Scribal Error on Balak
(1) If you are going to read anything on the parsha, it should be this post about Bilaam’s true nature. Read that, then if you want, read on.
(2) We recently encountered parashat Bilaam in Daf Yomi. In Bava Batra 14b, Moshe wrote his own book as well as that of Bilaam:
וּמִי כְּתָבָן? מֹשֶׁה כָּתַב סִפְרוֹ וּפָרָשַׁת בִּלְעָם וְאִיּוֹב. יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כָּתַב סִפְרוֹ וּשְׁמוֹנָה פְּסוּקִים שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה. שְׁמוּאֵל כָּתַב סִפְרוֹ וְשׁוֹפְטִים וְרוּת. דָּוִד כָּתַב סֵפֶר תְּהִלִּים – עַל יְדֵי עֲשָׂרָה זְקֵנִים: עַל יְדֵי אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, עַל יְדֵי מַלְכִּי צֶדֶק, וְעַל יְדֵי אַבְרָהָם, וְעַל יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה, וְעַל יְדֵי הֵימָן, וְעַל יְדֵי יְדוּתוּן, וְעַל יְדֵי אָסָף,
The baraita now considers the authors of the biblical books: And who wrote the books of the Bible? Moses wrote his own book, i.e., the Torah, and the portion of Balaam in the Torah, and the book of Job. Joshua wrote his own book and eight verses in the Torah, which describe the death of Moses. Samuel wrote his own book, the book of Judges, and the book of Ruth. David wrote the book of Psalms by means of ten elders of previous generations, assembling a collection that included compositions of others along with his own. He included psalms authored by Adam the first man, by Melchizedek king of Salem, and by Abraham, and by Moses, and by Heman, and by Jeduthun, and by Asaph,
My assumption is that we might have understood otherwise, given that the prophecy belongs to another who lived at the same time as him, had prophetic status, and happened outside his field of vision. No navi is given the same prophecy in the same words as his fellow navi. But this is Hashem relating the entire story, including the prophecy, to Moshe. So I’d guess that’s the motivation / hava amina, and the rejection.
Printings (Vilna, Venice, Pisaro) have parashat Bilaam.
Some have sefer Bilaam, some parashat Bilaam, and one has Moshe writing hamisha sefarim and parashat Bilaam.
Rav Gifter has an explanation whereby the masaot were written as a separate work and later integrated by Moshe into the Torah; and similarly, there was a separate work called sefer or parashat Bilaam which was not integrated into the Torah.
See by more elaborate writeup of this on parshablog. I wrote at the end of it:
Separate from this, we could regard parashat Bilaam and the parashat Hamasaot as separate works, both of which were entered into the Torah text at the very end of their stay in the midbar. And I've suggested in the past reading the Torah text with parshat Bilaam yanked out, to see how nicely it flows without the digression.
To expand on the idea a bit, the Christians who made the perek divisions had different ideas of where the division should be. Thus, the end of Bemidbar 21:
וַיַּכּ֨וּ אֹת֤וֹ וְאֶת־בָּנָיו֙ וְאֶת־כׇּל־עַמּ֔וֹ עַד־בִּלְתִּ֥י הִשְׁאִֽיר־ל֖וֹ שָׂרִ֑יד וַיִּֽירְשׁ֖וּ אֶת־אַרְצֽוֹ׃
They defeated him and his sons and all his troops, until no remnant was left him; and they took possession of his country.
22
וַיִּסְע֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיַּחֲנוּ֙ בְּעַֽרְב֣וֹת מוֹאָ֔ב מֵעֵ֖בֶר לְיַרְדֵּ֥ן יְרֵחֽוֹ׃ {ס}
The Israelites then marched on and encamped in the steppes of Moab, across the Jordan from Jericho.
PARASHAT BALAK
וַיַּ֥רְא בָּלָ֖ק בֶּן־צִפּ֑וֹר אֵ֛ת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לָֽאֱמֹרִֽי׃Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
The “22” is the beginning of chapter 22. So they think that the story begins with the Israelites marching on. Meanwhile, based on the setuma break, and based on beginning the sidra here, much Jewish tradition disagrees.
