Parashat Balak בָּלָק

Who was Balak? Balak was one of Yitro’s grandchildren who did not convert with the rest of Yitro’s family who made Teshuvah and joined Bnei-Yisrael. The word “יתרו” Yitro in hebrew while rearranging the letters will spell “ויתר” “Viter”, meaning gave up; referring to his religion and converted to judaism. Balak did not give up on his religion and kept his evil ways. Our first verse alludes to his character and his true feeling towards Bnei-Yisrael. The first word is “Yayare” (“וַיַּרְא”), meaning he was fearful as he saw what happened to his two neighboring kings, Og and Sichon (the giants), the Moavites and the Amorites who were killed by Bnei-Yisrael. The Torah writes that he was also the son of a “bird”, alluding to his magical powers and speaking ill of Bnei-Yisrael, who were heading toward him. Balak was a powerful Midianaite warrior who possessed the knowledge of magic. We learn that he was to be only a “temporary king” from the words “And Balak, the son of Tzipor was king of Moav at that time (only)” (“וּבָלָק בֶּן-צִפּוֹר מֶלֶךְ לְמוֹאָב, בָּעֵת הַהִוא”). This verse comes to teach us that Balak did not ascended from a kingship family and linage. We learn from here that even the Moavite and the Midianaite were enemies, but they shifted their hatred toward another “common” enemy, Bnei-Yisrael. The Zohar says that Balak the “son of bird” actually alludes to his sorcery, witchcraft, and wizardry. He used the bird to provide him with visions from afar (drone-like) in order to make magic and win battles.

It is important to know that out of all the events that occurred throughout the five books of the Torah, this event with Balak and Bilam was the only one Bnei-Yisrael (including Moshe) didn’t know about and didn’t personally witnessed. All the other events, plagues, miracles, wars, etc. listed in the Torah, Bnei-Yisrael were privileged to witness. Our Sages suggested that this entire Parasha should be integrated into our daily prayers and should be recited daily in the reading of Shema. While Bilam, Balak and HaShem’s Angels were discussing the “cursing” of Bnei-Yisrael while being on top of the mountain, no one, including Moshe, knew of such proceedings.

In our daily prayers we say the words “Beshichvecha U’Vekomech” (while you are asleep and while you are awake) alluding to the miracle mentioned in verse 24:9 of this Parasha, “כָּרַע שָׁכַב כַּאֲרִי וּכְלָבִיא, מִי יְקִימֶנּוּ; מְבָרְכֶיךָ בָרוּךְ, וְאֹרְרֶיךָ אָרוּר” as it was part of Bilam’s blessings. This portion speaks of the constant protection HaShem provides us, while we are awake and while we are asleep, when we are aware of it or when we have no clue. With his Divine love to Bnei-Yisrael HaShem saves us from many disasters and ill plans against us, as we only sometimes hear about a “foiled attempts” of harming Bnei-Yisrael. There are too many times HaShem prevented a huge catastrophes, calamities, and tragedies designed to destroy Bnei-Yisrael, His beloved nation.

Even though he was a king, the Torah did no describe Balak as such. He was terrified and didn’t want to share the same fate of his neighboring kings. Balak described Bnei-Yisrael as mighty, both in numbers and power. He used the metaphor of (כִּלְחֹךְ הַשּׁוֹר) “an ox in the field eats up all vegetation”. In reality, Balak was speaking of the prophecy of the days of Mashiach. As we know when Yakov returned to the Land of Israel after leaving Lavan’s house, he sent messengers to his brother Eisav saying (Beresheet. 31:6), “I have an ox and a donkey”. By telling Eisav about the ox and donkey Yaakov was alluding to the days of Mashiach. According to the Midrash (Bresheet Rabbah 75), Yakov was not speaking about the material possessions he had amassed, but about something of far greater significance. The ox refers to Mashiach ben Yosef, the pre-cursive Messianic leader, a descended of Yosef. The ox is a symbol of the tribe of Yosef; both Yakov and Moshe used the imagery of an ox when blessing Yosef (Gen. 49:6; Deut. 33:17).

Balak was referring to seeing the days of Mashiach, as it is written “וַיַּרְא בָּלָק” of such days, as the metaphor in Isaiah 11:7 and 65:25, “the wolf will dwell with the sheep and the leopard will lie down with the kid”. It means that Bnei-Yisrael shall dwell securely alongside the wicked heathens and enemies who are likened to wolves and leopards, as it is said “a wolf from the plains ravages, a leopard lies in wait over their cities.” in the days of Mashiach all will return to the true religion and will neither steal nor destroy, but consume that which is permitted, in repose alongside Israel, as it is said, “the lion will eat straw like the ox.” All other such expressions are also allegories, and in the era of the Mashiach everyone will come to know about HaShem’s glory once again.

The Zohar says that Balak saw the greatness of Bnei-Yisrael who were close to both the upper and the lower worlds. Balak understood that Bnei-Yisrael were fully engulfed in the Torah and HaShem was with them, protecting them. He feared that the time has come for all the other nations to be eliminated and for Bnei-Yisrael to rule. The Zohar says that “he looked out the window” meaning that Balak saw a vision through the “window of wisdom” and he feared. He used the bird in sorcery and asked it for all that is coming along with Bnei-Yisrael, and the bird reveled everything to him through this “window”. Three (non-jewish) people used the same “window” powers in our Torah, Balak, Avimelech and Sisra’s mother. Rashi on Beresheet 26:8  “וַיַּשְׁקֵ֗ף אֲבִימֶ֙לֶךְ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים בְּעַ֖ד הַֽחַלּ֑וֹן” indicates that Avimelech saw Yitzhak sleeping with his wife via the same “window”. The Midrash explains that this “window” was a mirror who all three had in their possession and saw the visions through it. Sierra’s mother in Judges 5:28 used the same window “בְּעַד הַחַלּוֹן נִשְׁקְפָה וַתְּיַבֵּב אֵם סִיסְרָא” “Through the window peered Sisera’s mother; behind the lattice she cried out, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?”.

Balak’s real father wasn’t called Tzipor (bird). This name was given to him when he used his magical abilities to create a live bird out of few items. According to the Midrash, Balak would construct a bird out of gold, copper, silver and other items. He would then place the bird on a windowsill and let the sun and the moon shine upon it for seven days, after such time he will insert a real tongue of a bird and his bird will come to life. Balak controlled the forces of evil and he could create a live bird that could provide him with prophecies. In Biblical times magic was real and not merely a sleight-of-hand and Balak was an expert at a particular magic that consisted of constructing an artificial bird, hence the name “son of bird”. Eventually, this bird could talk, and through it Balak would discover secrets no one else knew.

Balak understood why Bnei-Yisrael were so successful in winning all the wars and why they were redeemed from Egypt. He knew that thanks to their prayer to HaShem and having Moshe as their leader, they were able to overcome all the difficulties and to merit the Promised Land. He sent a message to the wise men of Midian saying that Moshe, who was “raised” by the family of Yitro, and married a Midian woman, is now coming to destroy them all. The Midian elderly agreed with Balak and added that after leaving Midian Moshe went and destroyed Egypt as well. Balak and the Midainaites understood such a divine knowledge as they feared Bnei-Yisrael, even though they were expert in war and had a large and mighty military. Bnei-Yisrael were traveling for 39 years in the desert with no weapons nor real military to fight, but they had HaShem on their side as the prayed too.