Parshas Balak is, perhaps, the most narratively oriented
parsha in Sefer Bamidbar. There are no sections of law nor any descriptions of
ritual acts. There is the story of how Bilaam tried to curse the Jews, and,
really, that is all.
The story of Bilaam’s attempt to curse the Jews reverberates
throughout history, just as the blessings that came out of his mouth continue
to inspire and empower us. As with all of Torah, parshas Balak helps us
understand the world a little better – and in this case that means learning
more about the insidious nature of our enemies, of the people who hate Bnei
Yisrael without even really knowing Bnei Yisrael.
While reading Parshas Balak, it might be easy to assume the primary
enemy of Israel is Bilaam. As wicked as he was, and as desirous as he was to
curse Bnei Yisrael, Bilaam was a tool, a weapon…a proxy. Bilaam was the face of
evil, but he was in his position because of a puppet master – Balak.
Balak ben Tzipor’s name is mentioned over and over again in
the Parsha, but mostly as he responds to Bilaam. Balak isn’t interesting. He
doesn’t actively negotiate, he doesn’t talk to his she-donkey, and he doesn’t
speak to Hashem. Nevertheless, the actual enemy - the one who outrightly seeks to malign the
Jews - is Balak ben Tzipor.
In the year 5785/2025, we can all too well relate the idea
of a hidden evil that works through proxies. Money is power. Balak used his
wealth to entice Bilaam into action; Iran used their wealth to supply their
proxies with weapons. And it didn’t matter how many times God said no or that the
proxies were defeated, the enemy does not stop.
Balak ben Tzipor is not introduced as the king of Moav. This
information is only revealed in pasuk daled (4). Rather, the Parsha begins “Balak
son of Tzipor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. Moab became
terrified of the people, for they were numerous…” (Bamidbar 22:2-3). There is a
man, and there is a people. The man saw that the Amorites had been defeated, and
he chose to ignore the fact that the Amorites were the ones who attacked. Bnei
Yisrael asked only for safe passage. They were attacked and then they were
victorious, and to Balak that was not normal since the Amorites had been
powerful enough to overtake parts of Moab. Balak the man saw that this small,
wandering nation had defeated Sichon, and he inflamed his nation to fear.
Balak ben Tzipor was afraid of Bnei Yisrael because he
understood that this was beyond natural. Balak was, according to the Midrash, a
sorcerer in his own right. Indeed, from his name it is deduced that his magic
was connected to birds (Tzipor). Interestingly, in some cases of Biblical word
play, it is acceptable to look at a word with a tzadi and read it as a samech,
in which case tzipor (bird) becomes sipor – story. Such a name transformation explains, perhaps,
Bamidbar 22:4: “Moab said to the elders of Midian, ‘Now this assembly will
devour everything around us, as the work-bull devours the greens of the field.’
Balak son of Tzipor was king of Moab at that time.” But Bnei Yisrael had not
gathered on their border with the intention of attacking. They wanted safe
passage. Neverthless, Balak ben Tzipor a man with no great strength, was afraid
and built a story about these people.
Balak fed his people a story, which increased their fear: “Moab
dreaded the Israelites” (22:3). The Moabites took that fear and brought the
story forward such that now the Israelites become devourers… and by the time
Balak has sent his messengers to Bilaam, the Israelites are “a people that came
out of Egypt; it hides the earth from view, and it is settled next to me”
(22:5).
According to this message, the Children of Israel seemed so numerous
that they covered the world. No hyperbole there? The Torah states in 22:1, at
the end of last week’s patsha, “The Israelites journeyed and camped in the
plains of Moab, across the Jordan River from Jericho.” They camped; they did not settle. They were on
the plains, not covering all of the earth.
Today, the Jewish population of the world today is 15.7
million out of 8 billion, and still there are rumors and tales that Jews
control the world and are everywhere. Our enemy has, in the last 30 years,
learned to weave tales and twist truth so that the goal of trying to destroy
the Jewish people can continue. The enemy, like Balak, is willing to give away
a fortune and to cultivate proxies, and even to bring in weapons of true
destruction. In Balak’s case, Bilaam, was that weapon. Bilaam had the spiritual
energy comparable to Moshe, so had his curses succeeded, had the real iron dome
of Divine will, not interceded, the Jewish people would have been decimated.
The narrative of Parshas Balak can seem mystical and
mysterious and beyond 21st century standards of what is normal (the
talking donkey and all that), but in fact, it is all too familiar a
narrative. We must, therefore, take
special care to notice what happens after Bilaam stops attacking the Israelites,
for that is where we failed. When Bilaam stopped attacking the Israelites, he
suggested taking down Bnei Yisrael on a moral level, which led to the terrible
acts at Baal Peor. As we fight our enemies today, let us not forget who we are
and what we stand for both during and after the battles that must be won.
I wish you alla
beautiful and peace filled Shabbas.
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