What Was He Thinking?
Torah Tavlin
Bilaam said to Balak… “Am I empowered to say anything? Whatever words G-d puts into my mouth, that shall I speak.” (22:38)
Many commentators struggle to understand; what exactly was Bilaam thinking? He knew that Hashem loved and protected the Jewish people and he knew that no matter how much money he would be paid, he could not influence any change against the will of Hashem. Indeed, he knew, that Hashem knew, that he knew, that Hashem knew, what he was thinking and would not allow him to succeed in his quest to harm the Jewish people! So again, what was he thinking, and what did he hope to accomplish?
R’ Tzadok Hakohen zt”l explains that all Jews have a special connection to the Torah, which is rooted in their collective souls. As Chazal tell us (Sanhedrin 104b): “Every (member of) Israel has a portion in the World to Come.” The strength behind this unique bond is the great love that Hashem has for us, His Chosen Nation, and even if we sin, Hashem will never sever our unbreakable bond.
Bilaam, on the other hand, had no connection to Torah, to purity, to sanctity. He does not have any portion in the next world, despite the fact that he was on par with none other than Moshe Rabbeinu with respect to his level of prophecy.
The Zohar teaches that Bilaam wished to insert an ayin hara - an evil eye - into this pure and untainted root (שורש) of the Jewish people, for he hoped that by doing so, he will be able to bring about an eventual collapse of Jewish values. Even if he could not destroy them immediately, even if it would take many years before they would fall under the spell of sin and iniquity, he recognized that all he needed to do right now was to make a small blemish, a hairline fracture in the foundation of kedusha and purity of the Jewish psyche. However, Hashem saw this coming too, and not only did He not allow Bilaam to weaken His people, He strengthened this bond, this connection to Bnei Yisroel, so that later on, even when they will sin, He will remain totally committed to them. He will never forsake us.
