במדבר, פרק כ״ג, פסוק ד׳

A dramatic and tense encounter takes place between God and a foreign sorcerer, highlighting the vast gap between true prophecy and human attempts to manipulate the Divine will through rituals and sacrifices. The exact nature of God appearing to Balaam carries varied meanings among the scholars. One approach suggests that this encounter is merely a chance and temporary event. Balaam does not achieve the level of a true prophet; rather, God appears to him in an unusual manner strictly to honor the Israelites [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, רבינו בחיי, חזקוני]. Conversely, others view the nature of this appearance as an expression of disgrace and impurity [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, מזרחי]. This is compared to a king sitting in his palace who is approached by a leper requesting an audience. To prevent the leper from defiling the royal residence, the king steps outside to meet him. Similarly, God goes out to meet Balaam, standing in stark contrast to the prophets of Israel who are affectionately invited inward [רבינו בחיי, דעת זקנים, שפתי כהן]. Furthermore, while prophets of other nations typically receive only incomplete revelations during the night, God departs from His usual practice here and reveals Himself to Balaam during the day, again solely for the sake of Israel [רש״י, רבינו בחיי]. This sudden daytime revelation strikes Balaam with intense physical terror [רמב״ן, רבינו בחיי].

When addressing God, Balaam speaks of preparing seven specific altars. He refers either to the very altars that Balak has just constructed [רבינו בחיי, מלבי״ם], or to altars that God previously commanded him to set up [רלב״ג]. Beneath his words lies a deep historical defiance. Throughout the generations, from Adam to Jacob, the forefathers of the Israelite nation built a total of seven altars. Balaam proudly boasts that he has erected seven altars all at once, attempting to counter the combined spiritual weight of the forefathers' actions [רש״י, רבינו בחיי, גור אריה]. Even though Balak is the one who funded and built these structures, Balaam arrogantly takes all the credit for himself [הטור הארוך, ברכת אשר]. His choice of the number seven is deliberate. He seeks to harness the number representing the cycles of nature and the seven days of creation, hoping to draw down higher spiritual forces and manipulate God's will to his advantage [רבינו בחיי, שפתי כהן, העמק דבר, אדרת אליהו]. Ultimately, his declaration serves as a demand, expecting a direct reward for his ritualistic efforts [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, רש״ר הירש, העמק דבר].

Balaam concludes his appeal by emphasizing that he has offered both a bull and a ram on the altar. His intention is to highlight his supposed superiority over Abraham, who offered only a single ram at the binding of Isaac [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, מזרחי]. By combining a bull and a ram, Balaam also attempts to merge the Divine attribute of justice with the attribute of mercy, hoping to tip the heavenly scales against the Israelites [שפתי כהן]. Other scholars note that he brings these specific offerings simply because he is commanded to do so in advance [אבן עזרא], using the moment to declare to God that he has prepared everything properly and is now ready to receive a response [ביאור שטיינזלץ].