Bila'am: A Frumer Rasha
The Ba'al ha-Turim explains that the name Balak [בָּלָק] hints to the phrase בא ללוק דמן של ישראל (He came [בא, ba] to lick up [ללוק, laluk] the blood of Yisrael). Explaining the deeper meaning of this idea, R' Natan of Nemerov writes in Likutei Halachot (Hilchot Birkat ha-Shachar 5:72): זֶה בְּחִינַת חַיּוֹת רָעוֹת הַדּוֹרְסִים וְטוֹרְפִים שֶׁבָּאִים לִדְרֹס וְלִטְרֹף וְלִשְׁפֹּךְ דָּם שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת הַמְּסִיתִים וְהַמְדִיחִים הַנַּ"ל שֶׁהוֹלְכִים בְּדַרְכֵי תּוֹעֲבוֹתֵיהֶם בְּנִאוּף וְכָל הַתַּאֲווֹת רָעוֹת (This is the aspect of evil beasts that trample and tear, that come to trample, tear, and spill blood. This is the aspect of those who incite and mislead, as mentioned above, who follow the ways of their abominations, in sexual immorality [ni'uf] and all evil desires).
Considering that Balak is portrayed by R' Natan as a vicious predatory force – one bent not only on the physical annihilation of Am Yisrael, but on the destruction of their kedushah – why did he need Bila'am at all? With all the physical resources of kingship at his disposal, and with all the forces of the Sitra Achra behind him, what did he recognize in Bila'am that he himself lacked – something so powerful that he believed it could tilt the battle in his favor?
Two categories of people cast off the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven. R' Natan defines the first group: יֵשׁ הַרְבֵּה אֶפִּיקוֹרְסִים שֶׁהוֹלְכִים בְּדֶרֶךְ זֶה וְהַכֹּל רוֹאִים שֶׁהֵם פּוֹרְקֵי עֹל וְהוֹלְכִים עִם הַזּוֹנוֹת וְנָשִׁים נָכְרִיּוֹת לְטַיֵּל וְכוּ' וּבְבָתֵּי תַּרְטִיאוֹת וְקַרְקְסִיאוֹת שֶׁלָּהֶם וּמְחַלְּלִים שַׁבָּת וְיוֹם טוֹב וְכוּלֵי (There are many heretics who follow this path, and everyone sees that they cast off the yoke, and go with prostitutes and gentile women to stroll about, etc., and in their theaters and circuses, and they desecrate Shabbat and Yom Tov, etc.) But their audacity doesn't end there; it goes one step further: וְאַף-עַל-פִּי-כֵן כָּל דִּבְרֵיהֶם הֵם רַק שֶׁאוֹמְרִים שֶׁרוֹצִים לְהַדְרִיךְ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּדֶרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת וְדִבּוּר אֱמֶת אֵינוֹ זָז מִפִּיהֶם וְהָאֱמֶת שֶׁלָּהֶם רַב מְאֹד מְאֹד שֶׁאוֹמְרִים בְּכָל פַּעַם שֶׁחֲפֵצִים רַק בֶּאֱמֶת כַּיָּדוּעַ (And nevertheless, all their words are only that they say they want to guide Yisrael in the way of 'truth', and the language of 'truth' never leaves their mouths, and their 'truth' is very, very abundant, for they say all the time that they desire only 'truth', as is known). We might call such people "anti-Torah truth activists" – openly and publicly casting off the yoke of Torah and mitzvot, yet presenting themselves as champions of truth. R' Natan tells us that these people are the aspect of Balak.
Dangerous as they are to the spiritual health of Klal Yisrael, the second group presents an even greater danger. Whereas R' Natan likens the first group to חַיּוֹת רָעוֹת [evil beasts] because of their predatory and destructive behavior, he likens the second group, although fewer in number, to מֵצַח הַנָּחָשׁ [the forehead of the Serpent], the spiritual root of this distorted philosophical system: שֶׁהֵם פִּקְחִים לְהָרַע יוֹתֵר שֶׁמַּרְאִים עַצְמָם כִּכְשֵׁרִים וּכְאִלּוּ אֵינָם חֲפֵצִים בַּתּוֹעֵבוֹת הָרָעוֹת שֶׁל תַּלְמִידֵיהֶם אַף-עַל-פִּי שֶׁבֶּאֱמֶת הַכֹּל בָּא עַל-יְדֵי לִמּוּדֵיהֶם הָרָעִים (They are more clever in doing evil, for they show themselves as kosher Jews, and as though they do not desire the evil abominations of their talmidim, even though in truth it all comes through their evil teachings). He explains further that such influencers and "Torah teachers" use sophisticated, persuasive teachings whose falsehood is difficult for ordinary people to detect, all the while presenting themselves as the paragons of righteousness, yirei Shemayim, and lovers of truth. These individuals correspond to Bila'am – appearing spiritual, restrained, elevated, and principled – yet far worse than Balak because they disguise their wickedness as yirah.
