙam requests, and then together they offer up a bull and a ram on each altar. Bilՙam tells Balaḳ to station himself besides his ascent-offerings while he will go to see if YHWH will encounter him and the word that YHWH lets him see he will tell him. Bilՙam goes and God encounters him and YHWH places His word in Bilՙam's mouth. Bilՙam returns to Balaḳ who is stationed besides his ascent-offerings along with the officials of Moab. First Bilՙam recapitulates that Balaḳ king of Moab who hails from the eastern mountains (i.e. Balaḳ is not a Moabite by birth) led him from Aram to curse Jacob and be indignant with Israel. However, how can he Bilՙam curse whom God has not cursed, and how can he be indignant with him whom YHWH has not been indignant? Bilՙam then says the words that YHWH placed in his mouth,
"For from the top of rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him; here a people dwelling alone, and among the nations he shall not be reckoned. (Continues...)
Hundred-and-Tweny-Fourth Sidra՚ (Num. 23:10-24:25): The oracles of Bilՙam continued.
...Who can count the dust of Jacob, and number a quarter of Israel; may my soul/life force die the death of upright ones, and may my last end be like his" (Num. 23:9-10).
Balaḳ complains to Bilՙam that he brought him here to curse his enemies, but lo, he blesses them! Bilՙam responds that only the words put in his mouth by YHWH is he permitted to speak. Balaḳ requests that Bilՙam accompanies him to another place from where he can see the Children of Israel, but not all of them only their perimeter, and from there he can curse them. So Balaḳ takes Bilՙam to the Field of Watchmen, to the top of the summit and there he builds seven altars and offers up a bull and a ram on each altar. Bilՙam tells Balaḳ once again to station himself next to his ascent-offerings, while he seeks an encounter with YHWH. YHWH encounters Bilՙam and puts the words in his mouth. Bilՙam returns to Balaḳ who is still stationed next to his ascent-offerings together with the officials of Moab, Balaḳ wants to know what YHWH said. Bilՙam tells Balaḳ the word of YHWH,
"No man is God that He should lie, or a human being that He should repent; that He should say and not do, speak and not establish it. Here to bless I was taken; and when He blesses I cannot reverse it. He beholds no iniquity in Jacob, and He sees no trouble in Israel; YHWH his God is with him, and the shouting for a king is among him. God Who brought them out of Egypt; is like the eminence of the wild ox for him. For there is no enchantment in Jacob, and no divination in Israel; at the time it is said to Jacob and to Israel, what God has wrought. Here a people arises like a lioness, and like a lion he lifts himself up; he does not lie down till he eats his prey, and the blood of those devoted for destruction he drinks" (Num. 23:19-24).
Balaḳ tells Bilՙam if he is unable to curse Israel then at least refrain from blessing them! Bilՙam reminds Balaḳ once again that he can only say the words that YHWH speaks to him. Balaḳ then says to Bilՙam that he will take him to yet another place and maybe it will be just in Gods' eyes to curse Israel from there. Balaḳ does not seem to be able to comprehend that Bilՙam cannot curse Israel because YHWH will not permit it. Balaḳ, like most idol worshippers, believes that a god should fulfil the request of any man - even if the petition is an evil one. Balaḳ takes Bilՙam to the summit of Poՙor overlooking the wasteland. Bilՙam tells Balaḳ for a third time to build for him seven altars and to prepare seven bulls and seven rams. Balaḳ does as Bilՙam requests and offers up a bull and a ram on each of the altars. Bilՙam now realises that it is good in the eyes of YHWH to bless Israel so this time he does did not seek an encounter with YHWH through enchantment but instead faces the wilderness. Bilՙam lifts up his eyes and sees Israel dwelling by their tribes, and the spirit of God comes upon him.
