Yisrael’s
exploits and adventures (including the surprise attack of the Canaanite King of
Arad, who defeated Yisrael) in the last Parasha, terminated with victory over
the Amorites, which caused Balak, King of Mo’av (Moab) quite a concern. He
therefore solicited the services of Bil’am (Balaam) son of Be’or the Midianite
sorcerer, who was commissioned to put a curse on the people that constituted so
great of a threat to the Moabite monarch. "Now this company will
lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field …a people has come from Egypt
Since the central theme of the Parasha is Bil’am’s visions, it is
not surprising that sight and eyes are mentioned frequently. Thus, in the
beginning of chapter 24 we read that Bil’am “lifted his eyes…” and said about
himself: “The utterances of Balaam the son of Beor, the man whose eyes are open
[and] who has heard the words of Elohim, who saw with uncovered eyes the vision
of the Almighty…” (literal translation, vs.3, 4 and 15, 16). Interestingly, the
term for, “whose eyes are open” is “sh’tum ey’na’yim.” With a slight
modification “shatum” becomes “satum,” making it “that which is covered, or not
revealed” (e.g. Ez. 28:3). Truly, Bil’am’s assurance about his inherent ability
to ‘see’ is more than questionable. This is demonstrated very graphically in
the episode with the mare of the donkey. Thus, it was only after YHVH “opened
the eyes of Balaam” (22:31) that he was able to see what his animal had seen
much earlier on.
The meaning of the name Bil’am, just like Par’oh’s (see Hebrew
Insights into Parashat Miketz, Gen. 41 – 44:17), happens to be appropriate and
relevant to its bearer, as it contains the letters that make up “bela”
(b.l.a, bet, lamed, ayin), which is to “swallow or swallow down”
(used also in Parashat Korach, Numbers 16:30,32,33). “Frequently this word is
used as a symbol of destruction and ruin: Lam. 2:2; Isa. 28:7; 49:19 etc.” [1] In
Psalms 52:4 “devouring words” are “divery bela.” Balak’s intention was just
that. He aimed for Bil’am’s words to become a source of destruction for Yisrael.
Thus, “Bela” and “am” [making up the name “Bil’am”] mean “destruction of a
people,” befitting the sorcerer’s reputation as a charmer and a conjurer. Another
meaning of the name is offered by Albright, who believes that its origin is
from the Amorite “yabil’ammu,” meaning, “the (divine) uncle brings.” [2]
“Therefore please come at once, curse [“ara”] this people
for me… for I know that he whom you bless is blessed and he whom you curse is
cursed” (22:6), is the essence of Balak’s assignment for Bil’am. When the
latter quotes the former (in 22:11), he uses “kava” for “curse.”
Hebrew is replete with verbs for cursing. The most common is “kalel” (k.l.l,
kof, lamed, lamed) which stems from “kal” meaning “lightweight” and “easy,”
that is “of no esteem” and therefore, by default, “no blessing,” or “making
light of another’s honor.” However, a.r.r (alef, resh, resh) and k.v.v (kof,
vet, vet), which are used in this narrative, are more ‘dynamic.’ “On the basis
of the Akkadian ‘araru,’ the Hebrew arar is to snare or bind,
with the Akadian noun “irritu” being a noose or a sling. Brichto, following
Speiser, advances the interpretation that the Hebrew “arar” means to bind
(with a spell), hem in with obstacles, and render powerless
to resist. Thus the original curse in B’resheet (Genesis 3:14, 17: “cursed are you above all cattle” and “cursed
is the ground for your sake”(
means that the serpent was doomed to being banned/anathematized from all the
other animals, while the soil was condemned as a result of man’s sin. “Kavav”
connotes the act of uttering a formula designed to undo its object. The most
frequent use of this root relates to the incident involving Bil’am and Balak.
