Shabbat Parashat Balak 5778

Parashat Hashavua: Wicked Wizard or Prophet?

Who (or what) was Bilam really? The commentaries have always dealt with this thorny issue.

On the pasuk, “Another prophet like Moshe never arose in Israel, whom Hashem knew face to face” (Devarim 34:10), Chazal (Sifrei , V’zot Haberacha 357:10) derived an extremely positive appraisal: “While in Israel there was not as great as Moshe, among the nations there was Bilam.” The difference is that Moshe did not know Who was speaking to him, and Bilam did know; Moshe did not know when Hashem would speak to him and Bilam did know. To put things in perspective, they explained that Bilam knew so much, just like a royal chef knows about the ins and outs of the goings on of the king’s kitchen – without being an important officer. In this vein, Moshe is uniquely described as, “in My house, he is trusted” (Bamidbar 12:7).

Bilam earned, in Rabbinic parlance, the title Bilam Harasha (the wicked). “Whoever has these three qualities is a disciple of Bilam Harasha: a bad eye (looks negatively on others), a high spirit (haughtiness), and a broad spirit (desires great pleasures) (Avot 5:19). They accuse him of involvement in immoral acts such as bestiality with his donkey (Avoda Zara 4b). On the pasuk, “Vayiker Elokim el Bilam …,” the midrash sees the first word as a reference to impurity.

The most direct description used in Tanach against Bilam is found in Yehoshua (13:22) – “Bilam the son of Be’or the sorcerer (hakosem), Bnei Yisrael killed by sword.” What does a kosem mean? In our “rational” world, this is a reference to one who uses sleight of hand. However, throughout history, this has referred to people who steeped themselves in an impure world of occult powers. Therefore, magic was connected to the source of impurity – to the dead. Indeed, the Torah forbids interaction with secrets from the world of the dead (Devarim 18:10-11).

Bilam increased the impurity by involving himself and those around him in promiscuity. While on the one hand he praised Bnei Yisrael for the modesty of their homes (Bamidbar 24:5), his plan succeeded in causing many in Bnei Yisrael to sin with Moavite women (see Micha 6:5). Chazal asked how he could be called a kosem if he was a prophet, and answered that he was originally a prophet, but later on was a kosem (Sanhedrin 106a).

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