"How goodly are your tents Jacob; your dwellings Israel. Like valleys stretched out, like gardens by a river; like aloes planted by YHWH, like cedars by water. He makes water flow from his branches, and his seed is in many waters; and higher than Agag is his king, and exalted is his kingdom. God is bringing him out from Egypt, like the eminence of the wild ox for him; he will consume nations who are his foe and their bones he will break and his arrows will shatter. He crouches - he lies down like a lion and like a lioness who shall rouse him up; those who bless you are blessed, those who curse you are cursed" (Num. 24:5-9).
Balaḳ becomes infuriated with Bilՙam telling him that he called him here to curse his enemies, not to bless them these three times! Balaḳ tells Bilՙam to flee back home reminding him that he would have honoured him, but YHWH has withheld from him the honour. Bilՙam responds that he had informed Balaḳ's messengers that even if Balaḳ was to give him his house filled with silver and gold he cannot go beyond the word of YHWH to do good or evil from his own heart; that which YHWH speaks he speaks! Bilՙam tells Balaḳ that he will return to his people, but before he does he will give Balaḳ some advise as to what Israel will do to his people in future days.
"I see it but not now, I behold it but not near; a star treads forth from Jacob and a staff rises from Israel, it shatters the borders of Moab, and will tear down all the Children of Sheth. And Edom shall become an inheritance and Seՙir shall become an inheritance of its enemies; and Israel does valiantly. And from Jacob shall one have dominion; and he shall destroy the survivor from ՙIr. And he saw ՙAmaleḳ, and he took up his parable and said; first of nations is ՙAmaleḳ, but his latter end destruction comes. And he saw the Ḳenites, and he took up his parable and said; enduring is your settlement, and placed in the rocks is your nest. Nevertheless Ḳayin shall be for burning; when Ashshur takes you captive. And he took up his parable and said; alas, who shall live after God has placed him. But ships come from the coast of Kittim, they afflict Ashshur and they afflict ՙEver; and also for him destruction comes " (Num. 24:17-24).
Bilՙam arose and returned to his place and Balaḳ went on his way.
Hundred-and-Tweny-Fifth Sidra՚ (Num. 25:1-9): Israel at Poՙor.
Israel is settled at Shiṭṭim and the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. The daughters of Moab call the people to slaughter sacrifices to their gods; "and the people ate, and they prostrated to their gods. And Israel joined himself to Baՙal of Poՙor; and the anger of YHWH burned against Israel" (Num. 25:2-3). YHWH tells Moses to take the heads of all the people (who were joined to Baՙal of Poՙor) and impale them for Him facing the sun; then YHWH's burning anger will turn away from Israel. Moses tells the judges of Israel that they are to kill from among their own men those who have joined themselves to Baՙal of Poՙor. Then amidst all of this a man of the Children of Israel comes and brings to his brethren a Midianitess before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all the Community of the Children of Israel while they are weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Appointed Times. When Pinaḥas son of Elՙazar son of Aaron the kohen sees this he rises from among the Community and taking a spear in his hand comes after the man of Israel who has entered into the stately tent, and there Pinaḥas thrusts the spear through the two of them; through her belly. Then the plague was restrained from the Children of Israel and the number of those that died of the plague was twenty four thousand.
TEACHINGS OF HAKHAM REKHAVI:
"Here a people dwelling alone, and among the nations he shall not be reckoned" (Num. 23:9)
The words "do not follow the ways of the nations" resonate throughout the Torah. Not only are we forbidden to worship their gods, celebrate their holy days, and to marry our daughters with their sons, and their sons with our daughters, but also our mindset is not to be like theirs. We are a people chosen to be a nation of priests - a holy nation. A holy nation is only holy if it continues along the path of holiness. Holiness is not an object that can be randomly picked up and dropped at will. Morality and ethics are as much to do with holiness, as is the observance of the ritual laws of purity concerning bodily fluids and the laws concerning the food that we place in our mouths. For to be holy is also a matter of being just in our dealings with our fellow humans. When we are holy in all its dimensions we achieve the ultimate goal; walking with YHWH. Once we are walking with YHWH then we become a "light unto the nations", our raison d'être. How can we achieve our destiny if we do not upkeep our divine mission? When we refuse to remain separate from the nations and follow in their ways, embracing their culture, we dance the dance of Baՙal of Poՙor becoming joined to him rather than to YHWH.
