Balak: Bilam [No Nation] and Balak - Dealing with Domestic Strife

by Rav Haggai Londin, Rosh Yeshivat Holon and author of a series of books on the writings of Rav Kook, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

An answer to those who demand condemnations of idealistic residents of Judea and Samaria: The latter are dedicating their lives to the Nation of Israel and we must kiss their hands.

Of late [during the height of the opposition to the proposed judicial reform as well as some unruly protests by residents of Judea and Samaria], I have received a small number of calls from people demanding (!) that I and other rabbis publicly condemn what they call the "settler disturbances." I explained to them gently that first of all, I don't work for them... And secondly, I said that their timing was perfect, just as we are about to read Parashat Balak (Bamidbar 22,2-25,9) and the story of the Gentile prophet Bilam, the Moabite king Balak, and their desire to curse Israel.

What’s the connection between Balak and the complaints against the "settlers"? Let us explain.

The story begins when King Balak of Moav hires Bilam to curse the entire holy nation. Bilam is a type of old-style wizard whose name tells us much about him: Bli-am means "without a people," that is, one who is focused on his own personal interests and is detached from any broader national context. People of that ilk tend to curse - lekalel, from the same root as kal (lightweight) - and make light and low of everything.

There are different types of "no nation" people: They can be those who threaten to remove their kippah (yarmulke) and cease being religiously observant if their brand of morals is not adopted by rabbis; or they can be IDF officers in the reserves who declare one day, "This is not my country" if the judicial reform passes; and they can be formerly observant Jews (datlashim, in the vernacular) who strangely invest efforts in maligning the homes and schools in which they were raised, under the illusion that this will bring peace to their conflicted souls.

What these tiresome Bilams don't realize is that after they're finished being embraced by the progressives, they will remain alone in the darkness. The Jewish nation, the Jewish tradition, and the Jewish state will continue along without them – and perhaps it is better that way.

Bilam references himself as sh'tum haayin, which has various explanations – but the Talmud explains it to mean "blinded" (Niddah 31a, Sanhedrin 105a). That is, this man with no nation, no family, and no circle of belonging has only a partial and bitter viewpoint, focusing constantly on the deficiencies that certainly exist in Israel and in the world, but missing time after time the entire picture. That's how it is when one looks at reality with a scowl; he'll only see a partial slice thereof.

Bilam is also called a "magician" (Yehoshua 13,22). There is something very magical in feeling that you're always right, and in yelling at your own people and telling them how wrong they are.

So much for curses, klalot. The word for blessing, on the other hand, is bracha, from the same root meaning "to graft," to connect a branch to the earth so that it will take root and sprout a new tree. One who does so takes a broad view that focuses on the good, and on the overall picture of the place to which he belongs, and therefore grows good things. 

Looking Inward

In Bilam's first attempt to curse Israel at the request of Balak, he says of the people of Israel (Bamidbar 23,9): "For from the top of the mountain rocks I see [Israel], and from the hills I behold him. Behold, a people that dwells alone and is not counted among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or [the hordes of] Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, but let my end be like his."

The Three Stages of Goodness
The Sages say that the "rocks" refer to our Patriarchs and Matriarchs, the forebears of the nation. Bilam recognizes the goodness that is at the root of the people of Israel in their foundational source. Similarly, when people seek a point of innocence and happiness in their lives, they often find it in their happy childhood, which attests to the positive source of their lives. As the years pass, there are setbacks and wrong turns, but life at its source remains good. Even grim, cynical people can usually not avoid smiling to themselves upon seeing a baby – because the starting point of a person reflects his goodness, the inner point that gets lost over the course of life. Bilam, too, find the goodness in the roots of reality, and his "accursed" view becomes one of blessing.

Bilam's second attempt is recounted in chapter 23, verses 19-25. He has moved on from reflecting on Israel's years of babyhood, and now focuses on its adolescence, which also features blessing. Bilam is now looking at the period of time when Israel has left its infancy behind, has escaped from Egypt, and is moving on toward being G-d's holy people. Despite all the troubles and even sins, the broad perspective shows us that the world, and the Jewish people, are moving up and improving. There is more blessing and more light.

Finally, on Bilam's third attempt (24,3-9), he tries a new approach: "Bilam saw that it was good in the eyes of G-d to bless Israel." He still looked for sins of Israel that he could focus on, but this too ended with a blessing: "How goodly are your tents, Yaakov." Our Sages explain that he saw how Israel's tents were set up such that no door faced the door of any other, for reasons of modesty. This expresses a third way of identifying the "inner point" – not just by looking at the source, not just by looking at the history, but by looking at Israel's way of life and its daily mores. This is a view of modesty, of convergence. That is, as opposed to the external, outward, critical, intellectual view, one can look inward at his own private tent and see all the goodness that he has built up to that point.

In the lives of every one of us, there are moments that we experience a Bilam-like way of looking at things. It can come, for instance, during adolescence, when we realize that our parents aren't as perfect as we always thought. This leads us to fear that we may have actually lived our lives in error. It can also happen on a national level: New immigrants to Israel arrive with Zionist fervor, until gradually this exciting feeling is at least partially eroded by the difficulties of absorption, leading them to suspect that they were tricked.

Spiritually, too: At the beginning of one's path, he meets up with the great light of Torah study, is entranced by his Torah-scholar rabbis and teachers, and is greatly enthralled. At a later stage, however, he realizes that things are not perfect – and some then react with an instinct to "slaughter sacred cows" and to say that everything is corrupt and depraved.

This is of course a grave mistake! Yes, there is certainly much complexity in the world, including hypocrisy and evil intentions. But fundamentally, the world is good; it is Divine. Despite all that is bad, ultimately everything leads to goodness and blessing.

Practically speaking, in terms of current events: The public known as the "settlers" of Judea and Samaria is the most wonderful sector living in Israel today. They are pioneers, men of Torah, army officers, and much more, who dedicate their lives to the great and just truth of Jewish settlement and control of the Biblical and strategic areas of Judea and Samaria. We should kiss the hands of every single one of them. Yes, there are some who do not respond particularly calmly when they witness their friends being murdered by Palestinian terrorists, they sense that law enforcement appears to be insufficient. If one behaves criminally, he must fact the legal consequences – but the actions of individual few and far between cannot reflect on the entire public.

What is important now is to strengthen our resilience and our faith. The words of Bilam after his moment of clarity help us understand faith: 'How goodly are your tents, O Jacob.' That is, how much goodness there is in our people, how much determination, how much courage! There is also a 'no' – no to breaking the law, no to anarchy. But above all, there is a 'yes'! Yes to continue settling and building, yes to add another thousand housing units in Eli and Ariel and Shavei Shomron, yes to ignore the Bilams in our midst, and yes – we will prevail thanks to the settlers. Thank you, heroes of Judea and Samaria; you are our saviors!