Balaam's Curses Turned to Blessings Over Israel's Houses of Study

Another interpretation of "Lift up your hands to Him for the life of your children, who faint with hunger at the head of every street" (Lamentations 2:19). From here the Sages said: a person should seek mercy for himself and for his wife and for his children and for his household so that not one of them goes out to an ugly matter; and a person should not see his father and his mother speaking idle words and stay silent toward them; and if he does so, he and they do not fill out their days and their years, as it is said, "Only take heed and guard your soul diligently" (Deuteronomy 4:9). What is "who faint with hunger at the head of every street"? You must say that "streets" are nothing other than synagogues and houses of study, as it is said, "Roam the streets of Jerusalem" (Jeremiah 5:1). At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, would put grief and sighing into his heart, and no creature recognized it in Him, as it is said, "In its streets they gird on sackcloth" (Isaiah 15:3). And when Balaam son of Beor came to Balak king of Moab to curse Israel, he came and found Israel sitting in assemblies upon assemblies, occupying themselves with Torah. Of them it says, "The envy of scribes increases wisdom"; this is a good sign for Israel, as it is said, "And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel dwelling by its tribes, and the spirit of God was upon him" (Numbers 24:2). At once Balaam wept in his heart and was pained as though his bones were being broken and his eyes pierced, and Balaam set his mouth to the ground. At once the Holy One, blessed be He, put a word in the mouth of Balaam and compelled him to prophesy all those good things and consolations over Israel, as it is said, "And the LORD put a word in the mouth of Balaam... and he took up his discourse and said... Who can count the dust of Jacob... Now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What has God wrought! Behold, a people that rises like a lioness and lifts itself like a lion" (Numbers 24). From here the Sages said that Israel are greater in Torah than the ministering angels, and needless to say that Israel are greater than all who come into the world and than all the works of His hands that He created in His world. Therefore the Sages taught in the Mishnah: Be bold as a leopard and light as an eagle, swift as a deer and mighty as a lion, to do the will of your Father in heaven. What is "Who can count the dust of Jacob and number a fourth of Israel"? Rather, how much dust there is in Israel, that they occupy themselves with words of Torah, which shield Israel and resemble weapons of war, as it is said, "Flee, my beloved" (Song of Songs 8:14). How many householders there are in Israel who occupy themselves with Torah, and so it has been from the day the Holy One, blessed be He, chose Abraham our father, peace be upon him, until now; how many lads and little ones there are in Israel who are with their seal until they enter their wedding canopy; how many young virgin girls there are in Israel who are with their seal until the hour they enter their canopy. A case of a certain girl whose father was a companion to an idolater, and they ate and drank and made their hearts merry together, and that idolater said to her father: Give your daughter to my son as a wife. And her father consented to him. The girl sensed the matter and kept silent about it until the time of her wedding arrived; and when the time of her wedding arrived she went up to the roof and threw herself to the ground and died. At once a heavenly voice went out and said of her: of her Scripture said, "and number a fourth of Israel." And when Balaam prophesied all those good things and consolations over Israel he wept in his heart and said, "Let my soul die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his" (Numbers 23:10). This teaches that the wicked Balaam longed for the death of Moses and Aaron, and said: If I die in my bed like Moses and Aaron, I am like them, and if not, I am not like Moses and Aaron. And the third time, when Balaam blessed Israel, what did he say to them? "How good are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel; like valleys they stretch out, like gardens by a river, like aloes the LORD has planted, like cedars beside the waters; water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag... blessed be those who bless you" (Numbers 24). What is the nature of valleys beside synagogues and houses of study, that he says "like valleys they stretch out" beside "How good are your tents, O Jacob"? Rather, to tell you: just as valleys raise a person from impurity to purity, so synagogues and houses of study raise a person from impurity to purity. How so? They bring a person from liability to merit; therefore it is said, "like valleys they stretch out." And what is "like gardens by a river"? These are the teachers of children in Israel, who bring out from their heart wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and intellect and teach the children to do the will of their Father in heaven; therefore it is said, "like gardens by a river." Another interpretation of "like gardens by a river": these are the sages in Israel and their disciples who occupy themselves with Torah every day and discipline themselves in Scripture, in Mishnah, in midrash, in laws, and in homilies; of them it says, "You who dwell in the gardens, companions are listening for your voice; let me hear it" (Song of Songs 8:13). Had the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "You who dwell in the gardens, Israel are listening for your voice, let me hear it," I would say it means specifically all Israel; rather the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "You who dwell in the gardens, companions are listening," to tell you that even three, even two, who sit and occupy themselves with Torah, of them it says, "You who dwell in the gardens." Therefore it is said, "like gardens by a river." And what is "like aloes the LORD has planted"? These are synagogues and houses of study. Another interpretation: do not read "like tents" but "like aloes"; a parable to a king who made a feast for all the great ones of the kingdom who pass before him. And what is "like cedars beside the waters"? These are the arrogant in Israel who have words of Torah in them; how much more so the lowly and the poor who lower themselves over words of Torah; therefore it says afterward, "water shall flow from his buckets." What is "and his seed shall be in many waters"? These are the householders in Israel who prosper in the work of their hands on account of the worldly conduct in them; how much more so the disciples of the wise in Israel who prosper, they and their children and their children's children. And what is "his king shall be higher than Agag"? This is Agag, who wept and sighed when he was imprisoned in the prison house and said, Woe is me, lest my offspring be lost from the world; therefore it is said, "his king shall be higher than Agag." Another interpretation of "his king shall be higher than Agag": these are the wholly wicked in Israel who bring grief and sighing into their hearts when they enter their eternal home, on account of the evil deeds they did, and they turned back and repented and died in the midst of repentance; these too are sons of the world to come.