Bamidbar 22: Big Bad Balaam

According to the Midrash, Balaam was a prophet almost on the level of “Moshe” for the other nations. Balaam is also universally regarded as a villain of the Torah on par with Lavan in Genesis. But like Lavan, a careful reading of the text paints a different picture. The story opens with Balak, the king of Moab gathering his cousins in Amon to brainstorm how to defeat the Israelites after their recent resounding victories. They decide to try to hire Balaam to curse the Israelites. A delegation arrives and requests Balaam’s assistance. Balaam responds: “Spend the night here, and I shall reply to you as God tells me” (verse 8).לִינוּ פֹה הַלַּיְלָה וַהֲשִׁבֹתִי אֶתְכֶם דָּבָר כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֵלָי׃ (Numbers 22:8)Asking God for advice before agreeing to the offer does not seem like something a villain would do. God appears to Balaam that night and instructs Balaam to decline the invitation. So what does the villain of the Torah do!? He listens to God and declines the invitation. “Go back to your own country, for God will not let me go with you” (verse 13).לְכוּ אֶל־אַרְצְכֶם כִּי־מֵאֵן ה׳ לְתִתִּי לָלֶכֶת עִמָּכֶם׃ (Numbers 22:13)Balak is upset. He resends the delegation this time offering a big reward. With money on the table Balaam…declines again. “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, big or little, contrary to the command of my God” (verse 18).אִם־יִתֶּן־לִי בָלָק מְלֹא בֵיתוֹ כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב לֹא אוּכַל לַעֲבֹר אֶת־פִּי ה׳ אֱלֹהָי לַעֲשׂוֹת קְטַנָּה אוֹ גְדוֹלָה׃ (Numbers 22:18)God appears to him yet again. This time God tells Balaam that he can go with the delegation, but he must follow God’s command. וַיָּבֹא אֱלֹהִים אֶל־בִּלְעָם לָיְלָה וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אִם־לִקְרֹא לְךָ בָּאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים קוּם לֵךְ אִתָּם וְאַךְ אֶת־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־אֲדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ אֹתוֹ תַעֲשֶׂה׃“God came to Balaam at night and said to him: If the men have come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the thing that I speak to you—that you shall do.” (verse 20). Balaam listens to God and agrees to travel with the delegation. The commentators try to parse every word in this opening section to show that Balaam was bad. Pointing out that Balaam does not outright say no, or that after the delegation came the second time and offered money, Balaam tried to ask God a second time even though God had said no, or that Balaam hitched his own donkey to follow the delegation because he was excited to be able to curse the Israelites. Verse 22 may be the source of the desire to add on to what the plain text indicates: “But God was incensed at his going” (verse 22).וַיִּחַר־אַף ה׳ כִּי־הוֹלֵךְ הוּא (Numbers 22:22)If God was so angry that Balaam went, then clearly Balaam did something wrong. The better question though is why was God angry at Balaam for going when God just told him to go? The answer is unclear, but after the “talking donkey” portion of the story, Balaam again defers to God. “I erred because I did not know that you were standing in my way. If you still disapprove, I will turn back” (verse 34).חָטָאתִי כִּי לֹא יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־אַתָּה נִצָּב לִקְרָאתִי בַּדָּרֶךְ וְעַתָּה אִם־רַע בְּעֵינֶיךָ אָשׁוּבָה לִּי׃ (Numbers 22:34)Not only does Balaam defer to God, but he apologizes to God thinking that he had misunderstood what God wanted! God allows him to proceed reminding him again that he can only say what God allows. Balaam repeats this to Balak when the two meet. וַיֹּאמֶר בִּלְעָם אֶל־בָּלָק הֲבֹא־בָאתִי אֵלֶיךָ עַתָּה הֲיָכוֹל אוּכַל דַּבֵּר מְאוּמָה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־יָשִׂים ה׳ בְּפִי אֹתוֹ אֲדַבֵּר׃“Balaam said to Balak, ‘Behold, I have come to you now, but am I able to say anything on my own? The word that God puts in my mouth—that is what I shall speak.’”Again, Balaam defers to what God commands. To be continued…