Certainly the ‘magical’ belief and intent of Balak are prominent here.” [3]
Both
a.r.r and k.v.v are used throughout the Parasha, denoting that the issue at
stake is steeped in witchcraft. Several other terms found here verify this
fact. In 22:7, the elders of Mo’av and Midian come with “divinations – “k’samim”
- in their hands.” Again, in 23:23 we read the words that YHVH put in Bil’am’s
mouth: “There is no enchantment – “nachash” - in Jacob and no divination –
“kesem” – in Israel Israel
In
this Parasha YHVH’s supremacy over all powers, and the control He exerts in
order to achieve His purposes, much like using the mouth of a pagan diviner to
bless, and the mouth of a donkey to talk, is clearly evident. Bil’am, the would-be prophet, unlike his mare, is
unaware of YHVH’s messenger who was sent to him as an “adversary” (ref. 22:22).
When the animal is forced to divert from the path and to put its master in what
appears to him as a compromising situation, Bil’am loses his temper and strikes
the mare with his staff (22:27). What ensues is the most improbable discussion -
between a man and a donkey. Thus, Bil’am not only finds himself mishandled
physically, he also has to deal with his (unjustified) anger and express regret
to a vindicated beast. And as if this is not enough, when his eyes are opened,
he is the one who is seen as the blind fool who incurs a rebuke from the angel:
“The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not
turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her
live” (22:33). In the dialogue between Bil’am and his mare, the latter
justifies her conduct by asking (rhetorically) if she had ever caused her
master any trouble “as a rule.” “A’has’ken his’kanti?” (v.
30) is the question, using the root s.ch.n (samech, chaf, noon) twice, in two
different conjugations. “Sachen” in this context is “customarily
or habitually.” In other words,
“has it been my custom (to so treat you)?” The root s.ch.n, however, also means to “be of
use, benefit or service,” as indeed she had been in the past, and even more so
in this particular case, acting as a tool in the hand of YHVH. Bil’am forthwith
admits to being in the wrong, and only then is given permission to “go with the
men,” having been warned to utter only that which YHVH will speak to him (ref.
v. 35).
Three times in this text we
encounter the phrase, “three times” (22:28, 32, 33). The word for “times”
here is “r’galim” (“regel” singular) - an “occurrence, event, or
occasion.” The much more common term is “pa’am” (a word we briefly looked at in
Parashat Tetzaveh, in Ex. 28:33 where we examined the noun “bell,” stemming
from the same root which is also at the core of “pulse” or “beat”). “Regel” on
the other hand, is the word for “foot.” It is evident that both “pa’am” and
“regel” connote movement, which of course is an indication of the passing of
time, but also, and especially in the case of the latter (“regel”), point to a
purposeful progress such as walking. Since walking assumes an arrival, and
arrival points to a specific destination (a place), we are led once more to the
conclusion that in the Hebrew mind there exists an interrelation between time
and place (as we have already observed when we examined “mo’ed” – “appointed
time,” in Leviticus 23, Parashat Emor). It was Bil’am’s crushed “regel” (“foot”
in 22:25) which prevented him from arriving at his destination, thus perhaps
prompting the usage of “r’galim” for “times,” rather than “p’amim” (both in the
plural). Note that at the end of last week’s Parashat Chu’kat we met Moshe’s
dispatched spies (21:32), whose commission was “le’ra’gel” (“to spy”), again of
the root r.g.l, not to mention “ragal,” meaning “to slander” (found in Psalm
15:3) – an action fitting the agenda of our Parasha’s namesake.
The extraordinary episode
just experienced by Bil’am proves to be part of his preparation for speaking
YHVH’s words, couched in four powerful prophetic oracles describing Elohim’s
intended destiny for His people. “The three blessings are… differentiated in
their relation to the time factor; the first one refers to the immediate
present, to the generation of the wilderness facing him, the second to the
immediate future, to the generation which would conquer the land, whilst the
third concerns the distant future, to an era when wars and conquests will be no
more and when the lion will lie down to rest after it has finished its task.” [4]
However, there is also a fourth blessing, one which has not been solicited (as
a curse) by Balak (24:14-24).
Bil’am’s encounters with
the Elohim of Yisrael are qualified by two different verbs. Twice “Elohim came
to Balaam” (22:9, 20 italics added), in the two instances which preceded the
confrontation with the mare. However, the blessings that Bil’am uttered later
on all followed Elohim’s meeting with him and putting a word in his
mouth (ref. 23:3, 4, 15, 16). The Hebrew verb used here for “meet” is rooted in
k.r.h (kof, resh, hey), literally meaning “to happen,” or “to occur.”
