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Why did Hashem (ה׳) give Bilaam permission to go with Balak's messengers, then become furious when he went? The analysis reveals that Hashem permits free choice when it serves self-interest but stops obsessive, self-destructive behavior. Bilaam's act of saddling his own donkey revealed his compulsive hatred had overridden rational self-interest.
This shiur addresses the apparent contradiction in Parshas Balak where Hashem (ה׳) tells Bilaam he can go with the messengers if they came to give him money, yet becomes angry when Bilaam actually goes the next morning. The resolution centers on understanding the boundaries of divine intervention in human free will versus self-destructive behavior. Rabbi Zweig explains that Hashem's initial permission was conditional on Bilaam acting in genuine self-interest. Since the messengers were indeed offering reward (kavod), and self-interest is a legitimate human motivation that Hashem does not thwart, Bilaam had permission to go. Divine intervention in rational self-interested decisions would constitute an improper limitation of bechirah (free will).
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Parshas Balak
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