Israel was too strong for Balaḳ; they needed to be weakened before he could defeat them. So he called Bilՙam to curse them, but that didn't work. However, through the words YHWH placed in Bilՙam's mouth Balaḳ realised how he could weaken Israel and as a result have YHWH curse them; by destroying the concept of them being a people dwelling alone. In order to achieve his aim Balaḳ would invite Israel to join with the Moabites and Midianites in a religious-cultural celebration - to dance the dance of Baՙal of Poՙor. When we dance the dance of Baՙal of Poՙor, forgetting who we truly are, we become joined to those whose dance it is. Cultural assimilation over a generation or two leads to physical assimilation. The golden age of Spanish Jewry produced some outstanding Jewish works, not only religious volumes but also great diwans of poetry and philosophical tomes. Nevertheless, the majority of Spanish Jewry, which seemed to walk so elegantly on the narrow straights of being a loyal Jew while embracing the higher points of the surrounding culture, ceased their pretence and disrobed from their Judaism accepting conversion to Christianity rather than expulsion from their beloved Spain. Apostasy was more appealing to these Jews than YHWH and His Torah; they danced the dance of Baՙal of Poՙor. The Jews of Germany were no different for they too danced the dance of Baՙal of Poՙor. Germany the highest point of European civilization in the 18th and 19th centuries produced great thinkers like Kant, writers such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and composers in the ilk of Johann Sebastian Bach. Amongst these German greats can also be counted enlightened Jews such as the great Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn we sought to converge the greatness of German culture with that of Judaism. Surprisingly, or maybe not so, eight out of nine of Mendelssohn's grandchildren converted to Christianity! The great-grand-children and great-great-grand-children of these enlightened German Jews who embraced the surrounding culture, refusing to be a people dwelling alone, served in the forces of the Third Reich! A sobering thought.
In 2002 Salai Meridor then Jewish Agency head sounded a dire warning for world Jewry: "The Jewish people will lose another six million Jews over the next 50 years as a result of assimilation" he added that the more pessimistic evaluations speak of 12 million lost Jews.[1] The above is evidence for the reason the Children of Israel need to be a people dwelling alone, not from arrogance, but in order to follow His path in harmony with Him and through the way we live our lives to be a shinning example for humanity to follow; for if not we are lost.
[1] Arutz Sheva. (2002). Assimilation Threatens To Cause Another Holocaust. Available: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/18174. Last accessed 7th June 2016.
Parashat Balaḳ (Num. 22:2-25:9) contains the following sidrot:
Hundred-and-Twenty-Third Sidra՚, Balaḳ sends for Bilՙam, Bilՙam's donkey, and the oracles of Bilՙam;
Hundred-and-Twenty-Fourth Sidra՚, the oracles of Bilՙam continued;
Hundred-and-Twenty-Fifth Sidra՚, Israel at Poՙor.
ANALYSIS:
Hundred-and-Twenty-Third Sidra՚ (Num. 22:2-23:9): Balaḳ sends for Bilՙam, Bilՙam's donkey, and the oracles of Bilՙam.
