Humble World View
ויאמר מי האנשים האלה עמך. לא מצינו בכל
הכתובים שישאל הקב"ה אלא לרשעים לאותן שהוא רוצה להטעותן כדי להאבידם ולהשמידם עדיעד, כענין שכתוב (איוב י״ב:כ״ג) משגיא לגוים ויאבדם, וזהו שכתוב בקין (בראשית ד׳:ט׳) אי הבלאחיך, לפי שהיה כופר בהשגחה ואמר לית דין ולית דיין ולית עלם אוחרן, רצה להטעותו שישאל לוכמי שאינו יודע, וכן כאן בבלעם רצה לשאול לו כדי להטעותו שיאמר עתים יודע ועתים אינו יודע.
ויאמר מי האנשים האלה עמך, He said: “who are these men with you?” We do not find anywhere throughout the Bible that G’d asks (as if He did not know) except when the people whom G’d asked are wicked and G’d gives them a chance to incriminate themselves by giving untrue answers. This would provide G’d with the excuse to execute His judgment on them. This is what Job 12,23 had in mind when he said: משגיא לגויםויאבדם, “He exalts nations then destroys them.” [They initially feel complimented by being found worthy of a divine revelation. Ed.] G’d had asked Kayin at the time (Genesis 4,9) “where is Hevel your brother?” Kayin (instead of expressing remorse) had answered defiantly: “am I my brother’s keeper?” Seeing Kayin had thereby denied that he believed that G’d knew what goes on in His universe and holds people accountable was punished. G’d had misled Kayin as if He really did not know what had happened to Hevel and by whom. Here too, G’d asked Bileam a rhetorical question to see if Bileam would try to deceive Him.” He gave Bileam the impression that whereas at certain times He knew everything, at other times He did not.
Numbers 22:9-10
And Elohim came to Balam and said
What do these men want with you. Balam replied Balak son of Zippor king of Moab sent me this message
World views
I am aghast that G-d would visit Balam. My world view has to change. Does HaShem speak to diviners and warlocks?
The rabbinic explanation above makes me consider a bit of a different view of the world. The whole story of Balam is a hard story to fit into classic world views and views of the divine.
One thing I didn’t not find in the Rabbis I perused in English is the discussion of why “Elohim” is suddenly used here. Not HaShem. It must be a remez. The rabbi above does well to relate this to Cain and Abimalech. But especially Cain because there is a similar attitude afoot with Balam and Cain.
Humility in Torah reading is so important. There are many remez type issues through this particular text. How is it that Balam was a known warlock (using a modern term)? Whatever he had previously cursed was cursed and whatever he had previously blessed was blessed yet he was not an Israelite and yet he uses the HaShem name in verse 22:8. How does Balam know the “Name”?
How is Balam successful? Maybe our world view in the 21st century of The Divine is only partial and therefore we do not know what goes on in Heaven and earth beyond our imagination (cf Hamlet). There is so much pride in the study of scripture by commentators. We have to take the model given to us by sages of multiple explanations and well; we could be unsuited unequipped and not capable of figuring out heaven and earth and their interplay. I think all of us who heard this story as children remember some sort of cartoon type approach here. Yet these are significantly complicated concepts. The story should give us all humility in our world views. This story is a square peg in a round hole Of theology. One midrash claims that Elohim killed the talking she-ass after the event. Why was it necessary for the donkey to talk? But that is the story. Funny that the other taking animal in Torah - the serpent- was there to deceive and the donkey was there to reveal.
HaShem made humans to be autonomous. Meaning, we are not controlled by the gods like the Hellenistic society thought. We are made in the image of HaShem and capable of dominion over earth, donkeys and snakes included.
There is much to uncover in this parishat. There is the idea that Moab was from Lot and Midian was from Abraham. These are not pagan foreign tribes. This is only a few hundred years removed from the three groups being brothers. Yet the covenant remains with Yaakov’s children. The protection from Yhwh remains here and yet we will see the plague and Pinchas coming next as Balam won’t quit -even when an ass talks. Notice, it is the human autonomous Pinchas who ends up being the ultimate hero in this story!