The challenge facing Balaam in this week’s Torah portion was formidable. He was tasked with cursing the Jewish people, but was committed to delivering whatever message God was planning to send. As the first transmission came to Balaam, he immediately saw that the heretofore desired curse was being replaced by words of admiration and distinction for the Jewish people. These poetic expressions are in fact repositories of incredibly important ideas, and help paint a picture of how great and unique a nation the Jewish people are.
A prime example can be found in the second set of blessings delivered to Balaam. It begins with a preamble (Bamidbar 23:18-20):
“He took up his parable and said, "Arise, Balak, and hear; listen closely to me, son of Zippor. God is not a man that He should lie, nor is He a mortal that He should relent. Would He say and not do, speak and not fulfill? I have received [an instruction] to bless, and He has blessed, and I cannot retract it.”
With this in place, the actual blessing begins with a bold statement (ibid 18):
“He does not look at evil in Jacob, and has seen no perversity in Israel; the Lord, his God, is with him, and he has the King's friendship.”
What is God referring to?
Rashi offers an astonishing explanation:
“Its literal meaning can be expounded beautifully. The Holy One, blessed is He, does not look at evil in Jacob. When they transgress His word, He does not deal punctiliously with them to scrutinize their wicked deeds and their iniquity in violation of His law”
At first glance, the above explanation is difficult to take seriously. God does not scrutinize the actions of the Jews? A brief survey of the book of Bamidbar reveals countless incidents of straying off the path by the Jews, followed by a punishment from God. Time and again, the Jews are held to a high standard, and failing to live up to it results in harsh rebuke. Expanding our view to beyond Bamidbar, such as in other books of Tanach, we see even more recorded incidents of sin followed by punishment. This cycle would clearly indicate that God does pay close attention to the misdeed of the Jewish people.
Rashi concludes:
“and he has the King’s friendship: an expression denoting love and friendship…”
The description of this type of relationship with God is difficult to understand. God does not have feelings, and it is hard to see God as a “friend” in any conventional sense. What is Rashi referring to here?
The entire episode of Balaam and Balak is challenging to understand, and not just due to the opaque nature of the blessings. One theme that seems to present itself through the various blessings is a praiseworthy description of the Jewish nation, highlighting various features and characteristics that separate them from the nations of the world.
Taking Rashi’s explanation at face value would create an unrealistic perspective of the relationship between God and the Jewish people. Rather, it is possible Rashi is attempting to dispel a common notion that exists regarding the expectations tied to the Jews. The Jewish religion is quite demanding, as it requires adherence to a large and complex system of commandments. And it is not just the quantity that is the challenge; the depth and complexity tied to each commandment can appear to be overwhelming. To the outsider, though, the idea of being God’s “chosen” naturally demands a level of perfection from the people, where the nation as a whole is beyond reproach and clean from any iniquity. After all, if these people have a distinct relationship with the Creator, it would make sense to assume that they must be free of sin in every possible way. One could argue that this perception is common in other faiths, especially when it comes to the spiritual leaders. An image of the pure, pious, infallible person is an almost comforting religious viewpoint.
Alas, in truth, man is not a perfect creature. Judaism teaches that there is no such thing as “perfect” man. The Torah does not hide the faults of our founders. The notion of applying superhuman qualities to a human being is not a Jewish idea. And that is the key word here: superhuman. Mankind struggles, constantly being challenged by the conflicts of the mind and emotion, the intellect and the instincts. It is an ongoing battle. To expect a person to operate in any other capacity is to demand a person who transcends the very definition of what man is.
This being the case, it is essential to understand the expectations placed upon the Jewish people and their relationship with God. The Torah functions as a guide to perfection; but this does not mean that the Jewish people are expected to exist on a level where no imperfection exists. We are expected to adhere to the Torah, but this does not mean there is an expectation we can exit the natural order and exist as metaphysical creatures.
The blessing, then, is refuting the perception others have of religious expectations as they apply to the Jewish people. To the world at large, any flaw or defect exposed in the Jews would necessitate their demise. How could these people be the exceptional nation if they have engaged in sin? However, Balaam, through this prophecy, is teaching the idea that the Jewish people cannot be expected to outdo humanity. God, as Rashi explains, does not scrutinize for every single small defect. If He did, there could be no Jewish nation. This also explains the idea of our “friendship” with God.
The ideal friendship is where one acts to assist his friend in pursuing the correct path. The proper guidance is the hallmark of a true and valuable friendship. In this sense, God has given us the Torah, the correct path in how to live our lives. It is the ultimate expression of “friendship”.