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Why did God permit Bilam to go with Balak's messengers but then become angry when he actually went? The key lies in the difference between going 'alongside them' versus going 'with them.' Through analyzing Bilam's sleeping patterns versus Avrohom's early rising, the shiur reveals how hatred — unlike love — is a destructive emotion that seeks escape through sleep, exposing Bilam's true anti-Jewish motivations.
The shiur begins by examining an apparent contradiction in Parshas Balak. God initially permits Bilam to go with Balak's messengers, telling him 'kum lech itam' (arise, go alongside them), but when Bilam actually departs, God becomes furious with him. The Torah (תורה)'s language shifts from 'itam' (alongside them) to 'im' (with them), suggesting a change in Bilam's motivations. Rabbi Zweig first presents the traditional explanation from the Vilna Gaon: God permitted Bilam to travel alongside the messengers for his own financial reasons while they pursued their agenda to destroy the Jews. However, Bilam instead went 'with them,' fully buying into their destructive mission. The problem with this interpretation is that it relies on God reading Bilam's subconscious motivations, which Bilam himself might not recognize, making it difficult to hold him accountable.
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Parshas Balak 22:20-21
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