On the following morning Balak took Balaam and brought him upon into
the high places of Baal. For Balak was even a greater magician and
soothsayer than Balaam, who allowed himself like a blind man to be led
by him. He led him to this spot because through his magic lore he knew
that Israel was to suffer a great misfortune upon the heights of
Baalpeor, and he thought it was to be Balaam's curse that would effect
this disaster upon them. The relation of these two men to each other
was like that between two men, one of whom has a knife in his hand, but
does not know what part of the body to strike for slaughter, and the
other knows the part of the body, but has no knife. Balak knew the
place where disaster awaited Israel, but did not know how it was to be
brought about, whereas Balaam knew how evil is conjured up, but did not
know the places set for disaster, to which Balak had to lead him. [757]
Balaam's superiority over Balak and the other magicians lay in this,
that he could accurately determine the moment in which God is wrathful,
and it was for this reason that his curse was always effective because
he knew how to curse at the very instant of God's anger. It is true
that God is angry for one instant every day, to wit, during the third
hour of the day, when the kings with crowns upon their head worship the
sun, but this moment is of infinitesimally short duration. Fully
eighty-five thousand and eighty-eight such moments make an hour, so
that no mortal save Balaam had ever been able to fix that moment,
although this point of time has its outward manifestations in nature,
for while it lasts, the cock's comb becomes absolutely white, without
even the smallest stripe of red. God's love for Israel, however, is so
great that during the time that Balaam prepared to curse Israel, He did
not wax angry at all, so that Balaam waited in vain for the moment of
wrath. [758]
Balaam now tried to obtain God's consent for Israel's curse through
sacrifices, and hence bade Balak erect seven altars upon the high place
of Baal, corresponding to the seven altars that since Adam had been
erected by seven pious men, to wit: Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and Moses. When the altars had been erected, he said to God:
"Why didst Thou favor these people, if not for the sacrificed that they
offered Thee? Were it not better for Thee to be adored by seventy
nations than by one?" But the Holy Spirit answered, "'Better is a dry
morsel and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices and
strife.' Dearer to Me is a dry offering of meal than all these many
flesh offerings by which thou strivest to stir up strife between Me and
Israel."
Now was Balaam's fate decided, for by his conduct he put himself into
direct opposition to God, and hence his destruction was decreed, [759]
and from that moment the holy spirit of prophecy left him and he was
nothing more than a magician. For Israel's sake, however, God granted
him the honor of His revelation, but He did so grudgingly, as one
loathes to touch an unclean thing. Hence He would not permit Balaam to
come to Him, but rather appeared to Balaam. God's different treatment
of Balaam and of Moses at the revelation is evident, for whereas the
latter betook himself to the sanctuary to hear God's words, the former
received God's revelation at any place whatsoever. It characterizes
God's attitude toward them. Two men once knocked at a magnate's door,
the one being a friend, who had a request to make, and the other a
leprous beggar. The magnate said, "Let my friend enter, but I shall
send the beggar's alms to the door, that he may not enter and pollute
my palace." God called Moses to Him, whereas He did not desire Balaam
to come to Him, but betook Himself there. [760]
He found Balaam at the seven altars that he had erected, and said to
him, "What doest thou here?" whereupon Balaam answered, "I have erected
for Thee as many altars as the three fathers of Israel, and I have
offered upon them bullocks and rams." God, however, said to him:
"'Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and
hatred therewith.' Pleasanter to Me is the meal of unleavened bread and
herbs that the Israelites took in Egypt, than the bullocks that thou
offerest out of enmity. O thou knave, if I wished for offerings, I
should order Michael and Gabriel to bring them to Me, thou are mistaken
if thou believest that I should accept offerings from the nations of
the world, for I have vowed a vow to accept such from Israel alone."
[761] God thereupon handed him over to an angel who entered and settled
in his throat, and would not permit Balaam to speak when he wanted to
curse Israel. [762]