Such people represent the hidden religious or intellectual corruption behind Balak's open evil: אֲבָל כָּל כֹּחַ בָּלָק הוּא מִבִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת שֹׁרֶשׁ חָכְמַת הַטֶּבַע בְּחִינַת מֵצַח הַנָּחָשׁ הַנַּ"ל שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת רָשָׁע יָרֵא (אַ פְרוּמֶיר רָשָׁע הַנַּ"ל) שֶׁהֶרְאָה אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּצַדִּיק וּכְפָרוּשׁ וְלֹא רָדַף אַחַר הַזְּנוּת, וּבֶאֱמֶת הָיָה מִאוּס תּוֹעֲבוֹתָיו יוֹתֵר מִכֻּלָּם, כִּי בְּצִנְעָה עָשָׁה מַעֲשֵׂה אִישׁוּת אִם אֲתוֹנוֹ (But all of Balak's power comes from Bila'am ha-Rasha, who is the aspect of the root of natural philosophy, the aspect of the forehead of the Serpent, as mentioned above, who is the aspect of a 'God-fearing rasha', [in Yiddish, 'a frumer rasha', as mentioned above], who presented himself as a tzaddik and a self-restrained individual [פָּרוּשׁ, parush] and as one who did not pursue ni'uf, but in reality, his abominations were more disgusting than all of them, for in private he engaged in sexual intimacy with his female donkey). How do we know this?
The Gemara explains the donkey's words to Bila'am (Sanhedrin 105b): וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא שֶׁאֲנִי עוֹשָׂה [לְךָ] מַעֲשֵׂה אִישׁוּת בַּלַּיְלָה. כְּתִיב הָכָא: ״הַהַסְכֵּן הִסְכַּנְתִּי״, וּכְתִיב הָתָם: ״וַתְּהִי לוֹ סֹכֶנֶת״ ('And not only that, but I perform for you the function of marital intimacy at night.' It is written here [Bamidbar 22:30]: 'Have I been accustomed' [hahaskein hiskanti]. And it is written there [Melachim Aleph 1:2]: 'And she became his personal attendant who warmed him' [vat'hi lo sochenet]). The donkey used words from the same root [ס-כ-נ] used to describe Avishag's role. Toward the end of David's life, he could no longer generate enough body heat to keep himself warm. Avishag was brought to the palace to lie beside him and warm him (Melachim Aleph 1:4 states that they did not have relations). The female donkey was therefore alluding to her own relationship with Bila'am: they, too, would lie together at night, but in Bila'am's case it involved actual sexual intimacy. In other words, those in the second group have the same lust for ni'uf as those in the first group, but they conceal it well, just as Bila'am's sexual depravity was hidden from public view. And that is precisely what made him so useful to Balak. Balak could say to himself: "I am openly anti-Torah. Everyone sees what I am. But Bila'am is different. He looks frum. He sounds religious. He speaks about Hashem. People trust him. He can bring the corruption I want by dressing it in the language of truth."
Now R' Natan takes the same Bila'am pattern and shows how it reappears inside Jewish religious life.
What is the most powerful tactic of the Yetzer ha-Ra? R' Natan states categorically in Hilchot Yayin Nesech 4:10: וְעִקַּר כֹּחַ הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע לְהַחֲטִיאָם, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, הוּא עַל-יְדֵי שֶׁמִּתְלַבֵּשׁ עַצְמוֹ בְּמִצְווֹת (The main power of the Yetzer ha-Ra to cause them to sin, chas v'shalom, is that it clothes itself in mitzvot). This does not mean that mitzvot are dangerous. It means the Yetzer ha-Ra is most dangerous when it hijacks mitzvot, including limud Torah. And what's the main way that the Yetzer ha-Ra clothes itself in mitzvot? He continues: וְעַל-כֵּן עִקַּר הִתְגַּבְּרוּת הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע הוּא עַל-יְדֵי מַחֲלֹקֶת … כִּי זֶה עִקַּר עִסְקָם וְהִשְׁתַּדְּלוּתָם שֶׁל הַשֵּׁדִין יְהוּדָאִין לְעַקֵּם לֵב יִשְֹרָאֵל לְהַרְבּוֹת מַחֲלֹקֶת, כִּי עַל-יְדֵי-זֶה יֵשׁ לָהֶם כֹּחַ בְּיוֹתֵר לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ עַצְמָן בְּמִצְווֹת הַרְבֵּה שֶׁלָּהֶם (Therefore, the main way the Yetzer ha-Ra gains strength [over a person] is through machloket … for this is the main occupation and effort of the sheidim Yehuda'in: to twist the heart of Yisrael and increase machloket, for through this they have especially great power to clothe themselves in their many mitzvot).
What exactly is machloket? Technically, the word just means division, dispute, disagreement, or opposition. But here, R' Natan is speaking about something more destructive: conflict that is driven by ego and the need to win, even when it presents itself as a sincere quest for truth. It divides Jews into opposing camps, turns another Jew into an enemy, and convinces a person that rejection, hostility, and pursuit are being done for the sake of Heaven.
