Balak | Mah Tovu Ohalekha Yaakov

Balak | Mah Tovu Ohalekha Yaakov, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

What motivated Bil'am to bless as he did? Following the progression of Bilam's blessings.

The lyrical, uplifting blessings with which Bil'am blessed Bnei Yisrael are among the most elegant and moving series of passages in Tanakh. What motivated Bil'am to bless as he did - was he simply a mouthpiece of Hashem, or did he, at some point, identify with the mission to bless God's people? A careful look at the text of his blessings, along with the passages that stitch those blessings together, reveals a more complex reality and a more profound answer.