Why Did Hashem Imbue a Wicked Gentile with Prophetic Powers on par with Moshe’s?

 

Parashat Balak

Keeping Ourselves and the Others Alive by Seeing the Good

Since I began primary school, it was discovered that I was farsighted, because I had trouble reading the blackboard. Even after the ridge of my nose became bespectacled with a pair of disdained glasses, I still needed to sit in the front row to be able to follow the lessons. The sense of vision – which is the sense of the month of Tamuz – is so vital, that a blind person is considered as dead (Babylonian Talmud 64b). Yet, there are many nuances of both physical and spiritual vision. The right eye is supposed to be the good eye, with which we connect to spiritual vision, viewing reality from the Divine perspective, and seeing the good points in others. It hit me, that I must have a lot of work to do in this area, since I was afflicted with a severe eye infection, specifically in the right eye, on the eve of Rosh Chodesh Tamuz. Always looking for the good, in ourselves and in others, can be very challenging. Perfectionistic people, like me, who want to better themselves and the world, naturally focus on what needs to be improved. If we could only integrate the lesson, that by focusing on the good, we actually cause everything we see to become better, as I will explain below. Seeing the good enables us to keep ourselves and the objects of our vision alive. This is because, the good points within every living being, are sparks of the Divine life force. By searching out the good, we emulate Hashem, as it is Hashem’s way to look at the good that we do, even if some of our actions are not good. We learn this from the Torah verse in Parashat Balak, “He has not seen iniquity in Ya’acov” (Bamidbar 23:21). Likewise, we need to give the benefit of the doubt, even to a completely wicked person, because it is impossible, that no good point can be found in him. Likewise, we need to find good points in ourselves. Even when we feel really bad about ourselves, we need to look at ourselves in a different light and search from within all the negative, for some good points, in order to revive ourselves” (Rebbe Natan of Breslev, Likutei Halachot, Hilchot Techumin v’Aruvei Techumin 6:11).

The Dichotomy of Vision in Parashat Balak

As we proceed further into the zenith of the month of Tamuz – the month for rectifying our eyes – we read about this dichotomy of vision in Parashat Balak. The visual theme, which is the red thread of the parasha, is completely shrouded in mystery. How can it be, that Bilam, the gentile prophet who was blind in one eye, the eye with which we connect to the spiritual world, is compared to Moshe in prophetic powers? “In Israel, there was no prophet like Moshe…” (Devarim 34:10), but amongst the non-Jewish nations, there was... i.e., Bilam (Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 14:20). Why would Hashem endow a wicked anti-Semite with prophetic powers? If Bilam was such a great prophet, then why did only his donkey – known to be a coarse materialistic animal – see the angel blocking their way, while Bilam remained oblivious? Lastly, why did the most beautiful blessings exude from the mouth of Bilam, whose main objective was to harm Israel with vile curses?
 
Women’s Power of Protection
Chassidic commentaries give us a clue as to why Bilam was unable to place his evil eye on Israel, because, thank G-d, the Children of Israel belong to a protected species: 

ספר במדבר פרק כד פסוק ב וַיִּשָּׂא בִלְעָם אֶת עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל שֹׁכֵן לִשְׁבָטָיו וַתְּהִי עָלָיו רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים:

“Bilam raised his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes and the spirit of G-d rested upon him” (Bamidbar 24:2) 

Rashi explains that, when Bilam “raised his eyes,” he sought to cast an evil eye upon Israel. The root of his evil eye is that whenever he would look at something, he would separate it from its upper root, which is the source of blessing. By eagerly desiring everything in the physical world for himself, he only looked at the exterior object of his craving, thereby separating it from its upper root in the source of life. This explains why, whatever Bilam would look at, would become infected by evil curses, since it was being detached from its lifegiving root (Avodat Yisrael, Parashat Pekudei). Yet, just as when Ya’acov placed his sons behind their holy mothers to protect them from Esav’s evil eye (Bereishit 33:1), so did the holy women of Israel, who were connected with their inner vision, protect the Children of Israel from Bilam’s evil eye (Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, Agra d’Kala, Parashat Balak). The dedication and emunah of the Israelite women became a spiritual fence, protecting Israel from the spiritual poison of Bilam’s evil eye. When, we women walk in the footsteps of our holy mothers, by developing positive spiritual vision, looking at the inner essence of all – at the Divine power that imbues everything with life – then, we too will attain their power of protection. 

