Fatal Seduction

Rabbi Reuven Mann

This week’s Parsha, Balak, raises some significant theological issues. Balak was the King of Moab who greatly feared that the Bnei Yisrael (Children of Israel), who were dangerously close to his door, and would attack and completely devastate his country.

[Note: It should be mentioned that his perception was far from reality. Bnei Yisrael had no intention of harming him, which he could have discovered by sending messengers to speak to Moshe. Perhaps he assumed that any people with seemingly supernatural powers would seize the opportunity to conquer a vulnerable neighboring nation. Much of the antisemitic defamation throughout history, has been a case of Gentiles projecting their own dark tendencies onto the Jews.]

Balak in his desperation decided to “go supernatural” and sought the services of the renowned soothsayer, Bilam. He believed that the imprecations launched by Bilam could have a negative impact and seriously weaken Bnei Yisrael. Accordingly, he sent emissaries to the man whom he thought would be willing to help him if he was prepared to be generous with the necessary amenities.

The Power and Limits of Bilam’s Curses

But could Bilam really wreak havoc on the Jews? What exactly is the power of a curse? Can a human by the mere verbalization of certain words effectuate changes in the real world? This is not to diminish the actual human capacity to obtain significant dominion over the forces of nature and thereby effectuate great advancements in the world.

The astounding recent developments in the fields of medicine, communication and travel, to name just a few, brought about by sophisticated technologies are testaments to the boundless potential of human rationality — when man directs his formidable energies to the pursuit of knowledge. All the progress in the forward march of civilization has been brought about by human intelligence, and not necessarily by Divine intervention.

Thus, the question remains, are there individuals who have special and mysterious powers to bring individuals and societies down, just by the force of the incantations they utter? In addressing this complicated issue we cannot avoid the fact that Hashem intervened to prevent Bilam from carrying out Balak’s request. In fact, the Torah testifies that Hashem converted the “curses” of Bilam to blessings. If we maintain that Bilam did not possess supernatural capabilities, then why would it be necessary for G-d to intercede and protect His nation from being harmed by his curses?

Divine Intervention and Human Free-Will

As a result of Divine intervention, Bilam’s intended curses were thwarted. But this did not terminate the danger that this devious provocateur represented. He found another way to effectuate great harm. It was Bilam’s idea that the Moabite women should seduce the men of Bnei Yisrael into sexual relationships that would lead to the worship of Baal Peor. He knew this would elicit Divine punishment from Hashem against His people. Amazingly, his plan was very effective. The men of Bnei Yisrael fell into the trap and worshipped idols, thereby bringing about a severe plague from Hashem in which twenty-four thousand people perished.

The Dangers of Seduction and Idolatry

While on this subject, the question has been raised that although Hashem acted to prevent Bilam from cursing Bnei Yisrael, He apparently gave him free rein to ensnare them in his devilish plot of seduction for idolatry. Why did Hashem not protect His People from the catastrophic enticements of the Moabite women which resulted in a terrible calamity?

In order to resolve this difficulty, we must obtain a clearer understanding of the nature of Bilam’s cursing power. According to Rabbi Israel Chait, Bilam was an unscrupulously formidable individual who had great insight into the weaknesses and defects of human societies. He had a very accurate sense of when a particular group was on the verge of dissolution. He would then utter blatant deprecations against that entity, and when it subsequently fell, people would attribute the phenomenon to his pronouncements. According to this interpretation, it was not Bilam’s curse which caused the calamity. Rather, the disaster was caused by internal corruptions which had nothing to do with him; but which he shrewdly exploited by making it seem as though he was the force behind the devastations which took place.

Rabbi Chait explained that Bilam had the ability to penetrate to the deepest levels of the psyche of the Bnei Yisrael. Had he been free to proceed, he would have uncovered and revealed the most dangerous vulnerabilities of our nation. This knowledge would have been a boon to the numerous enemies of Israel throughout the ages, who would have used it to the lethal detriment of the Jewish people.

Thus, it was essential for the survival of Bnei Yisrael that the dangerous insights into their weaknesses that Bilam could have uncovered should remain hidden from the purview of their enemies. Therefore, Hashem intervened to prevent Bilam from his destructive intentions and instead forced him to utter the most noble blessings about Bnei Yisrael.

However, Hashem took no measures to thwart Bilam from offering his advice on how to seduce the men of Bnei Yisrael into the worship of Baal Peor. I believe that Hashem refrained from interceding in this matter because of the supreme value of free-will. The attempted seduction of the Moabite women constituted a spiritual Nisayon (trial) for the men of Bnei Yisrael, who should have been able to be strong and “just say no.” In general, it is one’s responsibility to conduct oneself properly, and be on guard from situations of moral vulnerability and temptation.

One wonders why so many fell prey to the allurements of the Moabite women. Why were they such easy targets for their sexual enticements; and where were the leaders who were supposed to protect them from these types of ensnarements?

Rabbi Ovadya Seforno speculates that they were overcome by desire and rationalized that they could enjoy conjugal relationships with Gentile women and not be drawn into idolatry. They were, apparently, unaware of the dictum (Ketubot 13b) that Ein Apotropus LaArayot (there is no guardian against sexual immorality, i.e., there is no safeguard against sexual temptation) and they couldn’t imagine how many sins they would be willing to violate in order to secure their forbidden relationships.

Contemporary Parallels and the Role of Torah Study

The failure of Bnei Yisrael to resist the temptation of the Moabite women is a timeless warning and is applicable to our lives today. We must be very careful in our observance of the Torah and not imagine that some of its prohibitions are not relevant because we are on a very high level. Even exceedingly great men like Shlomo HaMelech (King Solomon) were lax in certain areas of Halacha (Jewish law) where they should have been more cautious. As a result, they succumbed to the very infractions that the restrictions were meant to prevent. This highlights the fact that it is very dangerous for anyone to overestimate their moral level.

Even here in Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel), the surrounding culture contains many values that are clearly antithetical to genuine Torah ideals. These values are freely expressed through the music, television, movies, and many other art forms that permeate society. Unregulated overexposure to these sources can have a negative impact on one’s outlook on life. One should not take the simplistic attitude that one can indulge in these entertainments and not be negatively affected in terms of their Hashkafat HaChaim (Philosophy of Life).

The greatest protection against alien outlooks is to immerse ourselves in intellectually meaningful and emotionally satisfying study of Torah. One who merits to gain a profound understanding of Torah and a deep enjoyment of its study will recognize that all the alternative attitudes toward life which are promoted by the contemporary culture are empty and unfulfilling.

We pray that Hashem will open our eyes that we may behold the wonders of His Torah (Tehilim 119:18).

Shabbat Shalom.