Why Worry About Bilam?

Introduction

Who Needs to Know?

The Bilam and Balak narrative is unique in being the only extended story in the last four books of the Torah in which nobody from the Children of Israel is an active participant and non-Jews form the entire cast of human characters. The story spans multiple chapters, the first of which (22) is dedicated to a back and forth as to whether Bilam will or won't go with Balak's messengers and will or won't curse the Israelites. An additional two complete chapters (23-24) detail the full contents of Bilam's soliloquies. The lengthy account almost begs the question: Of what concern was it to Hashem or the nation (or should it be for us who study the Torah) whether some heathen sorcerer had nice things to say or not?

What If Bilam had Cursed?

Devarim 23:6 describes how Hashem, in His abounding love for the Children of Israel, refused to let Bilam curse the nation, and transformed the curse into a blessing:

וְלֹא אָבָה ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִשְׁמֹעַ אֶל בִּלְעָם וַיַּהֲפֹךְ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְּךָ אֶת הַקְּלָלָה לִבְרָכָה כִּי אֲהֵבְךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ.

And Hashem, your God, would not listen to Bilam, and Hashem, your God, turned the curse into a blessing because Hashem, your, God loved you.

This account of Hashem's efforts is later echoed by both Yehoshua and Mikhah in their brief summaries of Hashem's historical acts of kindness for the Children of Israel. But why do the Torah and these prophets take the trouble to single out this action of Hashem as if it were one of the most momentous and pivotal deeds He ever performed?¹ Would there have been any significant impact on the Israelites if Bilam had succeeded in cursing them as per his original intention? Could this have changed the course of history?

1. Note also the thrice repeated "ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ" in the verse from Devarim (this occurs elsewhere only in Devarim 10:12 and 12:18).

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