The Sidra is named after Balak, the king of Moab, who was the ruler of that country at the time that the Israelites reached the Eastern bank of the Jordan in the plains of Moab, opposite Jericho. It was the 40th year since the Exodus. The Israelites were almost ready to cross over the Jordan. Earlier in their journey, they had been commanded by God, not to attack the Moabites. This was because they were the children of Lot, and, therefore, they were related, since the days of Abraham, to the Israelites.
They were encamped on the northern border of Moab. The Moabites were extremely frightened. They did not know that the Israelites had no hostile intentions. They also did not know that the Israelites planned to settle on the western side of the Jordan. The war between the Israel and Sichon, king of the Amorites, was near their border. Sichon attacked Israel and was defeated. Og, the king of Bashan, also attacked Israel and he, too, was thoroughly defeated. Israel had gained the reputation of being a very strong nation. The King of Moab thought that although they had avoided his territory before, they would now invade his country or, at least, destroy all his crops.
The Sidra begins with the sentence “Balak saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites”. The word ‘saw’ suggests that Balak had been an eye witness in the war between Israel and Sichon, and that he wasn’t living in Moab during that time. A number of commentators are of the opinion that Balak was not a Moabite and that he had only just become the King. Originally, he came from Aram Nahara’in and this is how he knew Bilam, who also lived there. It is clear from the story, that Bilam was living far away. This is one of the reasons that it was so difficult to persuade him to come.
The Midianites, who are mentioned as being in alliance with the Moabites, lived in the territory south of Moab on the Eastern side of the Gulf of Eilat.
Balak believed completely in the power of witchcraft. Therefore, he was determined to call upon the services of Bilam son of Be’or, who was a famous magician. Our rabbis regarded him as the greatest Gentile Prophet and compared the power of his prophecies to the prophecies of Moses. They said that he had the same ability as Moses to see events in the distant future. But they also said that he had a wicked character and referred to him as BILAM HARASHA, in the Mishnah.
It is most interesting that in 1967, Dutch archaeologists discovered a very ancient inscription which bears his name, near to where the Israelites when encamping. The inscription contains curses which resemble the curses which Balak expected Bilam to utter against the Israelites.
The Sidra tells us that, after very hard negotiations, Bilam finally agreed to come and curse Israel. He went with Balak to three separate places, on different mountains. Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Luntitch, who lived in Poland in the 16th century, explains the progression of the curses in his classical commentary KLI YAKAR.
In his first attempt to curse the Israelites, the Torah tells us that Bilam was able to see the edge of the people. In his second attempt to curse them, he saw them in greater numbers, but still only on one side. In the third attempt he saw the entire Israelite nation, dwelling in their tents, according to their tribes.
Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim explains this progression in the following way. On the first occasion, Bilam saw Israel’s national roots – their origins and their ancestors. He was eager to discover if he could base his curse on some iniquitous conduct which had taken place at the beginning of their nationhood. His reason was that if the roots are rotten, the branches will wither. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t find any iniquity.
In the second attempt to curse the Israelites, Bilam saw future generations. He didn’t see all of the future generations, only some. He searched for faults and failings, which could make his curse effective, but he couldn’t find any.
For his third attempt, Balak took Bilam to another mountain peak, higher than the first two. From that peak, he could see the whole nation. When he saw them, he realised that they had some extremely good qualities. He witnessed their modesty and respect for each other’s privacy and independence of spirit.
Rabbi Benny Lau elaborates on this analysis. He explains that on the first occasion Bilam realised that when a nation’s life is based on the firm foundations bequeathed to it by their ancestors, they will not wither easily. Even, after a turbulent storm, they will thrive. Some branches will break, but the roots will remain strong and new branches will flourish.
In his second vision, Bilam focuses on the branches. He watched our sense of continuity. He saw the second generation on the eve of their entry into the land. He was impressed with their strength and determination and with their ability to defeat their enemies. What he saw inspired him so much, that he exclaimed: “HEN AM KELAVI YAKUM VECHA’ARI YITNASA”. “The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till it devours its prey and drinks the blood of its victims.”
Finally, in his third vision, Bilam concentrates on the contemporary scene. He sees that the Israelites are well organised and that every person knows his place. He acknowledges that the Israelites live by their traditions and that they have goals and destinations. He is filled with great admiration. He utters the prayer that has accompanied the Jewish people throughout the centuries and that will continue to company us for all times into the future. It is a prayer that we recite every time we come into the synagogue: MA TOVU OHALECHA YAAKOV, MISHKENOTECHA ISRAEL. “How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel.” This blessing is so important that it is written at the top of the column, in every single Sefer Torah in the world.