Prophecy Through the Blind Eye:
Although the pasuk seems to be saying that Bilaam was blind in his eye, Onkelos translates it to mean “the man who could see well.”
The Sar Shalom of Belz (quoted in Yagel Yaakov) asks how the Targum knows to explain the verse in an opposite manner of what it seems mean. He answers that the wicked Bilaam sullied every part of his body. Since he used every one of his limbs for evil purposes, none of them could be used for anything good. However, since, as Chazal say (Sanhedrin 105A), he was blind in one eye, he was unable to use that eye for anything evil, so it remained clean. Therefore, he was still able to use this eye for good. Thus, when the Targum says that he could see well with one eye, it is referring to the eye that was blind. He could “see” with this eye, in the sense that he could do good things with it since he had not sullied it, so he was able to receive prophecy with this eye.
Similarly, the Baal Shem Tov zy”a (quoted in Kehilas Yitzchok, Parshas Balak) explains the Targum by citing the words of Rashi: “Why did Hashem let His Shechinah dwell on a non-Jewish rasha? So that the nations of the world would be unable to complain and say that if they had been given a prophet, they would have acted properly.” He explains that for someone to receive prophecy, all of his senses must be pure and holy. If one has sanctified all of his senses, he can have the holy spirit of prophecy enter into him, but if he is impure, he cannot experience this.
All of Bilaam’s senses were thoroughly impure. Chazal say that he engaged in witchcraft and all sorts of depravity. Accordingly, he could not experience the spirit of prophecy. However, Hashem had to give the non-Jews a prophet so that they wouldn’t have a complaint. So what did He do? He blinded one of his eyes, making it impossible for him to sin with this eye. Therefore, he was able to receive prophecy only through this one eye. When the Targum says that he could see well with this eye, it means that because he was blind in this eye, he was able to see prophecy through it.
