This week we learn about a fellow named Bil'am who is a lead player in Parasha Balak. B'Midbar (Numbers) 22:2 - 25:9
The rabbis have painted Bil'am as a bad as they come.
Yet, at the very beginning of the portion we learn that Bil'am is a prophet of HaShem.
When Balak, Moab's king, first set of messengers pay Bil'am a visit, he tells them to cool their heels while he checks with his Boss to see if he should go with them back to Balak's place.
When G-d tells him "No way," he relays the message to the messengers and send them packing.
So far, no complaints from the rabbis.
Balak, convinced that Bil'am is one powerful dude, sends a second set of messengers, this group more important - at least in Balak's eyes - than the one that went before.
This group tries to win Bil'am over, but he tells them that no matter what Balak may offer - a room filled with silver - he can only speak the words G-d puts into his mouth.
But wait, since HaShem previously told Bil'am he should stay home, Bil'am tells the second group to spend the night while he asks G-d if He's changed his mind.
Mind you, Bil'am - unlike Abraham with whom he is negatively compared - is not arguing with G d, he's simply asking if maybe G-d has decided to "stick it" to Balak by turning Balak's wishes against Balak.
Abraham argued with HaShem over S'dom. Abraham managed to get G-d to "change His mind" about wiping out the city if there were but 50, 40, 30, even 10 righteous people in town.
Moses challenged G-d - frequently. If You're going to blot out this people, I don't want to be in Your Torah! So there! How many times did Moses remind HaShem that if he did what the malcontents whined about - "You took us from the fleshpots of Egypt to let us die in the wilderness" - He would be playing into the hands of the unbelievers.
Compared to Bil'am's double-checking with his Boss, Moses was a master of chutzpah . . . and the rabbis tell us Moses was the most humble person to walk this earth.
Consider for a moment that if HaShem had not wanted Bil'am to go with Balak's messengers why were the messengers allowed to arrive at Bil'am's door in the first place.
Now, having warned Balak's messengers - both sets, in fact - that he could (would?) only speak the word's HaShem puts into his mouth, Bil'am saddles his donkey and sets off.
Suddenly, without any obvious provocation, HaShem seems to have changed His mind - something at least one commentator insists G-d will not do - and becomes angry with Bil'am.
It's not clear, by reading the Torah, why G-d suddenly was wroth with His prophet.
The commentators have a field day with this sudden change of heart on HaShem's part (again, if G-d won't change His mind, what happened here?) and, a few verses later when Bil'am's donkey speaks.
Do any other animals speak in Torah bik-tav? I think the donkey is unique in this respect.
Why was the angel standing in the way with drawn sword? Why was the donkey able to see the angel and not Bil'am - or anyone else? Why would the angel need a sword, an earthly weapon?
Ba'al pei (Talmud) and the commentators have their answers, but the Torah (bik-tav) is silent.
Maybe the angel, which Bil'am finally discerned, was like the cop on the corner - a reminder for us to obey the law, or in Bil'am's case, The Law.
We recently concluded Hukat where we were reminded that there are laws we are meant to understand and laws which are beyond our comprehension.
I think Bil'am's story is, at least for me, something "beyond (my) comprehension."
Given what preceded the donkey tale and what followed - Bil'am blessing Israel - there is "reasonable doubt" that the rabbis may have erred in condemning this man who the Torah (bik-tav) clearly states is G-d's prophet.
But I'm not a rabbi and I don't play one on tv.
Yohanon
Yohanon.Glenn @ gmail.com
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