Parashat Balak - English

God does not choose for us

Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky
B’nei Israel Congregation, Costa Rica

Balak, king of Moab, fears the advance of the people of Israel. He knows that Israel has had several military triumphs in the wilderness, and does not wish to be the next defeated. He understands that he must formulate a plan right away.

Instead of planning to join with other nations as a military strategy, or flee to avoid defeat, Balak decides to hire the professional services of the prophet or warlock Balaam. He sends messages telling him to curse the people of Israel, in the hope that Balaam’s curse will weaken Israel, enabling him to win in the battlefield.


God then appears in Balaam’s dreams and forbids him to go to Moab, for the people of Israel are blessed and can’t be cursed. Balaam informs Balak’s messengers of the divine words, and they return to their king to tell him the bad news.

Balak, king of Moab, is not satisfied with this answer and again sends messengers to Balaam, but this time in greater numbers and more important than the former ones. Moreover, the messengers are commanded to offer Balaam honor and riches in plenty. Although God had been clear and categorical in His message, Balaam is not able to reject the offer at once, and so invites the messengers to stay the night at his house: thinking perhaps God will change His mind.

God again appears in Balaam’s dreams, and surprisingly, He allows him to go with Balak’s messengers, establishing as a condition that Balaam would only do what He told him to do. The following morning, Balaam gets up early in order to leave with Balak’s messengers. He is even more surprised when God becomes furious for his going to meet Balak. How can it be that God, during the night, allowed him to go, but the next morning flies into a rage when Balaam sets out?

There are several explanations that try to clear up this contradiction, generally based on the fact that God only allowed Balaam to go meet Balak, but that Balaam’s true motive was to become rich through the payment he would receive from king Balak in exchange for cursing the people of Israel, the very thing God had explicitly forbidden him to do. This is possibly a good explanation, although I must admit it doesn’t quite convince me.

There is a very deep Midrash that attempts to explain why it was that God allowed Balaam to leave, but later becomes enraged when Balaam in fact decides to go. The midrash in question says: ‫בדרך שאדם רוצה לילך בה מוליכין אותו (במדבר רבה כ י"ב)‬, meaning that God leads people on the path they choose to walk (Bemidbar Rabbah 20:12).

This sentence, apparently enigmatic, is another way to express the principle of free will or free choice, the essential base of our Torah and of the Jewish tradition in general. This principle states that people are free to choose between right and wrong, and that such freedom of choice is inviolable. Clearly, God prefers when people choose the rightful way; He may get angry with them for their bad choices, and even punish them, but He will never prevent the wrong choice. The biblical God advises, warns and punishes, but people are the ones who should choose wisely.

Balaam is invited to curse the people of Israel and God suggests he should not do it, because it is unacceptable. But when God realizes that Balaam feels overwhelmingly urged to go, when He is again consulted on the matter in dreams, then He understands that such is his choice. As is splendidly written in the midrash, God “leads” Balaam in his choice even when He does not like it, even when He plans to punish him.

In Judaism, people are considered for what they are: human beings, fallible and fickle, but with the capacity to choose correctly. God will not choose for us, but rather expects us to be sufficiently mature to make our own choices. Therefore, of course, we are liable for our choices.
From God’s reaction to Balaam we learn that, in the Torah, people are free to choose between good or evil; God will not choose for us.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky