Despite being given the opportunity to receive nevuah and despite seeing the spiritual greatness of Klal Yisrael -- "mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov" -- Bilam remains unchanged as a person from the start of the parsha through its end. When the plan to curse fails, it does lead to a change of heart, a re-evaluation and reconsideration, but rather it leads to a new wicked plan and the episode of bnos Moav. The kabbalists link Bilam with Lavan; some claim they were one and the same person. Much like Lavan, who despite years of exposure to Yaakov Avinu simply goes back to being his old self, "Vayelech vayashav Lavan lmkomo," (32:1) after Yaakov's departure, so too Bilam, who, after experiencing prophecy simply goes back to being his old self, "Vayakam Bilam vayelech vayashav limkomo," (24:25) with no change in attitude or character.
The Chofetz Chaim noted the interesting fact that the entire story of Bilam's prophecy appears as one long parsha stuma in the Torah with no breaks -- something not too common. Rashi writes at the beginning of parshas Vayikra that the breaks between parshiyos served to allow Moshe time to reflect on what he was learning, to be misbonein. Even if a person is given the gift of nevuah, without hisbonenus, without taking time for contemplation to internalize the message and its meaning, the person will remain unchanged like Bilam and never grow like Moshe.
(why doesn't the "[v]ayelech" of 'Lavan rose...went and returned to his place' match the 'halach' of the next verse (32:2) describing Yaakov {thus to imply that Lavan went with Yaakov}, as per maccabi's comment in the previous post? because of the >intervening action< (Lavan rose to kiss and bless his sons and daughters); 'returning to his place' [without 'went' merely to imply departure] could mean here that Lavan simply returned to his tent and hit 'snooze'...
ReplyDeleteor say that Lavan did [??!] go with Yaakov, that went = went: he hovered alongside his son-in-law's slow-moving cortege until he heard his own name mentioned at 32:5, at which time he with smiling satisfaction 'returned to his place'...)
"served to allow Moshe time to reflect";
ReplyDelete"without taking time...to internalize the message"
when the message was most pertinent to Bilam, lo-nachash b'Yaakov v'lo-kesem* b'Yisrael (23:23), he was being told [if only he'd reflect] to take time to consider equal-- ka'eis --to Moshe's (only then would the in-House prophet inform bnei Yisrael as to ma-pa'al Keil, 23:23)
*u'k'samim b'yadam, 22:7
"the breaks...served to allow Moshe...to be misbonein"
ReplyDeletewasn't it Yisro's advice to Moshe to delegate hearings (Shemos 18:22) that allowed the latter time to slowly digest the Torah to come? (and wasn't this a sort of middah k'negged middah*, Moshe having enabled Yisro's daughters to return quickly from the well {Shemos 2:18}?)
the priest of Midian thus helped Moshe to be strong both by mouth (speech) AND** by silence (reflection), though elder Midianites would later [mistakenly] classify Moshe as one strong only in his mouth (first Rashi, Bamidbar 22:4)...
*salutary deceleration = salutary acceleration
**silence + speech = chashmal