Balaḳ son of Ṣippor king of Moab sees how Israel defeated the Amorites dispossessed them and took over their towns. Now he and his fellow Moabites fear that they to will suffer the same fate as the Amorites. The Moabites decide to form an alliance with the Midianites convincing their Elders that the Israelites threaten both of their nations - whilst in reality Israel had no desire upon the territory of either nation. Balaḳ sends the Elders of Moab and the Elders of Midian, with divinations in hand, as messengers to Bilՙam son of Boՙor who lives in Pethor beside the River (the Euphrates). It would seem from the context of the Torah that Balaḳ's ancestors hailed from the same land as did Bilՙam. The Elders inform Bilՙam that Balaḳ is summoning him due to the Israelites, who have come out of Egypt and are so many that they cover the land, and what's more, they have settled opposite him! Balaḳ wants Bilՙam to curse the Israelites since they are too strong for him to defeat. Balaḳ believes that if Bilՙam does curse the Israelites, it will weaken them providing Balaḳ with a chance to defeat them in battle and expel them from the land. Balaḳ states concerning Bilՙam, "For I know that whomever you bless is blessed, and whomever you curse is cursed" (Num. 22:6). Bilՙam tells the Elders to spend the night with him and he will report to them in the morning the word that YHWH will speak to him. God comes to Bilՙam and asks him whom are the men staying with him. Bilՙam responds that Balaḳ son of Ṣippor king of Moab summoned him since he wants him to curse Israel. God warns Bilՙam that he is not to go with these men, nor is he to curse the nation of Israel for it is blessed. In the morning, Bilՙam tells Balaḳ's officials that they are to return home since YHWH refuses to give him leave to go with them. The Moabite officials return to Balaḳ and inform him that Bilՙam refuses to come, so Balaḳ sends yet again more officials to Bilՙam this time of a higher status and more honoured than the previous officials. When the officials reach Bilՙam they politely ask him to come with them, telling him that if he does leave with them then Balaḳ will bestow upon him great honours and all his desires will be fulfilled; but only if he will come and curse Israel. Bilՙam informs Balaḳ's servants even if Balaḳ was to give him his house filled with silver and gold he cannot go beyond the word of YHWH his God to do anything small or great. Bilՙam tells the officials to stay the night so that he will know what else YHWH may say to him. God comes to Bilՙam at night and tells him if his visitors have come to summon him then he may go with them, however, he is only to do the word that YHWH speaks to him. It would seem from this section that YHWH only communicates with Bilՙam at nighttime, probably in a dream vision. Bilՙam rises in the morning and accompanied by two young male servants, saddles his she ass, and leaves with the Moabite officials.
God's anger burns against Bilՙam since he decided to go, so while on the journey the messenger of YHWH stations himself in the way as an adversary [שָׂטָן] to him. Bilՙam's she ass sees the messenger of YHWH stationed in the way with his drawn sword in hand, so she turns aside from the way and goes into a field with vineyards. Bilՙam then strikes his she ass to make her turn back onto the way. However, the messenger of YHWH stands in a narrow path between the vineyards forming a fence on either side. The she ass seeing the messenger of YHWH presses against the wall and Bilՙam's foot is pressed against the wall in the process; so Bilՙam once again strikes her. Then the messenger of YHWH repositions himself and stands in a narrow spot where there is no pathway to turn to the right or to the left. Since there is nowhere for it to turn Bilՙam's she ass crouches down beneath him. Bilՙam's anger burns so he strikes the she ass yet a third time with his staff. Then YHWH opens the mouth of the she ass and she says to Bilՙam, "What have I done to you, for you have struck me, these three times?" (Num. 22:28). Bilՙam replies, "For you have dealt wantonly with me; oh if there was a sword in my hand, by now I would have killed you" (Num. 22:29). The she ass responds by reminding Bilՙam that she is his she ass, the same one upon whom he has been riding since she became his possession. Has she ever done this sort of thing to him before? Bilՙam answers with a simple no. Then YHWH uncovers Bilՙam's eyes and he too sees the messenger of YHWH stationed in the way with his drawn sword in hand, so he bows down and prostrates himself. The messenger of YHWH wants to know why Bilՙam struck his she ass these three times, since it was he who was Bilՙam's adversary. He tells Bilՙam, three times the she ass saw him and turned aside, but surely, if she had not turned aside then he would have killed Bilՙam while letting the she ass live. Bilՙam confesses to the messenger of YHWH that he has sinned since he did not know that he was stationed to meet him in the way and if his journey is evil in the eyes of the messenger of YHWH, then he will head back. However, the messenger of YHWH tells Bilՙam to go with the men, but only the word that He speaks to him that word only shall he speak.
