ויקר אלהים אל בלעם, “G–d met with Bileam.” [This verb does not occur in connection with any other prophet, proving that he was not really a prophet. Ed.] All the scholars wonder why apparently G–d came towards Bileam, when He had never done so to Moses? He called to the latter to come towards Him, as we read repeatedly: ויקרא אל משה, “He called out to Moses!” Some commentators understand the description of the relationship between G–d and Bileam as comparable to a King who sits in his palace and is suddenly visited by a person displaying symptoms of the dreaded disease tzoraat. He calls out at the gate that he desires an interview with the King. When his servants tell the king about this, the king tells them not to admit him to the palace lest he infects the palace with his disease. However, the king declared himself willing to grant the stricken person an audience outside the palace. Although the person concerned wants to speak with him, he does not move from the spot, so that the king relents and admits him to his palace after all.

כה תדבר, “G–d commenced with the same word with which He had announced to Avraham that he would become the founding father of a nation, though at that time he had not yet been able to father a single child. [Compare Genesis 15,5, a conversation between G–d and Avraham which had preceded the command for him to leave Charan in chapter 12. Ed.] He reminded Bileam by referring to that promise that any attempt by him to curse Avraham’s descendants would be futile. In fact G–d had guaranteed to Avraham that his descendants would increase and multiply.

'ומה אזעום לא זעם ה, “how could I successfully curse someone whom Hashem has not cursed?” Bileam, who specialised in timing G–d’s “moods,” knew that at that time G–d had not had any reason to be angry at His people. If you were to quote the prophet Micah in Micah 6,5, who refers to Bileam having detected that G–d did display anger at Israel at the time, (as interpreted by the Talmud, tractate B’rachot 7,) that anger lasted but a moment and did not enable Bileam to pinpoint accurately. At least Bileam did not have time enough to curse all the Israelites before the curse was turned into a blessing as we know from what Moses said in Deuteronomy 23,6 where he describes G–d as interfering in Bileam’s attempt immediately He had become aware of it. If Bileam had cursed them with the single word: כלם, “make an end of them” he would have had time enough. According to the Talmud the words ותרועת מלך בו, “and the King’s shofar blast is active on their behalf,” (in verse 21 of our chapter) hints at how G–d annuls Bileam’s attempt at cursing the Jewish people. The word מלך, “King,” consisting of the same letters as the word כלם,” destroy them,” shows how G–d interfered with Bileam’s curse. Our author raises an objection to this methodology of turning curses into blessings by quoting the Talmud on the same folio where it reports Rabbi Yoshua ben Levi being harassed by a member of the Tz’doki sect, raising what he considered contradictory verses in the Torah. One day the Rabbi took a cockerel, positioned him at the bottom of his bed, and looked at that bird intently, intending that as soon as the time when G–d is briefly angry would arrive, he would curse that Tz’doki. By the time that hour arrived, the Rabbi had fallen asleep, (and missed his chance). When he awoke, he realised that he had been saved from committing a sin by having fallen asleep at the crucial time, and he interpreted Proverbs 17,26: גם ענוש לצדיק לא טוב, “it is also not good to punish the righteous,” to mean that one must not deliberately become the instrument by which G–d punishes the wicked. Our author questions how Rabbi Joshua ben Levi could have succeeded to successfully curse that Tz’doki at the precise moment of G–d’s anger, as it would have taken too long, according to what we just learned? He therefore comes to the conclusion that what is critical is only if the beginning of one’s curse coincides with the precise moment at which G–d is angry. He supports his theory by pointing to the Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin folio 105 where Rabbi Yochanan is quoted as having said that the very wording of Bileam’s blessings hinted already at the fact that they had been meant to be curses which G–d had reversed. When he had meant to say that he wished that the Israelites would lack synagogues and Torah academies he commenced with the words: ”how goodly are your tents, etc?” [The word אהל for “tent” in which to study G–d’ Torah occurs frequently, commencing with Yaakov in Genesis 25,27. Ed.] He quotes some other “blessings” of Bileam there as similarly revealing what his curse would have sounded like had he been permitted to pronounce it. Clearly, he would not have had time enough to pronounce all these curses in the minute time span G–d remains angry. This proves that the very beginning of uttering what was in his mind is what is critical.

ומספר את רובע ישראל, “or count the number of Israel?” Our author traces the word רובע as related to רביעה, i.e. as a rainfall ensuring ample growth of the grass in the field. An alternate interpretation: he was able to see only one of the four flags denoting the encampment of the four (ארבע) army groups comprising the men of military age.

תמות נפשי מות ישרים, “may I die in the same way as do the righteous. Here is proof that there is an afterlife, if Bileam, the arch enemy of Israel wishes for himself the same kind of afterlife reserved for righteous or repentant Israelites. After all, it is indisputable that he was speaking while having been temporarily inspired by the Holy Spirit.

הנה ברך לקחתי, ”behold, I have been bidden to bless, etc.” I have received a blessing from the Lord to be an instrument of blessing Israel.”

וברך ולא אשיבנה, “and I am unable to reverse the blessing.” He continues justifying the Lord Who instructed him to bless Israel, as this Lord has not found fault with Israel, i.e. לא הביט און ביעקב, and therefore ותרועת מלך בו, “and their King’s acclaim is in their midst.” The expression תרועה, reveals fondness and companionship for the subject to whom it is applied. He Who took this people out of Egypt is powerful indeed, as the prophet Ezekiel has stated also in Ezekiel 17,13: אילי הארץ לקח, “He took away the nobles of the land.”

כתועפות ראם לו, “He is for them like the horns of the wild ox.” The word תועפות is equivalent to “double, twice as much.” G–d’s protection for His people has been demonstrated to be at least twice as strong as the strength of the wild ox. The word: וכפלת in Exodus 26,9, is rendered by the Targum as ותעוף. We find that expression also used in Job 11,17: תעופה כבוקר תהיה, “you will shine you will be like morning,” (when the light is especially bright.) Bileam likens G–d to the wild ox in His listening to human beings, just as on other occasions the prophet Hoseah 11,10 likens G–d’s roaring to that of the lion, and the prophet Amos 3,8 also compared Him to a lion, as inspiring fear and dread.

כי לא נחש ביעקב, the word נחש here is to be understood as in Genesis 30,27: נחשתי ויברכני, “I have through testing found out that G–d has blessed me economically by your presence.” Bileam explains why it would be totally useless to even try and manipulate G–d [to Whom he refers to by the ineffable name. Bileam is seen by the sages as reincarnate of Lavan, and both, refer to the G–d of Israel by the ineffable name, a name that Pharaoh refused to admit he had ever heard when Moses used it. Ed.] He adds that in case Balak thought that granted that he could not curse the Jews in the name of G–d, why did he not invoke other deities or means of divinations to do so, he makes plain that no such קסם, sorcery, would be effective.

כעת יאמר ליעקב, “at a time when it will be said of Yaakov and Israel all that G–d had has wrought;” we find this construction also in Genesis 18,10: כעת חיה ולשרה בן, at this time next year Sarah will have a son.” G–d will continue to perform miracles for Israel until all the nations will have to acknowledge this. This is an alternative of such expressions as מה רבו מעשיך ה', “How great are Your manifestations o Lord,” (Psalms 104,24)

הן עם כלביא יקום, “they are a people that rises like a lioness;” Bileam tells Balak that far from being humiliated, this nation will rise to greater heights, as do lions.”