Why was Bilam Blind in only One Eye?

ספר במדבר פרק כד פסוק ג וַיִּשָּׂא מְשָׁלוֹ וַיֹּאמַר נְאֻם בִּלְעָם בְּנוֹ בְעֹר וּנְאֻם הַגֶּבֶר שְׁתֻם הָעָיִן:

(ד) נְאֻם שֹׁמֵעַ אִמְרֵי אֵל אֲשֶׁר מַחֲזֵה שַׁדַּי יֶחֱזֶה נֹפֵל וּגְלוּי עֵינָיִם:

He took up his parable and said, "The word of Bilam, the son of Beor and the word of the man with a gouged-out eye. The word of the one who hears G-d’s sayings, who sees the vision of the Almighty, fallen yet with open eyes." (Bamidbar 24:3-4)

Rashi brings two interpretations of the phrase שְׁתֻם הָעָיִן/shetum ha’ayin – 1. ‘Of the open eye’ 2. ‘Blind in one eye.’ However, he concludes, “by saying, “with an open eye” rather than “with open eyes,” teaches us that he was blind in one eye (Rashi, Bamidbar 24:3, quoting Sanhedrin 105a). Most commentators agree that Bilam was blind, specifically in his right eye – the eye with which we look at the world through ‘G-d-colored glasses.’ He could only see through his left eye – the eye of judgment which separates everything from its spiritual root. When Adam and Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge, two kinds of looking were conceived: The right eye became the eye of kindness, whereas the left eye became the eye of judgment. We learn this from the verse, “Both their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Bereishit 3:7). Since then, the average person looks with both of his eyes, reflecting our negative and positive inclinations, respectively. However, both eyes of Moshe, the antipode to Bilam, were eyes of kindness, as it states, “…that he was good,” (Shemot 2:2). Because, his eyes saw beyond this physical world of division and deterioration, Moshe’s eyes never dimmed, even when he turned 120! (Devarim 34:7). We also learn that Moshe had two right eyes from the fact that “his eye” is written in singular language, for he had double vision of the right eye. Since Moshe Rabbeinu perceived spiritual revelation and saw everything with clear Divine vision, without any distortion whatsoever, even in this world, his eyes never became dim. Hashem created us as regular people, with two eyes, to allude to the fact that there are two kinds of seeing, with the right or the left – the world-to-come or this world. Since the vision of the eyes depends upon the heart, there are also two chambers in the heart. “The heart of the wise to his right, whereas the heart of the fool is at his left” (Kohelet 10:2); (Based on Shem M’Shemuel). We have the choice between looking at the negative lack with judgmental eyes like Bilam, or to elevate our eyes to focus on the good, beyond this world of division, like Moshe. 

Why was Bilam, with his Gross Soul, Granted Prophetic Powers?
I believe that the reason Hashem granted Bilam prophetic powers on par with Moshe’s, despite his spiritual blindness, was to disprove the mistaken outlook, that there exists two equal spiritual powers battling for dominion: the Divine power of good, versus the Satanic power of evil. Moshe Rabbeinu was G-d’s ambassador in the world, while the sorcerer, Bilam, the son of Be’or, represented the dark powers of the Satan. The Torah teaches us that ultimate power is not divided between the forces of good and evil, but that all power belongs to the One and only unified G-d. He is the Creator of both light and darkness, including the dark powers, in order to imbue humanity with free choice. He extended this free choice also to the nations. Therefore, he granted them a prophet, with prophetic powers equal to even Moshe, our teacher. This was also so that the non-Jews would have no opportunity to claim, ‘if we would have been led by a prophet on the level of Moshe, we would have served G-d, too. Opposed to Moshe, Bilam received his prophetic powers though the forces of impurity, that G‑d allows to govern part of nature. Yet, this power has no independent authority at all. It is but an agent of G‑d, Who in His unlimited power, can bestow it upon even the lowest beings. Bilam, with his evil eye, haughty spirit and gross soul (Pirkei Avot 5:11), was considered even lower than his donkey, who beheld the angel while Bilam was unaware. Nevertheless, according to the will of the Almighty, the vile curses, of the evil Bilam, were transformed into the most beautiful blessings. Hashem even opened the eyes and mouth of the coarse, material donkey, as well as the gouged-out eye of Bilam, in order to verify, once and for all, that spiritual power belongs to Hashem alone, and He grants it to whoever He pleases.