HaRav Dov Begon is Head of Yeshivat Machon Meir.
Balak, king of Moab, and his people were so afraid of the Children of Israel that they became sick of their very lives because of their fear and dread, as it is written: “Moab was greatly afraid of the people because they were numerous, and Moab was gravely harrassed because of the Children of Israel" (Numbers 22:3-5). What caused them such terrible fear that they became sick of their lives?
The author of Maor VaShemesh explains that when they saw Israel united as one man, with love and brotherhood prevailing among them, they understood that when Israel is united, no one can stand against them, just as the Amorites and Og, king of Bashan, could not stand against Israel and were decisively defeated.
Therefore, the solution to the distress of Balak and Moab was to bring the wicked Bilaam, whose entire nature was characterized by his evil eye. His goal was to curse and create division among people. Balak hoped that Bilaam would be able to cause dissension among the Children of Israel and weaken them. Indeed, Balak brought Bilaam to observation points from which he expected to see division and faults among Israel, Heaven forbid:
“Balak took Bilaam and brought him up to Bamot-Baal, and from there he saw the edge of the people" (Numbers 22:41) - but not all of them. Then he brought him to another place: “You shall see only a portion of them and not all of them… and he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of the summit" (Numbers 23:13-14), from where a breach would one day emerge in Israel, for Moses died there. Balak thought that the curse would take effect there (Rashi).
Again, “Balak said to Bilaam: Come, I will take you to another place… and Balak took Bilaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland" (Numbers 23:28), because he saw that Israel would one day stumble through Peor.
But as is well known, the plan of Balak and Bilaam to cause division within Israel did not succeed. On the contrary, he came to curse and ended up blessing: “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel… A star shall emerge from Jacob, and a scepter shall arise from Israel, and it shall crush the corners of Moab" (Numbers 24:17).
Today as well, the enemies of Israel who seek to dispossess us of our Land and, Heaven forbid, destroy us, understand what Balak and Bilaam understood, that as long as Israel is united they cannot overcome us. Therefore, they make great efforts to drive a wedge and create division within Israel in various ways, for instance, through the influence of money and media manipulation they prey on people whose faith in our right to the Land of Israel has weakened.
They strive to set people with leftist political views against brothers who devote their lives and souls to maintaining our hold on the Land of our Life; and through open and hidden financial support of organizations and movements that create division within Israeli society.
But all these schemes are in vain, for “Many are the thoughts in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the Lord - it shall stand." Certainly, only His covenant and oath to the Patriarchs, which we must always remember, will endure.
“Remember His covenant forever, the word He commanded for a thousand generations; the covenant He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. He established it for Jacob as a statute, for Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying: To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance" (I Chronicles 16:15-18).