Why Israel Needs No Divination - Bilam's Words on Jacob

"For there is no divination in Jacob" (Numbers 23:23). Israel is not like the rest of the nations of the world, for the nations go after diviners and soothsayers, as it is written: "For these nations that you are dispossessing hearken to soothsayers and to diviners" (Deuteronomy 18:14), "and because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you" (Deuteronomy 18:12). But Israel, when they seek to know a matter, they have prophets who tell them what the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to do. Therefore it is said: "in due time it shall be said to Jacob and to Israel what God has wrought" (Numbers 23:23). And as you say: "But as for you, the LORD your God has not given you so; a prophet from your midst, from your brethren, like me, the LORD your God will raise up for you" (Deuteronomy 18:14-15). Because Israel did not go after diviners and soothsayers, they merited a new world, where they all sit before the Divine Presence, they and the angels outside of them, and the angels ask them: "what has God wrought?" And because there is in him neither divination nor sorcery, but rather they go according to the word of the Holy One, blessed be He, therefore they are a people that "rises up like a lioness" at the first and "lifts itself up like a lion," and in the end "it shall not lie down" and shall not enter the land until it enters and slays the nations who are there, and devours their prey, which is of their kind, as you say: "and you shall devour all the peoples" (Deuteronomy 7:16). "And drinks the blood of the slain" (Numbers 23:24) - that they will leave them slain upon the face of the field, and not one of them shall remain. When Balak saw that Bilam had added a second time to speak of their greatness, and a third time he began to bless them - that is to say, he spoke the words to them in the language of blessing - Balak said to Bilam: I called you to curse them, not to bless them; and since I see that you cannot curse them, leave yourself be, that you neither curse them nor bless them. Therefore it is said: "And Balak said to Bilam: neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all" (Numbers 23:25).