Before wicked Bilaam wishes to curse Israel, he goes to gaze upon them. The result is that although he has set out to curse them, he ends up blessing them against his will. Three times he ponders the Jewish People, and each time he sees them from another angle.
The first time, "Balak took Bilaam and brought him to the High Altars of Baal, where he could see as far as the outer edges of the Israelite people [Hebrew: ketze ha'am]." (Numbers 22:41) The phrase "ketze ha'am", literally, "the edge of the people", refers here to the entire nation, to Israel in the aggregate, from end to end, from the Patriarchs and Matriarchs until their inception as a people. "I see this nation from mountaintops, and gaze on it from the heights. It is a nation dwelling alone at peace, not counting itself among other nations." (23:9; see Ibn Ezra and the Ba'alei HaTosafot)
The second time, Balak says to Bilaam, "Please come with me to another place. There you will be able to see only a small section of the Israelite camp, and you will not have to see them all." (23:13) Balak had learned a lesson that whoever sees the entire Jewish People can only think well of them. He therefore demands that Bilaam gaze only at part of them, "a small section," referring to the details about how they sin. Yet, once more Bilaam ends up blessing them: "G-d does not look at wrongdoing in Jacob, and He sees no vice in Israel. The L-rd G-d of Israel is with them, and they have the King's friendship." (23:21) As Rashi explains, G-d is not exacting with them when they sin. Even if they anger Him and rebel before Him, He does not leave their midst. G-d loves Israel always, everywhere and at all times.
The third time, Bilaam tries to accuse Israel by means of the Golden Calf. "He set his gaze towards the desert." (24:1) As the Targum comments, he pondered the Golden Calf incident and tried to make G-d view them in a bad light. Yet, he ended up blessing them: "When Bilaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel dwelling at peace by tribes, G-d's spirit was on him." (24:2) He saw Israel's modesty, that the tent flaps of one were not adjacent to those of another. Thus, no Israelite could peek into his neighbor's tent. He then realized that he must not curse them (Rashi). Quite the contrary, he said, "How good are your tents, Jacob, your tabernacles, Israel.... Those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed." (24:5,9)
Today, we must learn from Bilaam's blessings how to view our people as a group, and every Jew as an individual. First of all, we have to view Israel in the aggregate, from first to last, from the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to the end of days. At that time, "a staff shall arise in Israel, crushing all of Moab's princes and dominating all of Seth's descendants.... Israel shall be triumphant." (24:17,18)
We have to understand that the Jewish People are compared to an ancient olive tree, thousands of years old, that cannot be uprooted by any wind, nor defeated by any enemy. The Eternal One of Israel will never lie.
Likewise, we must view every single Jew positively, even if he sins, and we must understand that G-d is with him. G-d, who chooses His people Israel with love, loves every single Jew, whoever they are. As we say in our evening prayers, "May you never take Your love away from us." We must understand that even for our worst sins, like the Golden Calf, we have a means of rectification, through the study and practice of the Torah. Our sages said that Bilaam's "tents of Jacob" refer to study halls of Torah, which benefit Israel in all times and places.
Bilaam, and ? by contrast ? the prophets and sages of Israel, in looking towards the future, knew that in the end of days, the nations of the world would set out to drive us from our land. Yet, they also knew that Israel would defend themselves forcefully and win a great victory.
"'Alas! Who can survive G-d's devastation?' (Numbers 24:23) This accords with the words of Rabbi Yochanan, who said, 'Woe to the nation that is around when G-d is redeeming His sons!'" (Sanhedrin 106a) Rashi comments, "Woe to whomever holds back Israel from entering Eretz Yisrael and settling its whole length and width."
We saw what happened to Great Britain, which fell apart when it tried to delay the establishment of the State of Israel. We saw what happened to the Soviet Union when it supported Israel's enemies and ultimately disintegrated. The same will occur to whomever, from within or from without, tries to stop Israel from settling all parts of Eretz Yisrael (Rashi, ibid.). For "those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed... and Israel shall be triumphant."
