The Torah dedicates three entire chapters to a pagan sorcerer hired by the king of Moab to curse Israel with his spells. Apparently, this is proof that divination and sorcery exist and work…
But the key to understanding what the Torah thinks of this individual lies in how the text refers to him. Contrary to popular opinion, the Torah and our Sages did not call Bil’am a prophet, but “Bil’am son of Beor, the sorcerer (or diviner).” In the book of Yehoshua (13:22) the Hebrew word qosem is used — the same term that appears in the list of occult divination practices presented in this week’s Parashah (Devarim 18:10). And the Sages say it explicitly in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 106a): Bil’am qosem hayá — “he was a sorcerer.”
For Maimonides, Bil’am was like the character of Voldemort in Harry Potter: the most feared dark wizard of his world, the name everyone pronounced with fear, the sorcerer to whom was attributed the power to curse and destroy with words. With one fundamental difference: Voldemort is a fictional character in a fictional world where magic works! Bil’am was a real character in a real world, where magic does not work. His reputation was that of Voldemort; his “power,” that of any illusionist and manipulator. His profession, his international fame, and the fees that Balaq was willing to pay him belonged to the industry of deception and illusionism that we have just described. And Balaq was the perfect client: a terrified king, willing to pay any price to try to destroy Israel.
So how is it explained that his words came true? Maimonides answers this in the Guide for the Perplexed (Moreh Nevukhim, II:45). The Torah says: “Vayasem HaShem davar befi Bilam” — “And HaShem put the words in Bilam’s mouth” (Bamidbar 23:5). The biblical text does not say that HaShem revealed Himself to Bilam, nor that Bilam saw or understood anything. It says that He put words in his mouth. Bilam’s tricks and illusionism produced absolutely nothing: HaShem used him as an instrument, despite his arts, not thanks to them.
And the subtle but clear message for those who read the Torah carefully is pronounced by Bil’am himself, in the middle of his forced blessing: “Ki lo nachash beYaakov velo qesem beYisrael” — “[now I realize, says Bil’am] that there is no magic in Yaakov nor sorcery in Israel” (Bamidbar 23:23). The most famous sorcerer of the ancient world, hired for a fortune to curse Israel, ends up publicly announcing that his own profession does not work! The Torah did not need a sermon against the industry of divination: it quoted the most prestigious sorcerer in the market, who confessed that his product did not exist.
