Balaam's Seven Altars and the Cheating Money-Changer

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Balak 16:4

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

"And he said to him: I have arranged the seven altars" (ibid.). A parable: this is like a money-changer who cheats with the weights. The master of the marketplace came and noticed him. He said to him: Why do you defraud and lie with the weights? He said to him: I have already sent a gift to the house of my lord. So too with Balaam. The Holy Spirit cried out to him; it said to him: Wicked one, what are you doing? He said to it: "I have arranged these seven altars" (Numbers 23:4). It said to him: "Better a meal of vegetables [where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred in it]" (Proverbs 15:17) — the meal that Israel ate in Egypt over unleavened bread and bitter herbs is better than the bulls that you offer with [hatred]. (As it is said:) "And the LORD put a davar in Balaam's mouth" (Numbers 23:5) — that He twisted his mouth and curbed it, like a man who fixes a nail into a board. Rabbi Eliezer says: an angel was speaking. And Rabbi Joshua says: He curbed it with a hook.

Themes

Adam EveSacrificeTempleHumorWisdom

Biblical References

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Targum JonathanClouds Flew to Eden to Gather Spices for the TabernacleThe collection of materials for the Tabernacle in (Exodus 35:1-35) is, in the Hebrew Bible, a straightforward account of voluntary giving. The Targum Jonathan iLetter of AristeasRuby Feet Shaped Like Shoes Support the Sacred TableWithin its pages, we find a glimpse of the artistry involved in constructing the vessels of the Temple. One small detail in particular catches our eye, an ornatDa'at TevunotWhy Earning Good Matters More Than Receiving ItThere’s a fascinating idea tucked away in Da'at (Knowledge) Tevunot, a work of Jewish thought, that speaks directly to this feeling. It gets to the heart of whyMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelDo That Your Nakedness Not Be Revealed Upon It Upon It"Do that your nakedness not be revealed upon it": Upon it (the altar) you may not take broad strides, but you may in the sanctuary and in the holy of holies. FoMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelWhere Exactly on the Ear Is the Bondsman PiercedWhere exactly on the ear is the bondsman pierced? The Mekhilta records a dispute between two authorities. Rabbi Yehudah said the piercing goes through the lobe,Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelBut this is refuted by (the theft of) a blemished beastThe Mekhilta raises an objection to the theory that the four-and-five payment applies only to animals that are sacrificed on the altar. If that were the rule, t