This week’s Perashah is called Balaq. Balaq, king of Moab, becomes fearful for the future of his land and his people. He had heard of the wonders wrought for the Children of Yisrael and of the defeats suffered by those who dared rise against them—this nation who had emerged from Miṣrayim and wandered the wilderness of Arabia. Balaq thus devised a strategy to resist them. The Torah recounts how he sent ministers and messengers to Bilʿam, seeking to enlist him to curse Yisrael. The Moabite king believed Bilʿam possessed the power to bless or to curse whomever he chose.
Our Hakhamim z”l explain that Bilʿam was the prophet of the nations. Indeed, some teach that his prophetic level paralleled that of Moshe Rabbenu, ʿalaw ha-shalom. Others add that on the Day of Judgment, the nations will not be able to claim that only Yisrael had prophets—for Bilʿam was given to them.
From the text, it is evident that Bilʿam communicated with the Creator—yitbarakh—through dreams and visions. He seemingly inherited the oral tradition of Noaḥ, offering animal sacrifices as a form of divine worship. But Aḏonay, blessed is He, forbade Bilʿam from cursing Yisrael, “for they are a blessed people.” That blessing was inherited through the merits of Abraham, Yiṣḥaq, and Yaʿaqob. In the end, rather than cursing Yisrael, Bilʿam speaks three prophetic parables, foretelling the downfall of Moab and other enemies of Yisrael—much to Balaq’s anger and disappointment with his hired sorcerer.
Even today, the notion of cursing persists in the form of “black magic.” This practice is widespread throughout the African diaspora. Sorcerers use wax figures, hair follicles, personal items, and photos to direct harm at others. During my time in the Dominican Republic, I heard many firsthand accounts of people claiming to have been cursed by vodou practitioners. Some tales were so strange I hesitate to repeat them, but one story comes to mind—an incident during the 2014 World Cup. Univisión interviewed several Colombian fans before the Colombia vs. Brazil match (July 4, 2014). One man demonstrated a ritual meant to curse the Brazilian team. Sadly for Colombia, Brazil won 2–1.
After the destruction of the First Temple and the dispersion of the Hebrew people, our Sages debated—based on chapter 9 of the prophet Yeḥezqel—whether the merits of the Patriarchs still protected Yisrael. They said:
“When did the merit of the Patriarchs expire?”
Rav said: Since the days of Hosheʿa ben Beʾeri, as it says, “Now I will uncover her shame before her lovers, and no one will rescue her from My hand.”
Shemuel said: Since the days of Ḥazaʾel, for it says, “And Ḥazaʾel king of Aram oppressed Yisrael all the days of Yehoʾaḥaz,” and yet it is written, “But Aḏonay had mercy on them and showed them compassion and turned to them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Yiṣḥaq, and Yaʿaqob, and He did not destroy them nor cast them from His presence until now.”
R. Yehoshua b. Levi said: Since the days of Eliyahu, for it is written: “And it came to pass at the time of the afternoon offering, that Eliyahu the prophet came forward and said: Aḏonay, God of Abraham, Yiṣḥaq, and Yisrael, let it be known today that You are God in Yisrael, and I am Your servant, and I have done all these things at Your word.”
R. Yoḥanan said: Since the days of Ḥizqiyahu, for it says: “Of the increase of his dominion and peace there shall be no end… The zeal of Aḏonay Ṣebaʾoth shall perform this.” (Shabbat 55a)
From here we learn that Yisrael was redeemed from Miṣrayim through the merits of the Avoth and Imahot.
Today, manifestations of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hatred are once again increasing in many parts of the world. Places that were once welcoming to the Jewish people have become increasingly inhospitable.
Wikipedia describes Moab in this way:
“At some point during the Persian period, Moab disappears from historical records. Its territory was later overrun by waves of northern Arabian tribes—Kedarites and Nabateans. In the book of Neḥemyah, Arabs are mentioned in place of Moabites as allies of the Ammonites (4:1). Yet, the region continued to be known by its biblical name for some time. For example, when the Crusaders occupied the area, the fortress built to defend the eastern frontier of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was called the Krak de Moab.”
Those same Arabs opposed the rebuilding of the Temple in Yerushalayim. And what of today?
If our Hakhamim are correct that we live by the merit of our ancestors, then it follows that we must now build merit—for ourselves and for our descendants. While our enemies curse us and seek our destruction, what are we doing in response? The strongest weapons we inherited from the Prophets are: the study of Torah, repentance, and acts of ḥesed.
May it be the will of HaGëburah, blessed is He, that we merit to see the full fulfillment of the prophecies of Bilʿam.