When Balaḳ hears that Bilՙam is coming he goes to meet him at the City of Moab, which is on the far edge of the Arnon border. When they meet, Balaḳ tells Bilՙam that he feels slighted because he did not come when first petitioned. Bilՙam responds that he has now come, but he is only able to speak the word that God places in his mouth. Bilՙam goes with Balaḳ and they come to the village of Ḥuṣoth, there Balaḳ slaughters oxen and sheep for Bilՙam and the officials with him. In the morning, Balaḳ together with Bilՙam ascend the Heights of Baՙal and from there Bilՙam can see the edge of the people. Bilՙam tells Balaḳ to build for him right there seven altars and to prepare for him seven bulls and seven rams. Balaḳ does as Bilՙam requests, and then together they offer up a bull and a ram on each altar. Bilՙam tells Balaḳ to station himself besides his ascent-offerings while he will go to see if YHWH will encounter him and the word that YHWH lets him see he will tell him. Bilՙam goes and God encounters him and YHWH places His word in Bilՙam's mouth. Bilՙam returns to Balaḳ who is stationed besides his ascent-offerings along with the officials of Moab. First Bilՙam recapitulates that Balaḳ king of Moab who hails from the eastern mountains (i.e. Balaḳ is not a Moabite by birth) led him from Aram to curse Jacob and be indignant with Israel. However, how can he Bilՙam curse whom God has not cursed, and how can he be indignant with him whom YHWH has not been indignant? Bilՙam then says the words that YHWH placed in his mouth,
"For from the top of rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him; here a people dwelling alone, and among the nations he shall not be reckoned. (Continues...)
Hundred-and-Tweny-Fourth Sidra՚ (Num. 23:10-24:25): The oracles of Bilՙam continued.
...Who can count the dust of Jacob, and number a quarter of Israel; may my soul/life force die the death of upright ones, and may my last end be like his" (Num. 23:9-10).
Balaḳ complains to Bilՙam that he brought him here to curse his enemies, but lo, he blesses them! Bilՙam responds that only the words put in his mouth by YHWH is he permitted to speak. Balaḳ requests that Bilՙam accompanies him to another place from where he can see the Children of Israel, but not all of them only their perimeter, and from there he can curse them. So Balaḳ takes Bilՙam to the Field of Watchmen, to the top of the summit and there he builds seven altars and offers up a bull and a ram on each altar. Bilՙam tells Balaḳ once again to station himself next to his ascent-offerings, while he seeks an encounter with YHWH. YHWH encounters Bilՙam and puts the words in his mouth. Bilՙam returns to Balaḳ who is still stationed next to his ascent-offerings together with the officials of Moab, Balaḳ wants to know what YHWH said. Bilՙam tells Balaḳ the word of YHWH,
"No man is God that He should lie, or a human being that He should repent; that He should say and not do, speak and not establish it. Here to bless I was taken; and when He blesses I cannot reverse it. He beholds no iniquity in Jacob, and He sees no trouble in Israel; YHWH his God is with him, and the shouting for a king is among him. God Who brought them out of Egypt; is like the eminence of the wild ox for him. For there is no enchantment in Jacob, and no divination in Israel; at the time it is said to Jacob and to Israel, what God has wrought. Here a people arises like a lioness, and like a lion he lifts himself up; he does not lie down till he eats his prey, and the blood of those devoted for destruction he drinks" (Num. 23:19-24).
