Eyes and mouths, sight and speech, feature prominently in our parsha.
The first word in parshat Balak sets the tone: “Vayar Balak,” Balak saw what Am Yisrael did to the Emorites (Bamidbar 22:2). How did Balak physically see that?
He did not – he heard about it. So why does it not say “Balak heard?” The Midrash says that he was named Balak the son of Tzippor (a bird) for a reason. Balak was a greater sorcerer than Bilaam. He had a “magic bird,” what we would call today a “drone,” that he could send wherever he wanted. Whatever the bird saw, so too did Balak, like close circuit TV.
When Balak sent for Bilaam, he sent a message that he was afraid of Am Yisrael because they were “covering the eye of the land” (ibid. 22:5). Bilaam, as we know, was blind in one eye. Bilaam’s donkey saw the angel, from the outset, while Bilaam didn’t, until Hashem finally revealed him. When Bilaam’s first curse went awry, Balak suggested he move to a different spot, where he could see only part of Am Yisrael, not the whole camp. There are numerous additional sight-related references (Bamidbar 24:1, 2, 16, 17, 20, 21, 25:6).
Similarly, the mouth and speech are central themes in the parsha. Instead of attacking Am Yisrael militarily, Balak chose to verbally curse them by employing Bilaam. Bilaam clearly stated from the outset “Even if Balak will give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go against the ‘mouth’ of G-d” (ibid. 22:18). We read about the “talking donkey,” the “mouth of the donkey,” that Hashem created on the sixth day of Creation. The parsha is filled with speech-intended curses that Hashem turned instead into blessings.
So, what is this all about? Sight, speech, eyes, and mouths?
There is a Mishna in Pirkei Avot (5:19) listing three things that differentiate the philosophy of Avraham to that of Bilaam. The primary character trait that separates Avraham Avinu from Bilam is that Avraham has a “good eye” and Bilaam has a “bad eye.” The Mefarshim (Rambam, Bartenura, Tiferet Yisrael and others) say that having a “good eye” means someone is happy with their lot and not envious. Conversely a “bad eye” means someone belittles what he has and is always looking to expand on it.
What was Balak’s problem? He was not under any military threat from Am Yisrael. Hashem had explicitly told Moshe not to attack Moav. It says that Moav was afraid of Am Yisrael, not that Balak was (Bamidbar 22:3). The reason that Balak wanted to harm Am Yisrael had nothing to do with territory or fear of invasion; he was concerned about something more far reaching.
Until receiving the Torah on Mt. Sinai, everyone, Am Yisrael and the gentiles, were obligated to observe the Seven Noahide Laws. Matan Torah was a game changer. Overnight, the entrance requirements into Olam Haba changed. If you were Jewish, you automatically gained entry. If you were not, in order to get into Olam Haba, you had to be a “Chassid Umot HaOlam,” a righteous gentile, or convert to Judaism. Balak said to himself, “My granddaughter will be Rut, the great-grandmother of King David. I (Balak) am the great-great-great-grandfather of King David. I observe all of the Seven Noahide Laws – but I am not allowed entry into Olam Haba? On the other hand, any sinner from Am Yisrael, e.g. those that sinned with the golden calf, can get in. Where is the justice in that?”
When Balak sent for Bilaam, his complaint was that Am Yisrael had “covered the eye of the land” (ibid. 22:5) – they had shut the door of Olam Haba to Balak and those like him.
Balak’s claim was false. Firstly, he did fully not observe the Seven Noahide Laws. As we later learn, Balak and Moav were immersed in worshipping “ba’al pe’or,” a bizarre kind of idol worship. If Balak wanted to get into Olam Haba, all he had to do was be a righteous gentile – set up a “King David fund” for his descendant to later build the Beit HaMikdash, or even better, convert – like Yitro.
But no, Balak was evil – he did not want to elevate himself to the level of Am Yisrael, he wanted to reduce Am Yisrael down to his level, or even lower. That is what a “bad eye” is. It is someone who is not satisfied with his lot. He was the great-great-great-grandfather of King David! but instead of being content with that, he looked with an envious eye on Am Yisrael and couldn’t stand them, because they intrinsically had what he did not. Chazal say in the Midrash that he revealed what he was secretly coveting – more and more money. Bilaam was not poor. He was one of Pharaoh’s advisors and he made a very good living in the “cursing busines.” Despite this, he always desired more than he had.
According to many of the Mefarshim, for a curse to have a negative effect, the person cursing must have a personal claim against the person he is cursing and he must visibly see the person, or the curse is ineffective. From this we can understand the emphasis placed on location repeatedly throughout the parsha – that there be a direct line of sight. Bilaam repeatedly tried to find fault with Am Yisrael, but was unsuccessful. He tried to revive the sin of the golden calf, but was unsuccessful. After that he tried to go for the weakest part of Am Yisrael, the Tribe of Dan, and again failed.
Speech may be used to create worlds and conversely, in the wrong mouth, it may be used to destroy worlds. Am Yisrael had repented for the golden calf and Bilaam could not find an “Achilles heel” to harm them. Hashem turned Bilaam’s curses into blessings. Seeing his curses were ineffective, Bilaam consulted with Balak and suggested that the only way to harm Am Yisrael was to cause them to sin, which catastrophically resulted in ba’al pe’or and the deaths of 24,000 people in Am Yisrael. From this, we see the awesome power of speech.
Parshat HaShavua Trivia Question: What eventually happened to Bilaam’s donkey?
Answer to Last Week’s Trivia Question: What famous medical symbol has its origins in parshat Chukat? A serpent wrapped around a pole (Bamidbar 21:8).
