Balak is brutal, direct and minces no words. The existence of the Jewish people itself is somehow seen as a lethal threat to him and Moab. Bilaam, on the other hand, is suave, cunning, full of sweet words and blessings, but no less inimical to the existence of the Jewish people.

 

It is the combination of greed and hatred of the Jews that makes Bilaam such a dangerous foe. Whereas Balak seems to be safely ignored by heaven, not so Bilaam. The Lord “turns” Bilaam so that his curses become blessings. Without God’s interference, so to speak, Bilaam’s true wishes could have been fulfilled.

 

 Apparently there is no human force possessed by the Jewish people that can safely counteract Bilaam’s venom. He is a prophet, a soothsayer, a “holy” person, a man of great charisma and intelligence. But behind that veneer of sincerity and good intentions lies the real villain of the story – the greedy, frustrated, amoral hater. Only later, when the Jewish people fully realize Bilaam’s hatred of them and 24,000 Jews are killed as a result of that hatred, does Bilaam finally come to justice and retribution.   

 

Both Balak and Bilaam are recurring characters in the Jewish story throughout the ages. Both of them are present in our current world. Balak threatens us with extermination, openly stating his aims and threats. Bilaam organizes boycotts, speaks in the name of skewed justice and human rights, and is a born-again pietist. Bilaam gains major media attention and the sympathy of the deluded and the naïve. But he represents great danger and can cause catastrophe.

 

It seems that the Lord has to convert Bilaam’s plans and words to a better ending than we alone can. Without Bilaam, Balak cannot function, let alone succeed. And therefore the Torah nowhere describes for us the demise of Balak; it only deals with the killing of Bilaam. For the end of Bilaam is in fact the end of Balak as well.

 

Cruel tyrants are tolerated in an atmosphere of unreality and wishful thinking. Bilaam helps create such an atmosphere, an environment in which Balak and his ilk can safely function. So, to counteract Bilaam, God’s help must be prayed for and invoked. I think that we should bear this in mind during our moments of thoughtful prayer. For the time to stop Bilaam has surely arrived for us now. Balak is the hateful enemy, the bully and seeming aggressor. But it is Bilaam that carries the key to the ultimate resolution of the situation. With his defeat and elimination, the situation can return to a manageable normalcy.

 

Shabat shalom.

 

Rabbi Berel Wein