Balaḳ tells Bilՙam if he is unable to curse Israel then at least refrain from blessing them! Bilՙam reminds Balaḳ once again that he can only say the words that YHWH speaks to him. Balaḳ then says to Bilՙam that he will take him to yet another place and maybe it will be just in Gods' eyes to curse Israel from there. Balaḳ does not seem to be able to comprehend that Bilՙam cannot curse Israel because YHWH will not permit it. Balaḳ, like most idol worshippers, believes that a god should fulfil the request of any man - even if the petition is an evil one. Balaḳ takes Bilՙam to the summit of Poՙor overlooking the wasteland. Bilՙam tells Balaḳ for a third time to build for him seven altars and to prepare seven bulls and seven rams. Balaḳ does as Bilՙam requests and offers up a bull and a ram on each of the altars. Bilՙam now realises that it is good in the eyes of YHWH to bless Israel so this time he does did not seek an encounter with YHWH through enchantment but instead faces the wilderness. Bilՙam lifts up his eyes and sees Israel dwelling by their tribes, and the spirit of God comes upon him.
"How goodly are your tents Jacob; your dwellings Israel. Like valleys stretched out, like gardens by a river; like aloes planted by YHWH, like cedars by water. He makes water flow from his branches, and his seed is in many waters; and higher than Agag is his king, and exalted is his kingdom. God is bringing him out from Egypt, like the eminence of the wild ox for him; he will consume nations who are his foe and their bones he will break and his arrows will shatter. He crouches - he lies down like a lion and like a lioness who shall rouse him up; those who bless you are blessed, those who curse you are cursed" (Num. 24:5-9).
Balaḳ becomes infuriated with Bilՙam telling him that he called him here to curse his enemies, not to bless them these three times! Balaḳ tells Bilՙam to flee back home reminding him that he would have honoured him, but YHWH has withheld from him the honour. Bilՙam responds that he had informed Balaḳ's messengers that even if Balaḳ was to give him his house filled with silver and gold he cannot go beyond the word of YHWH to do good or evil from his own heart; that which YHWH speaks he speaks! Bilՙam tells Balaḳ that he will return to his people, but before he does he will give Balaḳ some advise as to what Israel will do to his people in future days.
"I see it but not now, I behold it but not near; a star treads forth from Jacob and a staff rises from Israel, it shatters the borders of Moab, and will tear down all the Children of Sheth. And Edom shall become an inheritance and Seՙir shall become an inheritance of its enemies; and Israel does valiantly. And from Jacob shall one have dominion; and he shall destroy the survivor from ՙIr. And he saw ՙAmaleḳ, and he took up his parable and said; first of nations is ՙAmaleḳ, but his latter end destruction comes. And he saw the Ḳenites, and he took up his parable and said; enduring is your settlement, and placed in the rocks is your nest. Nevertheless Ḳayin shall be for burning; when Ashshur takes you captive. And he took up his parable and said; alas, who shall live after God has placed him. But ships come from the coast of Kittim, they afflict Ashshur and they afflict ՙEver; and also for him destruction comes " (Num. 24:17-24).
Bilՙam arose and returned to his place and Balaḳ went on his way.
Hundred-and-Tweny-Fifth Sidra՚ (Num. 25:1-9): Israel at Poՙor.
Israel is settled at Shiṭṭim and the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. The daughters of Moab call the people to slaughter sacrifices to their gods; "and the people ate, and they prostrated to their gods. And Israel joined himself to Baՙal of Poՙor; and the anger of YHWH burned against Israel" (Num. 25:2-3). YHWH tells Moses to take the heads of all the people (who were joined to Baՙal of Poՙor) and impale them for Him facing the sun; then YHWH's burning anger will turn away from Israel. Moses tells the judges of Israel that they are to kill from among their own men those who have joined themselves to Baՙal of Poՙor. Then amidst all of this a man of the Children of Israel comes and brings to his brethren a Midianitess before the eyes of Moses and before the eyes of all the Community of the Children of Israel while they are weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Appointed Times. When Pinaḥas son of Elՙazar son of Aaron the kohen sees this he rises from among the Community and taking a spear in his hand comes after the man of Israel who has entered into the stately tent, and there Pinaḥas thrusts the spear through the two of them; through her belly. Then the plague was restrained from the Children of Israel and the number of those that died of the plague was twenty four thousand.