The first time, "Balak took Bilaam and brought him to the High Altars of Baal, where he could see as far as the outer edges of the Israelite people [Hebrew: ketze ha'am]." (Numbers 22:41) The phrase "ketze ha'am", literally, "the edge of the people", refers here to the entire nation, to Israel in the aggregate, from end to end, from the Patriarchs and Matriarchs until their inception as a people. "I see this nation from mountaintops, and gaze on it from the heights. It is a nation dwelling alone at peace, not counting itself among other nations." (23:9; see Ibn Ezra and the Ba'alei HaTosafot)
The second time, Balak says to Bilaam, "Please come with me to another place. There you will be able to see only a small section of the Israelite camp, and you will not have to see them all." (23:13) Balak had learned a lesson that whoever sees the entire Jewish People can only think well of them. He therefore demands that Bilaam gaze only at part of them, "a small section," referring to the details about how they sin. Yet, once more Bilaam ends up blessing them: "G-d does not look at wrongdoing in Jacob, and He sees no vice in Israel. The L-rd G-d of Israel is with them, and they have the King's friendship." (23:21) As Rashi explains, G-d is not exacting with them when they sin. Even if they anger Him and rebel before Him, He does not leave their midst. G-d loves Israel always, everywhere and at all times.
The third time, Bilaam tries to accuse Israel by means of the Golden Calf. "He set his gaze towards the desert." (24:1) As the Targum comments, he pondered the Golden Calf incident and tried to make G-d view them in a bad light. Yet, he ended up blessing them: "When Bilaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel dwelling at peace by tribes, G-d's spirit was on him." (24:2) He saw Israel's modesty, that the tent flaps of one were not adjacent to those of another. Thus, no Israelite could peek into his neighbor's tent. He then realized that he must not curse them (Rashi). Quite the contrary, he said, "How good are your tents, Jacob, your tabernacles, Israel.... Those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed." (24:5,9)
Today, we must learn from Bilaam's blessings how to view our people as a group, and every Jew as an individual. First of all, we have to view Israel in the aggregate, from first to last, from the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to the end of days. At that time, "a staff shall arise in Israel, crushing all of Moab's princes and dominating all of Seth's descendants.... Israel shall be triumphant." (24:17,18)
We have to understand that the Jewish People are compared to an ancient olive tree, thousands of years old, that cannot be uprooted by any wind, nor defeated by any enemy. The Eternal One of Israel will never lie.
Likewise, we must view every single Jew positively, even if he sins, and we must understand that G-d is with him. G-d, who chooses His people Israel with love, loves every single Jew, whoever they are. As we say in our evening prayers, "May you never take Your love away from us." We must understand that even for our worst sins, like the Golden Calf, we have a means of rectification, through the study and practice of the Torah. Our sages said that Bilaam's "tents of Jacob" refer to study halls of Torah, which benefit Israel in all times and places.
Bilaam, and ? by contrast ? the prophets and sages of Israel, in looking towards the future, knew that in the end of days, the nations of the world would set out to drive us from our land. Yet, they also knew that Israel would defend themselves forcefully and win a great victory.
"'Alas! Who can survive G-d's devastation?' (Numbers 24:23) This accords with the words of Rabbi Yochanan, who said, 'Woe to the nation that is around when G-d is redeeming His sons!'" (Sanhedrin 106a) Rashi comments, "Woe to whomever holds back Israel from entering Eretz Yisrael and settling its whole length and width."
We saw what happened to Great Britain, which fell apart when it tried to delay the establishment of the State of Israel. We saw what happened to the Soviet Union when it supported Israel's enemies and ultimately disintegrated. The same will occur to whomever, from within or from without, tries to stop Israel from settling all parts of Eretz Yisrael (Rashi, ibid.). For "those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed... and Israel shall be triumphant."