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B"H
QUESTION: If Bilaam spoke well about Israel, and he did not succumb to demagoguery, to be tempted to curse Israel as Balak would have him do, but rather stood firmly in his position to speak only that which G-d put into his mouth, saying, "How shall I curse whom G-d has not cursed?" (Bamidbar 23:8) or "He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, etc." (Bamidbar 23:21) or "How beautiful are thy tents, O Jacob, [even] thy dwelling place, Israel!" (Bamidbar 24:5), et cetera, et cetera, why then was Bilaam killed by the children of Israel? (Bamidbar 31:8) ANSWER: The counsel that Bilaam gave to Balak was to take their daughters (the Medianites) and to prostitute them, whereby the Israelites contracted contagious diseases. This was intimated by the prophet Micah (Micah 6:5), who said: "O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Bilaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilad, etc." The word "consulted" is really "took advice." Meaning, Bilaam had given him counsel and advice on how to defeat Israel. He said to him, "Their G-d hates licentious behavior. Go, then, and rear up tents beside the Israelite camp. Put therein young damsels, and when the Israelites come and buy your wares, tempt them to have connexions with the young ladies." The king of Moab did just that, wherefore we find in the Torah that immediately following the episode of Bilaam and Balak, the Israelites had fallen into displeasure with G-d on account of their having taken Medianite wives. |
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