This entry is this substack's original intent: Raf's Dvar/Riff Torah -- Recently redirected for the "Is Raf OK?" series (at the well advised impetus of sister Tanya).
Select Parsha Highlights
The People of Israel have tried to cross various lands. They were refused. They did battle. And now (this week) they come to Moab. The king of Moab, Balak, sends messengers and representatives to ask Balaam, the (his?) Prophet, to place a curse on Israel.
Balaam refuses some number of times.
Balak seeks to apply more pressure, and invites Balaam to come to him in person. Balaam refuses.
However the entreaties continue.
Eventually G-d tells Balaam that he may go to Balak. Although when actually he does this:
כב: וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֣ף אֱלֹהִים֘ כִּֽי־הוֹלֵ֣ךְ הוּא֒ וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֞ב מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהֹוָ֛ה בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ לְשָׂטָ֣ן ל֑וֹ וְהוּא֙ רֹכֵ֣ב עַל־אֲתֹנ֔וֹ וּשְׁנֵ֥י נְעָרָ֖יו עִמּֽוֹ
God's wrath flared because he was going, and an angel of the Lord stationed himself on the road to thwart him, and he was riding on his she-donkey, and his two servants were with him.
Balaam's donkey sees the angel and "gets the message" that it is time to stop. This leads to conflict with Balaam, and a conversation with a now-talking donkey.
Ultimately, despite being fed and feted by Balak, Balaam does not curse the Israelites. Rather he blesses them. Three times, from three places.
And much more.
I wonder sometimes: Balak's entreaties: Was it a week of entreaties? A month? More?
Even though Balaam refuses many times, Balak does not give up.
Likewise, when Balaam finally arrives, and is clear with Balak how he functions, Balak continues to insist. Even when Balak receives the inverse of his request, Balak perseveres and tries again. And again.
And it never goes his way.
It is almost as though Balak can't imagine there is a person who answers to something other than money. Balaam says multiple times that all the money in the palace will not influence him. And Balak keeps on trying the same thing.
A counterpoint is that when Israel spends time with the Moabites, the Israelites get involved with Baal Peor and other distractions, diversions and perversions.
It is interesting that the violence at the end of the sedra points to a different topic: The distractions and perversions relate to the women of Moab, the incident of Zimri is with a Midianite woman. In other words, from the same tribe as Zipporah, wife of Moses. This can be seen as a direct challenge to Moses: OK, the Moabite women may be forbidden to us, but you married a Midianite so I can too, right?
There a number of ways this incident can be parsed. What is interesting to me is the counterpoint: It is set in the middle of the larger crisis involving the Moabites. This makes it easy to lump it as a parallel issue when it may actually be more structural: Is Zimri's action a challenge to the legitimacy of Moses as a leader? (Along the lines of Korach.) In both the case of Zimri and Korach, the basic action is that of a mirror: Korach: Look at yourself, Moses, why do you get to be the only clan making sacrifices? Zimri: Why does Moses, the defacto High Priest, get to marry to a convert when others in the priesthood may not?
[Raf's understanding is that it is because Zipporah was "part of the tribe" before Sinai, so is not considered a convert.]
In this light, how Moses handles the challenges to his leadership is inverse to Balak: Balak forced his perspective on Balaam. Well, tried to. Balak didn't listen to what was said in clear, and, essentially, never stopped talking, "Do this. Do this. Do this...." Moses was silent and trusting in G-d (and/or the Tribe).
סְיָג לַחָכְמָה, שְׁתִיקָה
A fence to protect wisdom is silence. Avot 3:13