Shabbos Parashas Balak - 5777

Shabbos Parashas Balak - 5777

Rabbi Hal Miller

How can I curse whom G-d has not cursed? [Bamidbar 23:8]

We have talked here in the recent past about what a blessing is, that it comes only

from G-d, although sometimes through the hands of other people. Here, our verse

essentially asks the same questions about a curse.

Note that Balak did not ask Bilaam for a blessing. Why not? Balak seems convinced

that a curse from Bilaam will have effect, as he says in verse 22:6, "For I know that

whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is accursed." When Bilaam

relates this to G-d, we say an interesting response. Verse 22:12 reads, "G-d said to

Bilaam, 'You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people for it is blessed."

Does that imply that if Bilaam _does_ curse them, they become cursed? Then after

the talking donkey incident, Bilaam is told to say only what he is told to speak by G-d,

which turns out to be blessings. Is G-d protecting the Jewish people from Bilaam

applying a curse?

Rav Hirsch explains that the curse requested by Balak was to "destroy the germ of the

inner life of these people, get at them internally, for to conquer them by purely physical

forces alone is beyond my strength." His translation of our verse is unique: "In what can

I make a hole where G-d has not punctured?"

Sforno tells us, "actually Bilaam's power did not consist in blessing but in cursing people

by mentioning their failings at a critical moment in G-d's timetable. This is why Balak

did not demand a blessing from Bilaam to make him victorious in war."

Why did G-d allow Bilaam to even try? Abarbanel says that this was psychological.

By defeating Bilaam's attempt, the other nations were being shown G-d's power.

Nechama Leibowitz asks, what significance could be attached to the curse, and why

was it necessary to turn it into blessing? Some commentators say it was to teach

Bilaam a lesson, but others say it was to teach Israel. The Jews did not need Bilaam's

blessing, as the source of all blessing is G-d. Ibn Kaspi writes that the only effect of such

a curse is its effect on those on the receiving end. If they believe the curse, they have

failed a test. If they believe in G-d, they will know the curse has no impact on them.

The reason to turn it into a blessing is to teach the other nations a lesson. Had Bilaam

cursed the people, then even if Balak lost the war, others would think that the curse

had effect, and it was only Balak's failure, thus they might succeed. When it turned

into blessing instead, those nations knew that they could not defeat Israel and its G-d.