Now what about the sheidim Yehuda'in [literally, Jewish demons]? The term originates in the Zohar where it refers to a category of sheidim distinct from other kinds of sheidim, some of whom possess tremendous Torah knowledge (Pinchas 253a). In original Breslov sources, it refers to talmidei chachamim through whom the Yetzer ha-Ra enters the Jewish world. For example, R' Nachman writes in Likutei Moharan 28:1: הַמִּתְנַגְּדִים הַמְבַזִּים וְהַמְחָרְפִים יִרְאֵי הַשֵּׁם – זֶה מֵחֲמַת שֶׁמְּקַבְּלִים תּוֹרָה מִתַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים שֵׁדִין יְהוּדָאִין, כִּי תַּלְמִידֵי־חֲכָמִים שֵׁדִין יְהוּדָאִין הֵם מְקַבְּלִים תּוֹרָתָם מֵהַשֵּׁדִין, שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם תּוֹרָה נְפוּלָה מְאַלְפִין נְפוּלִים (Those who oppose, disgrace, and insult those who fear Hashem – this is because they receive Torah from talmidei chachamim who are sheidim Yehuda'in, for these talmidei chachamim-sheidim Yehuda'in receive their Torah from the sheidim who have fallen Torah, from fallen alephs). Although this full subject is beyond our scope here, the essential point is that the term sheidim Yehuda'in describes a terrifying possibility: a person can be a talmid chacham and still transmit Torah from a fallen source. Such Torah does not produce true yirah. It produces opposition, disgrace, and contempt toward those who truly fear Hashem.
And this is the terrible inversion: hatred becomes truth, pursuit becomes a mitzvah, and cruelty becomes holy zeal. As R' Natan explains: כִּי זֶה הָיָה עִקַּר כַּוָּנַת בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע וְהַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא לְהִתְגַּבֵּר בְּרִשְׁעוּתָם כָּל כָּךְ עַד שֶׁיְּהַפְּכוּ הָאֱמֶת לְגַמְרֵי לַעֲשׂוֹת מֵעֲבֵרָה מִצְוָה וְכַנַּ"ל, כִּי בִּלְעָם הָיָה טָמֵא גָּדוֹל (This was the main intention of Bila'am ha-Rasha and the Sitra Achra: to become so overpowering in their wickedness that they would completely overturn the truth and make a 'mitzvah' out of an aveirah, as mentioned above, for Bila'am was exceedingly tamei). And what main "mitzvah" do these sheidim Yehuda'in make out of an explicit transgression? Put simply: וְעַל-כֵּן מִצְוָה גְּדוֹלָה לְהָדְפוֹ וּלְרָדְפוֹ עַד הַנֶּפֶשׁ (Therefore, it becomes a great 'mitzvah' to repel him and pursue him to the point of life itself). Meaning what? They come to believe that it is a great mitzvah to hound and pursue those who truly fear Hashem, even to the point of endangering their lives. How are they able to do this? Continuing: כִּי בּוֹדֶה עָלָיו שְׁקָרִים וּכְזָבִים עָלָיו וְעַל כָּל הַנִּלְוִים אֵלָיו, בְּחַיָּיו וּלְאַחַר הִסְתַּלְּקוּתוֹ, עַד שֶׁהִתְלַבֵּשׁ בִּגְדוֹלֵי הַדּוֹר, עַד שֶׁהִכְנִיס בָּהֶם שֶׁמִּצְוָה לְרָדְפָם וּלְהָדְפָם וְכוּ' וְכַנַּ"ל (For he [i.e. the Ba'al Davar] fabricates lies and falsehoods about him [i.e. the true Tzaddik] and about all those who accompany him, in his lifetime and after his passing, until it clothes itself in the Gedolei ha-Dor, until it enters into them that it is a 'mitzvah' to pursue them and repel them, etc., as mentioned above). Strong words.
What can we do to guard ourselves from the modern-day Bila'am? R' Natan writes: עַל-כֵּן מִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לָחוּס עַל חַיָּיו הַנִּצְחִיִּים צָרִיךְ לִצְעֹק הַרְבֵּה לַה' יִתְבָּרַךְ וּלְכַוֵּן דַּעְתּוֹ לַה' יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּכָל עֵת וּלְבַקֵּשׁ מִלְּפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁיּוֹלִיכֵהוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר, בָּאֱמֶת לַאֲמִתּוֹ, וְלֹא יַנִּיחֶנּוּ לַטְעוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּלָל (Therefore, one who wants to have compassion on his eternal life needs to cry out a lot to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to direct his mind toward Hashem, may He be blessed, at all times, and request before Him that He lead him on the straight path, in truth to its absolute truth, and that He not allow him to go astray at all).
In conclusion, Balak represents open evil: the predator that wants to tear, devour, and spill our holy blood. But Balak needed Bila'am because the deepest destruction of kedushah does not come through open evil alone. It comes when evil learns to speak in the language of truth. Bila'am’s weapon was the ability to make an aveirah look like holy wisdom and eventually a mitzvah itself. That is why the parashah ends with Zimri: not merely with the terrible sin of ni'uf, but with that sin brought before Moshe as though it had a sound moral argument. And that is why R' Natan says that anyone who cares about his eternal life must cry out to Hashem again and again, begging Him to lead him in the straight path, in the truest truth, and not allow him to be led astray at all.
