Parashat Balak

The Palace Seers

In fact, today there are some who still turn to them to resolve matters related to their position. Even several of them do nothing to hide them. Not all of these sorcerers have the abilities of Bilam, about whom it is said that he had true knowledge of his arts and was divinely inspired.

In a first reading of this week's parsha, when Bilam, son of Beor, seer of Aram, internationally famous in his time for the effectiveness of his blessings and curses, appears, it is difficult to believe that there are leaders of nations who use these methods to move their countries forward. Particularly when they are in crisis.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has the new age philosopher and astrologer Olavo de Carvalho as a guide. Winston Churchill was under the influence of Aleister Crowley, the most important English magician of the 20th century who defended the use of narcotics to achieve "enlightenment." Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy relied on Joan Quigley, the Kansas City-born psychic and astrologer. Juan Domingo Perón and his third wife Isabel Martinez had the services of José López Rega, better known by his nickname El Brujo. Nicolás Maduro would have spent thousands of dollars to pay for Santeria rites, initiated in the rituals by Hugo Chávez who, in turn, would have followed the teachings of Fidel Castro who believed in the Santeras who made him amulets and to whom he attributed his longevity. Erik Jan Hanussen was the prestigious Austrian psychic, occultist and astrologer who developed his career during the Weimar Republic and who frequented Adolf Hitler.

Therefore we should not be surprised that Balak, king of Moab, fearful of the Israelites, asked Bilam to come and curse the people of Israel, who after hesitation mounted his talking donkey, which came to complain about the mistreatment he inflicted on him. your owner.

Balak went up with Bilam to a high mountain from where they could see the camp of the people of Israel. Bilam ordered seven altars to be built and a bull and a ram to be sacrificed on each of them. Then came the time when Balak expected Bilam to curse Israel. To his great surprise, Bilam pronounced blessings for Israel, instead of curses. The same thing happened two more times: once at the top of Pisgah and the other at the top of Peor. Balak, angry and disappointed, told Bilam to flee back to his own land. Bilam's last words to Balak were a prophecy that Israel would one day triumph over Moab.

Bilam, instead of returning to his country, stayed in the region and joined the Midianites. He suggested that the way to defeat Israel was to encourage the Israelites to be immoral and promiscuous.

Bilam, prophet, seer and magician, was not wrong even when he praised the Israelites with words as beautiful as Ma Tovu, – How beautiful are your tents, O Yaakov, your dwellings, O Israel! that he joined the devotional book, nor when he proclaimed that the way to defeat us was to become promiscuous beings in sexual relations.

To be believed he had to accept and relate reality, not like in our times of short memory in which the "advisors" say and renounce themselves without losing their jobs, which is why he could not disguise life in the tents of the desert. In parallel, his hatred was such that he had no hesitation in recommending the most immoral behaviors to defeat the Jewish people still in formation.