Bamidbar 24: Balaam and Lavan

Chapter 24 opens with Balaam understanding that he no longer needed to seek God. He knows what God wanted. So instead, he turns to see the Israelites and proclaims the famous line: “How goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places O Israel!” (verse 5).מַה־טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ (Numbers 24:5)This prophecy utilizes flora and fauna themes that will appear in prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Looking to paint Balaam as evil, many commentators focus on God telling Balaam what to say in previous chapters, implying that Balaam really wanted to say something else, but God had to change his words. That reading does not fit with the beginning of this chapter. Balaam saw that God wanted to bless the people, and so he did. He completely disregarded the attempts of Balak to try out different ways of making the curses work. Balak pounds his fists in fury, but Balaam has a response for him. “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not of my own accord do anything good or bad contrary to God’s command” (verse 13).אִם־יִתֶּן־לִי בָלָק מְלֹא בֵיתוֹ כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב לֹא אוּכַל לַעֲבֹר אֶת־פִּי ה׳ לַעֲשׂוֹת טוֹבָה אוֹ רָעָה מִלִּבִּי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־יְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֹתוֹ אֲדַבֵּר׃ (Numbers 24:13)Back in Genesis, Lavan, twice makes a similar pronouncement: “Then Laban and Bethuel answered, ‘The matter was decreed by God; we cannot speak to you bad or good’” (Genesis 24:50),וַיַּעַן לָבָן וּבְתוּאֵל וַיֹּאמְרוּ מֵה׳ יָצָא הַדָּבָר לֹא נוּכַל דַּבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ רַע אוֹ טוֹב׃and “I have it in my power to do you harm; but the God of your father’s [house] said to me last night, ‘Beware of attempting anything with Jacob, good or bad’” (Genesis 31:29).יֶשׁ־לְאֵל יָדִי לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּכֶם רָע וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבִיכֶם אֶמֶשׁ אָמַר אֵלַי לֵאמֹר הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ מִדַּבֵּר עִם־יַעֲקֹב מִטּוֹב עַד־רָע׃Balaam does not wait for Balak to respond, instead he curses the people of Amon and Moav and foretells of their destruction. Again, if Balaam was so evil and was forced to bless the people, why would he voluntarily curse his own people? He then turns toward the Amalak and curses them and the Kenites as well. The chapter ends with the two frenemies parting ways: “Then Balaam set out and returned back home; and Balak also went his way” (verse 25).וַיָּקָם בִּלְעָם וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיָּשָׁב לִמְקֹמוֹ וְגַם־בָּלָק הָלַךְ לְדַרְכּוֹ׃ (Numbers 24:25)This final verse of the story mimic the final verse of the Lavan saga—“then Laban set out and returned homeward. / Jacob went on his way, and messengers of God encountered him” (Genesis 32:1–2).וַיַּשְׁכֵּם לָבָן בַּבֹּקֶר וַיְנַשֵּׁק לְבָנָיו וְלִבְנוֹתָיו וַיְבָרֶךְ אֶתְהֶם וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיָּשָׁב לָבָן לִמְקֹמוֹ׃וְיַעֲקֹב הָלַךְ לְדַרְכּוֹ וַיִּפְגְּעוּ־בוֹ מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים׃The link between the two figures is interesting as both are considered major enemies of the Israelites, yet the text itself paints them as more sympathetic characters, with Lavan protective of his family, and Balaam faithful to God’s command. Commentators would argue that the torah links them to show that both have a second layer beyond the plain reading. But if these two figures were so bad, why wasn’t the text clear? Perhaps the stories of Lavan and Balaam are meant to juxtapose the main characters with the stories around them. Lavan is the person who was fiercely protective of his family yet listened to the word of God even if it meant losing everything. Balaam is someone who was loyal to God even if that cost him great wealth and renown with Balak. Both of these characters sacrifice something they hold dear in order to listen to God.