“The Lord uncovered the eyes of Bilam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing on the way, and his sword was drawn in his hand. And he bowed his head, and he prostrated himself before him” (Numbers 22:31). “The Lord uncovered the eyes of Bilam” – was he blind? It is to inform that the eye, too, is in his control.
“He prostrated himself before him” – because he spoke to him. “The angel of the Lord said to him: For what did you smite your donkey these three times? Behold, I emerged to be an obstacle, because your way is contrary to me” (Numbers 22:32). “The angel of the Lord said to him: For what did you smite…?” – did the angel come to seek redress for the affront of the donkey by him?
Rather, he said to him: ‘If this donkey, that has no merit and no covenant of the patriarchs, I was commanded to seek redress for its affront by you, the entire nation that you are seeking to uproot it, that has merit and a covenant of the patriarchs, all the more so.’ “Behold, I emerged to be an obstacle, because your way is contrary [yarat] to me” – it feared [yara], it saw [raata], it turned [nateta].41Yarat is an acronym of yara, raata, nateta.
Alternatively, yarat, using the atbash cipher42The first letter is paired with the last letter of the alphabet, the second letter with the penultimate one, and so on, i.e. alef – tav, beit – shin. Yarat therefore becomes magen: yod – mem, reish – gimel, tet – nun. is magen – protector. “The donkey saw me, and turned from before me these three times; had it not turned from before me, then now I would have indeed slain you and spared it” (Numbers 22:33).
“The donkey saw me…I would have indeed slain you and spared it.” From here you learn that he43The angel. killed the donkey. “Bilam said to the angel of the Lord: I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing opposite me on the way; now, if it is wrong in your eyes, I will turn back” (Numbers 22:34). “Bilam said to the angel of the Lord: I have sinned” – as he was a clever wicked man, and knew that only repentance can stand before punishment, as anyone who sins and says: ‘I have sinned,’ the angel has no permission to touch him.
“For I did not know…now, if it is wrong in your eyes [to continue on this path], I will turn back.” He said to him: ‘I did not go until the Holy One blessed be He said to me: “Rise, go with them,” (Numbers 22:20) and you are saying to me that I should turn back. Is this His craft? Did He not say so to Abraham, to sacrifice his son, and then: “The angel of the Lord called…He said: Do not extend your hand”? (Genesis 22:11–12).
He is accustomed to say something and an angel reverses it. Now He says to me: “Go with them”; now, "if it is wrong in your eyes, I will turn back.”’ “The angel of the Lord said to Bilam: Go with the men; but only the matter that I will speak to you, shall you speak. Bilam went with the princes of Balak” (Numbers 22:35).
“The angel of the Lord said to Bilam: Go with the men” – because your lot is with them, and you will be eradicated from the world. “Bilam went with the princes of Balak” – it teaches that just as they were happy to curse, he, too, was happy.