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What makes Bilam the most toxic human being who ever lived — and why does his story feel uncomfortably familiar to almost half the people we know?
In this shiur we dive deep into Parshas Balak and meet the cast of characters who are, honestly, a masterclass in manipulation and darkness. We cover Balak, the king of Moab, who is completely unraveling after watching the Jews defeat the giant kings he was depending on for protection. His response? Send for Bilam — a man with a terrifying gift for cursing — and make sure the delegation arrives carrying every black magic instrument imaginable, from cat claws to sorcery kits, so Bilam has zero excuse not to perform.
We dig into Rashi on verse 7 and unpack two explanations for why the elders of Moab and Midian brought all those magical devices with them. One reason was practical — no excuses, here is your full kit. The other was that the sorcerers were actually testing Bilam with omens on the road, reading signs to see if he was the real deal. The elders of Midian bail when Bilam tells them to wait overnight, taking that as a bad sign, while the princes of Moab stay. And we learn from Rashi that Bilam only received his level of prophecy — called ruach — at night, because the prophecy of the nations of the world only comes in the dark, compared to the full nevuah of the Jewish prophets.
We then look at Hashem's question to Bilam — "Who are these people with you?" — and talk about how God was not asking for information. He was giving Bilam a warning, a chance to see clearly that these people were the beginning of his own downfall. We connect this to Adam in Gan Eden, where Hashem asks "Where are you?" not because He doesn't know, but because the question itself is the wake-up call. We also loop back to Bereishis 12 and the promise to Avraham — that those who bless the Jewish people will be blessed and those who curse them are playing with fire. Bilam knew this, Hashem told him straight out, and still his brain got fuzzy the moment Balak sent more impressive messengers and said "just name your price."
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