Parshas Balak 5785 - The Awfulness of Arrogance

In this week’s parsha Balak, the king of Moav, sends messengers to Balaam, seeking to hire Balaam to curse the Jewish people. Balaam invites them to stay overnight, anticipating that Hashem would communicate with him that night. The Torah then tells us:

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And Hashem came to Balaam and said: ‘Who are these men with you?’ And Balaam said unto Hashem: ‘Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moav sent them to me.’” (Bamidbar 22:9-10).

This dialog is puzzling. Why would Hashem ask a question to which He obviously knows the answer?

Rashi explains that Hashem sometimes initiates dialogue with a question to engage the person in conversation so they will not be afraid to speak with Him. This is similar to when Hashem asked Adam after he ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, ‘Where are you?” to engage Adam in conversation, providing Adam with the opportunity to express remorse for his sin. Here also, Rashi understands that Hashem wanted to engage Balaam in conversation to tempt Balaam to question whether Hashem could prevent him from cursing the Jewish people. (See Rashi on Beraishis 3:9 and here, Sifsei Chachamim).

Indeed, it appears that Balaam deduced from Hashem’s question that Hashem was not omniscient and really did not know who these men were. This critical misjudgment emboldened Balaam to persist in his efforts to curse the Jews, thinking that he could somehow deceive Hashem, and would be able to find a loophole through which to curse the Jewish people, despite Hashem’s explicit command. (See Rashi and Rabbenu Bachye on Bamidbar 22:9).

How could Balaam, a prophet who the Talmud says was on a level comparable to Moshe (Bava Basra 15b), and a man called one of the great philosophers of the world (Bamidbar Rabbah 65:20), make such a grave theological error?

The answer lies in Balaam’s response to Hashem: “Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moav, sent them to me.’” Rashi explains that Balaam emphasized the royal status of his visitors to inflate his own importance. His arrogance distorted his perception—even his understanding of Hashem. Balaam’s pride blinded him to reality, leading him to believe that he could outwit God. (See also Rashi on Bamidbar 22:13).

This, says the Talmud (Avos 5:2), is the hallmark of Balaam’s followers: a haughty spirit. It is precisely this trait that the Torah warns against.

Maimonides, who normally advocates for moderation in character, makes an exception when it comes to arrogance. He writes that one cannot follow the middle path, but must adopt the opposite character of extreme humility “until the arrogance is uprooted from his heart”. (Hilchos Deos, 2:2).

True spiritual growth depends on humility. As the Talmud teaches, “Who is wise? One who learns from every person.” (Avos 4:1). To be open to learning and to Hashem’s will, one must first overcome any barrier of self-importance.

Mount Sinai, though the smallest of mountains, was chosen as the site for the giving of the Torah because it represented humility. So too, if we want to receive the wisdom and blessings of the Torah, we must model Mount Sinai and uproot arrogance from our hearts.