The usage of this term gives the impression that these meetings had a coincidental
characteristic about them, rather than being preordained and appointed.
After Bil’am uttered the curses-turned-blessings,
the angry king commanded his appointee to flee, adding the following: “I said I
would greatly honor you, but in fact, YHVH has kept you back from honor”
(24:11). Stubborn and blind, Balak dares to make the statement, “YHVH has kept
you back from honor” (“kept you back” being “mah’nah”,
m.n.a, mem, noon, ayin, meaning “withheld”)! It is at this point that
Bil’am, now as a persona-non-grata, offers to speak out what “this people [Yisrael]
will do to your [Balak’s] people in the latter days” (24:14). What comes next
does not please the Moabite monarch, but at the same time (surprisingly) does
not incur his protest. At the end of a very significant prophecy pertaining to
Yisrael and to some of its neighbors, the two men depart silently; one “to his
place,” while the other is said to be “on his way” (v. 25). All the pomp and
ceremony planned by Balak has just been deflated without as much as another
word.
The story of a pagan enchanter and magician,
who is commissioned by an equally pagan king to lay a debilitating curse on
YHVH’s people, and whose mouth utters some of the most profound words regarding
the very people whom he is called to curse, is rather curious and stands out in
the Torah narrative. The addition, the talking donkey episode makes for an even
more intriguing text. “The dialog between the man and the ass, [as interpreted
by some of the commentators] is the Torah’s scornful commentary on the
imaginary powers ascribed to sorcerers, its mockery of human gullibility, in
believing in the power of the magician to curse and subject the supernatural to
his will.” [5] Thus, the story of the mare of a donkey echoes that of Bil’am’s
and his so called wonder-working abilities. But, if an ass can talk, so can a
con man be made to speak out YHVH’s words, calling to mind what 1Corinthians 1
has to say about those who are wise in their own eyes: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent. … Elohim has chosen the foolish things of the
world to put to shame the wise… [and] the things which are mighty … and things
which are despised… to bring to nothing things that are: that no flesh should
glory in his presence “ (vs. 19, 27-29). In the end, it is YHVH’s
sovereignty that prevails far above any and all of man’s feeble attempts at
controlling life.
The
last section of the Parasha is part of next week’s episode, related in Parashat
Pinchas. That which was not achieved by war or by sorcery is now being
accomplished by seduction. [6] In 25:3 we read: “And Israel
1 Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament,
ed. R. Laird Harris, Moody Press, Chicago, 980.
2
Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 New Studies in Devarim, Nechama Leibowitz, trans.
Aryeh Newman. Eliner Library, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the
Diaspora. Hemed Books Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y
5 Ibid.
6 Gill Commentary, Online Bible
Hebrew Tools for Everyday Use
This week our Hebrew Tools will go a different
direction. Some of the most amazing words regarding Israel’s future are uttered
in this Parasha by a pagan soothsayer, who speaks them out regardless of who he
is, and irrespective of his motivation. This forms a very unique glimpse into
the sovereignty of the Almighty, not only in regards to His intents for His
people, but it also shows that no matter how much Israel itself may act idolatrously
like Bil’am himself, the word of YHVH will never become void or revocable
concerning them. Hence we will focus on two major idioms that are coined by
Bil’am, which are still in use today. We will learn how to say them in Hebrew,
and also listen to them being sung.
A people dwelling alone (23:9)
(Hen) am le’vadad yishkon
To listen to this verse being read in Hebrew:
from 1:17 to 1:25
The entire verse (v. 9) is sung by Yaacov Shwekey
An even more popular idiom is found in 24:5:
How lovely are your tents O Jacob! Your dwellings O
Israel!
Ma to’vu oha’le’cha Ya’acov, mishke’no’techa
Yisrael
To listen to this verse being read in Hebrew:
from 0.39 to 0.44
Ma Tovu Oha’le’cha as sung by Miki Rosenbaum
And again, another rendition, Yaacov Shwekey sings
“Ma, Ma, Ma” (a repetition of the first word “ma” for “Ma tovu”)
In both of the above songs the idiom forms ONLY the
refrain.