But, what if we take that pasuk about encamping on the plains of Moab, and then excise the entirely of Balak, until we read the beginning of chapter 25, towards the end of Balak:
וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בַּשִּׁטִּ֑ים וַיָּ֣חֶל הָעָ֔ם לִזְנ֖וֹת אֶל־בְּנ֥וֹת מוֹאָֽב׃
While Israel was staying at Shittim, the menfolk profaned themselves by whoring with the Moabite women,
וַתִּקְרֶ֣אןָ לָעָ֔ם לְזִבְחֵ֖י אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ן וַיֹּ֣אכַל הָעָ֔ם וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ לֵאלֹֽהֵיהֶֽן׃
who invited the menfolk to the sacrifices for their god. The menfolk partook of them and worshiped that god.
This reads in quite fluid fashion. If parashat Balak is an insertion, then this would be a logical place for Moshe, the Sadran, to insert it.
Of course, we indeed know of an extrabiblical work attributed to Bilaam. See the Deir Alla Inscription. Lots of reconstruction in play.
It begins:
[This is] the book of [Ba]laam, [son of Beo]r, a seer of the gods. To him came the gods at night. [And they spoke to] him
according to the utterance of El, and they spoke to [Bala]am, son of Beor, thus: [ ... ]
And Balaam arose in the morning, [ ... ] And he was not [able to eat. And he fast]ed while he was weep-
ing greviously. And his people came to him, and the[y said] to Balaam, son of Beor: "Why do you fast? [And w]hy do you weep?" And he sa-
id to them: "Sit down! I will show you what the Shadd[ayin are ...ing] Now come, see what the Elohin are about to do! The Elo[h]in gathered,
while the Shaddayin met in assembly, and said to Sha[mash]: "Thou mayest break the bolts of heaven, in thy clouds let there be gloominess, and no bril-
Though the character of this doesn’t seem like something Moshe Rabbeinu would write. Unless we understand Kel / Shakkai / Elokim in plural as alternate names of a single God, with poetic parallelism in play.
(3) One of my favorite, funniest Biblical interpretations in Balak. See the post in full at parshablog. Thus, the verse reads, with Bilaam saying:
ט כִּי-מֵרֹאשׁ צֻרִים אֶרְאֶנּוּ, וּמִגְּבָעוֹת אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ: הֶן-עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן, וּבַגּוֹיִם לֹא יִתְחַשָּׁב.
9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
There are unfortunately some chareidim who believe that Jews have more teeth than gentiles. A certain Israeli mekubal interpreted this verse to be a reference to this known scientific fact. Thus, they (the Jews) are a nation with lev dad, 32 teeth. Via gematria, לב = 32. Uvagoyim, among the nations, lo yitchashav, it is reckoned at לא, or 31.
I was confounded why this Israeli kabbalist thought that dad was the Aramaic word for teeth, until my father-in-law explained the error:
For an Israeli, yes, דד is Aramaic for teat(h)!
(4) Finally, how are we to understand the strange happenings in Balak? Was Hashem toying with Bil’am when he caused the donkey to divert? I explored this in a parshablog post about 20 years back, and I think it is peshat.
To quote myself:
How to make sense of the story of Bilaam and his talking donkey? As an example of parable come to life. As Bilaam travelled to Moav, Hashem wished to clarify what Bilaam's role should be in the ensuing episode.
In this parable, Bilaam plays the role of Balak, and Bilaam's donkey plays the role of Bilaam.
Thus, compare the donkey saying “What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?'" with what happens when he arrives. At the end, Balak wants to punish him, for after all, “'I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.”
So too, Bil’am first thinks he will possibly persuade Hashem. But the lesson is that he can only say what Hashem directs him. And just as the donkey can only speak because Hashem opened its mouth, Bil’am can only speak that which Hashem puts in his mouth.
This idea of physical parable might also be present in Moshe’s potentially deadly encounter at the inn, on the way back to Egypt. See my elaboration there.