In last week’s parasha the people of Israel completed their 40 years of wandering in the desert and began preparing for the entrance and conquest of the land of Israel. This includes limited military skirmishes on the eastern borders of Israel.
In this week’s parasha Balak the king of Moab sees the Israelites successful in battle and grows worried that his kingdom might be next. Realizing that he needs to defeat Israel spiritually before he can defeat them militarily Balak hires the evil prophet Bilam to curse the people of Israel.
Bilam tries to curse the people of Israel but every time he opens his mouth blessings issue forth instead of curses.
Read the texts below with your hevruta and answer the questions that appear after the text.
(א) וַיַּ֣רְא בִּלְעָ֗ם כִּ֣י ט֞וֹב בְּעֵינֵ֤י יקוק לְבָרֵ֣ךְ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְלֹא־הָלַ֥ךְ כְּפַֽעַם־בְּפַ֖עַם לִקְרַ֣את נְחָשִׁ֑ים וַיָּ֥שֶׁת אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר פָּנָֽיו׃ (ב) וַיִּשָּׂ֨א בִלְעָ֜ם אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שֹׁכֵ֖ן לִשְׁבָטָ֑יו וַתְּהִ֥י עָלָ֖יו ר֥וּחַ אֱלֹקִֽים׃ (ג) וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר נְאֻ֤ם בִּלְעָם֙ בְּנ֣וֹ בְעֹ֔ר וּנְאֻ֥ם הַגֶּ֖בֶר שְׁתֻ֥ם הָעָֽיִן׃ (ד) נְאֻ֕ם שֹׁמֵ֖עַ אִמְרֵי־אֵ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר מַחֲזֵ֤ה שַׁדַּי֙ יֶֽחֱזֶ֔ה נֹפֵ֖ל וּגְל֥וּי עֵינָֽיִם׃ (ה) מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃...
...(ט) כָּרַ֨ע שָׁכַ֧ב כַּאֲרִ֛י וּכְלָבִ֖יא מִ֣י יְקִימֶ֑נּוּ מְבָרְכֶ֣יךָ בָר֔וּךְ וְאֹרְרֶ֖יךָ אָרֽוּר׃
(1) Now Balaam, seeing that it pleased יקוק to bless Israel, did not, as on previous occasions, go in search of omens, but turned his face toward the wilderness. (2) As Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him. (3) Taking up his theme, he said:
Word of Balaam son of Beor,
Word of the man whose eye is true,
(4) Word of one who hears God’s speech,
Who beholds visions from the Almighty,
Prostrate, but with eyes unveiled:
(5) How fair are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel!...
...(9) They crouch, they lie down like a lion,
Like a lioness; who dares rouse them?
Blessed are they who bless you,
Accursed they who curse you!
Look back at the text that you just read and try to identify what it is that Bilam the prophet sees that inspires him to bless the people.
After you have answered this question read the Midrash below which explains this in more detail.
מה טבו אהליך יעקב. ראה שלא היו פתחיהן של ישראל מכוונים זה לזה, אלא כל פתח הי' פתוח אחרי אהל חבירו, כדי שלא יסתכל כל אחד ואחד מהם בביתו של חבירו...
"How fair are your tents Jacob". Bilam saw that the openings of the Israelite's tents were not facing one another. Rather each tent faced the back of the tent before it. This was so people would not look into each others house. (translated by Isaac Landes)
What is the significance of the fact that the people of Israel did not look into each others tents?
Why is privacy so important for a people living in close proximity to each other?
"Your dwellings O Israel". Bilam is speaking of the Tabernacle and the Temple which housed the shekinah. (The Hebrew word for dwellings in mishkenotecha which seems to hint at the tabernacle which in Hebrew is called Mishkan)
According to the midrash Bilam also sees the Mishakan- the religious and spiritual heart of the Israelite community. Why is it important that a people have one place to gather religiously?
How can we balance the need for unity with the need for privacy?
Think about verse 9. What does it mean to be a source of blessings but also, potentially, curses?