This week’s Torah is Balak, containing the story of a diviner named Balaam who is hired to curse the Israelite nation. Perched high above the people with a birds-eye view, all he can do is pronounce blessing and words of prophecy over the chosen people.
Why is this story in the Torah? I certainly don’t pretend to know the reason. But one thought is that the story of Balaam provides a different perspective on Israel. Thus far since the Exodus, the story has been about Moses, G-d, Israelites, Priests, rules, regulations, complaining etc. WITHIN the nation. Now we take a big shift, we see the people from someone else’s perspective. And the fresh perspective contains some beautiful poetic blessing and yields a very important insight.
(Numbers 23) 8. How can I curse whom God has not cursed, and how can I invoke wrath if the Lord has not been angered? 9. For from their beginning, I see them as mountain peaks, and I behold them as hills; it is a nation that will dwell alone, and will not be reckoned among the nations.
We have the Torah changing scenes to an outsider’s vantage point, and we see the holiness (read: set-apartness) of G-d’s priestly nation. Balaam can only bless Israel. Israel is a nation set-apart. In one of the Torah’s strangest episode changes we get the benefit of an independent witness of Israel’s unique redemption and testimony that G-d has chosen them for something important.
