{"id":47961,"date":"2019-01-22T22:37:53","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T20:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=47961"},"modified":"2022-08-17T08:35:03","modified_gmt":"2022-08-17T05:35:03","slug":"balak-how-fair-are-your-tents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/balak-how-fair-are-your-tents\/","title":{"rendered":"Balak: How Fair Are Your Tents!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Illustration for Chapter 22:<\/p>\n

Balak king of Moab fearing defeat at the hands of the Israelites asked Balaam, a heathen prophet, to curse them. God appeared before Balaam, warning him against doing so, and Balaam refused to go. But Balak persisted and after his third approach: \u201c[Balaam] saddled his ass and departed with the Moabite dignitaries. <\/span><\/p>\n

But God was incensed at his going so an angel of the Lord placed himself in his way as adversary. He was riding on his she-ass when the ass caught sight of the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand. The ass swerved from the road and \u201cBalaam was furious and beat the ass with his stick\u201d (22:27). At the third stroke the ass opened her mouth and cried out to Balaam, and then God \u201cuncovered” his eyes and he was able to see the angel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why did the angel appear to the ass before Balaam could see him? Why was the ass given the miraculous ability to speak?<\/span><\/p>\n

The painting visualizes the very instant that the she-ass was about to go down under her rider, when, turning her head toward him, she began to talk, saying: \u201cLook I am the ass that you have been riding all along until this day! Have I been in the habit of doing thus to you\u2026\u201d (22:30). Balaam was about to strike her yet again when God allowed him to see the angel, shown here dressed in white with white wings, a drawn sword in his hand pointed at the ass. <\/span><\/p>\n

The angel told Balaam that God was not pleased with his journey but would allow him to continue on if he would speak only the words that God put in his mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clearly everything that occurred in this episode happened by God\u2019s will. Balaam had to come to realize that the God of Israel has sovereignty over the entire world. In proof, the ass saw God\u2019s angel before he, Balaam, was aware of him and God made the \u00a0ass open her mouth and speak. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the morning Balak took Balaam up to Ramoth. From there he could see a portion of the people\u201d (23:31). Here we come to the upper scene in the painting. From the top of the brown-colored hills , the two men could see the Israelite camp with its round-topped tents arranged around the Tabernacle, whereupon Balaam exclaimed: \u201cAs I see them from the mountain tops, gaze on them from the heights, there is a people that dwells apart, not reckoned among the nations (23:9). And later: \u201cHow fair are your tents, O Israel, Your dwelling, O Israel\u201d (24:5). Seeing God\u2019s cloud above the Tabernacle against a pink dream-like sky, Balaam declared: \u201cNo harm is in sight for Jacob, no woe in view for Israel. The Lord their God is with them\u201d (23:21).<\/span><\/p>\n

Artwork by: Avner Moriah, by courtesy of the artist<\/p>\n

Text by: Dr. Shulamit Laderman, who holds a\u00a0<\/span>PhD in Art History and has published extensively on Jewish and Christian influences on biblical interpretive illustration.<\/p>\n

For the entire weekly portion series, please visit: <\/span>https:\/\/avnermoriahprints.com\/collections\/parasha<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":47962,"id":47962,"title":"Num22-Balak","filename":"Num22-Balak.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Num22-Balak.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/balak-how-fair-are-your-tents\/num22-balak\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"num22-balak","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":47961,"date":"2019-01-22 20:37:04","modified":"2019-01-22 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