Balak: Was Bil'am Jewish?

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel

It is told that Rebbe Moshe Teitelbaum (1759-1841), author of Yismach Moshe and the head of a large Hassidic dynasty, was actually a great opponent of Hassidism in his youth. He once visited a friend of his, who similarly did not take to Hassidism. This was around the time when the prayerbook of the Arizal was published according to the Hassidic liturgy. When it was brought before the two friends, Rebbe Moshe took it and hurled it down to the floor. His friend, however, gently chastised him: "It is a prayerbook, after all, and we must not degrade it."

When the great Seer of Lublin heard this story, he said, "R. Moshe will one day be a great Hassid, while his friend will remain an opponent. This is because one who opposes something very strongly, can also be strong in his love for it. But one whose opposition is cool and measured, will remain that way." And indeed that was what happened.

This story illustrates a fundamental idea that can help us resolve a difficulty in the Talmud that is related to our weekly portion of Balak (Numbers 22,2-25,9).

The Mishna in Sanhedrin tells us: "All of Israel have a share in the World to Come… [except for] three Kings…. and four commoners: Bil'am, Doeg, Achitofel, and Gehazi." It appears that these four are exceptions to the principle that "all of Israel have a share." But this then indicates Bil'am was a Jew! How can this be, given that we know he was the one and only Gentile prophet?

On the other hand, if Bil'am was a Gentile, does the fact that he is listed as an exception mean that all other Gentiles have a share in the World to Come? The Talmud there answers this question by saying that R. Yehoshua is of the opinion that this is in fact true: All non-Jews have a share in the World to Come, except for those who are sinners and wicked.

But back to our first question: The wording of the Mishna strongly implies that Bil'am is an exception to the rule regarding "all of Israel." Can this possible mean that he was Jewish?!

It appears that a profound concept is hidden here, one that is alluded to in Kabbalistic works and is the theme of the story with which we opened. Generally, when one strongly opposes a certain matter, this is a sign that it touches him deeply in his heart, and that he actually has some kind of connection with it. For if he were apathetic to it, it would mean that he barely feels it. Only when something truly affects us do we respond strongly to it – for we care about it. This is why often the strongest and most painful disputes take place between people who are close to each other, and even within families – for the participants have strong feelings for each other, rendering their clashes particularly intense.

This was the case with Bil'am, Israel's great enemy, whose desire to curse Israel stemmed from a deep-down sense of belonging to Israel. This explains why he had the powers of the people of Israel, such as the power of speech and powers of the Holy Spirit – but these powers appeared in him in a negative, distorted manner.

What we learn from this is that when one finds himself in a bitter dispute, he must find the way to turn his strengths that are therein expressing themselves, into something positive – and this will then turn the connection he has into something truly constructive. When people were able to resolve their differences in this way, they found that the closeness and even love between them actually grew.

This is what happened – almost – with Bil'am. G-d took his curses against Israel and turned them into blessings. Bil'am thus strengthened Israel's strong points even more than they had been before. However, because this happened against Bil'am's will, he himself did not benefit from it, and was cast off from the World to Come.  

Thus we also find that the descendants of one of Israel's greatest arch-enemies, Haman of Persia, actually converted to Judaism and studied Torah in Bnei Brak. Similarly, one of the emperors of the Roman Empire, Nero, secretly converted, and none other than the great Tannaitic Sage R. Meir descended from him. For precisely within Israel's great enemies is found an inner holy strength that belongs to Israel – and when it is restored and drawn to repent, it produces blessing for Israel. 

We thus pray that certainly among ourselves, we should find the ways to locate and identify the inner forces that connect us, and restore them to their natural state of t'shuvah (repentance), love, and connection, leading to spiritual uplifting!