TEACHINGS OF HAKHAM REKHAVI:
"Here a people dwelling alone, and among the nations he shall not be reckoned" (Num. 23:9)
The words "do not follow the ways of the nations" resonate throughout the Torah. Not only are we forbidden to worship their gods, celebrate their holy days, and to marry our daughters with their sons, and their sons with our daughters, but also our mindset is not to be like theirs. We are a people chosen to be a nation of priests - a holy nation. A holy nation is only holy if it continues along the path of holiness. Holiness is not an object that can be randomly picked up and dropped at will. Morality and ethics are as much to do with holiness, as is the observance of the ritual laws of purity concerning bodily fluids and the laws concerning the food that we place in our mouths. For to be holy is also a matter of being just in our dealings with our fellow humans. When we are holy in all its dimensions we achieve the ultimate goal; walking with YHWH. Once we are walking with YHWH then we become a "light unto the nations", our raison d'être. How can we achieve our destiny if we do not upkeep our divine mission? When we refuse to remain separate from the nations and follow in their ways, embracing their culture, we dance the dance of Baՙal of Poՙor becoming joined to him rather than to YHWH.
Israel was too strong for Balaḳ; they needed to be weakened before he could defeat them. So he called Bilՙam to curse them, but that didn't work. However, through the words YHWH placed in Bilՙam's mouth Balaḳ realised how he could weaken Israel and as a result have YHWH curse them; by destroying the concept of them being a people dwelling alone. In order to achieve his aim Balaḳ would invite Israel to join with the Moabites and Midianites in a religious-cultural celebration - to dance the dance of Baՙal of Poՙor. When we dance the dance of Baՙal of Poՙor, forgetting who we truly are, we become joined to those whose dance it is. Cultural assimilation over a generation or two leads to physical assimilation. The golden age of Spanish Jewry produced some outstanding Jewish works, not only religious volumes but also great diwans of poetry and philosophical tomes. Nevertheless, the majority of Spanish Jewry, which seemed to walk so elegantly on the narrow straights of being a loyal Jew while embracing the higher points of the surrounding culture, ceased their pretence and disrobed from their Judaism accepting conversion to Christianity rather than expulsion from their beloved Spain. Apostasy was more appealing to these Jews than YHWH and His Torah; they danced the dance of Baՙal of Poՙor. The Jews of Germany were no different for they too danced the dance of Baՙal of Poՙor. Germany the highest point of European civilization in the 18th and 19th centuries produced great thinkers like Kant, writers such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and composers in the ilk of Johann Sebastian Bach. Amongst these German greats can also be counted enlightened Jews such as the great Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn we sought to converge the greatness of German culture with that of Judaism. Surprisingly, or maybe not so, eight out of nine of Mendelssohn's grandchildren converted to Christianity! The great-grand-children and great-great-grand-children of these enlightened German Jews who embraced the surrounding culture, refusing to be a people dwelling alone, served in the forces of the Third Reich! A sobering thought.
In 2002 Salai Meridor then Jewish Agency head sounded a dire warning for world Jewry: "The Jewish people will lose another six million Jews over the next 50 years as a result of assimilation" he added that the more pessimistic evaluations speak of 12 million lost Jews.[1] The above is evidence for the reason the Children of Israel need to be a people dwelling alone, not from arrogance, but in order to follow His path in harmony with Him and through the way we live our lives to be a shinning example for humanity to follow; for if not we are lost.
[1] Arutz Sheva. (2002). Assimilation Threatens To Cause Another Holocaust. Available: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/18174. Last accessed 7th June 2016.
