Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 7
Him Who Hears the Words of God
165. That wicked one, Balaam, was praising himself in everything. Nevertheless, he stole by misleading and was superior in his poetic words. He would make great things of little things; what he said was of those degrees of words of impurity.
He spoke the truth, but that wicked one would speak and praise himself in a concealed manner and was superior with his words to the point that anyone who heard would think that he was higher than all the prophets of the world, as it is written, “who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High.” Who is a man in the world who would hear these words and not think that there is no such faithful prophet in the world like him?
166. And it was true, and so it was. “The oracle of him who hears the words of God,” so it was. “Who knows the knowledge of the Most High,” so it was. That wicked one would speak about the degrees to which he adhered, “Who hears the words of God,” words that are in high ascendance, that there are none like them.
167. This is what he would say, “Who hears the words of God?” It is not written, “the God,” since “the God,” His way is whole, but simply “God” is another God, as it is written, “for you shall not worship another God.” Hence, “Who hears the words of God” is a small thing. To one who does not know, it seems like a great and sublime thing. “Who hears the words of God,” that God that is called “another God,” as it is written, “for you shall not worship another God.”
168. “And knows the knowledge of the Most High,” since the upper ones are those who lead the ship at sea and the stormy wind on all the degrees of impurity, and they are forty minus one. That captain by whom everyone is lead is higher than everyone, and that wicked one adhered to that upper one. He would say that he knows the knowledge of the Most High, higher than all the leaders of the ship of impurity.
Who would hear his words and not be startled in his mind and say that there is none like him in the world? However, that wicked one praised himself in a concealed manner and spoke words of truth, except he would mislead people since he spoke about the degrees of impurity, and the listeners thought he said all his words about the upper holiness.
169. He said, “who sees the vision of the Almighty.” One who hears this would think that he saw what no one else had seen in the world. But “the vision of the Almighty” is one branch of those branches that emerged from the name Shadai.
Three branches would be seen in their Hochma, corresponding to the three branches in the [letter] Shin in the word Shadai, which are HGT. Also, two prophets would be seen, two branches of willow, Netzah and Hod, supporting the Tifferet, corresponding to the seventy-two branches of the evil eye, which are opposite the name AB of holiness, which is the good eye, to block them. All this is found in the Hochma of the shells. When Balak came, he said, “I will defeat them,” for Amalek came to them with his Hochma and could defeat them.
170. Balak sent for Balaam and told him, “I, I have two letters from Amalek in me, Lamed–Kof, which are the suffix of the name Amalek. I, I have Lamed–Kof, and Amalek has Lamed–Kof. I have the suffix and in you is the beginning: Bet–Lamed.
Rabbi Shimon said, “This is what I say: The beginning of the name Balak is Bet–Lamed, and the beginning of the name Balaam is Bet–Lamed. It follows that the beginning of Balak, which is Bet–Lamed, was in Balaam, and the suffix of Amalek, which is Lamed–Kof, was in Balak, and the suffix of Balaam, which is Ayin-Mem, is in the beginning of Amalek. You find that the end of the name Balaam, Ayin-Mem, and the end of the name Balak, Lamed–Kof, are the letters of Amalek.
171. Should you say that we cannot defeat them because of the charms of their great one, Moses, when he would stretch his hand, as it is written, “And Moses stretched his hand over the sea.” This hand is among those ministers who are able with charms can overcome more, as it is written, “with the fees for divination in their hand,” against the hand of Moses.” This is what Balak sent to Balaam.
172. Hence, “who sees the vision of the Almighty,” and because of it, they were punished, and were punished above, and they are called “vision,” as it is written, “and window opposite window.” The branch that comes out from there, the window, is Aza and Azael, who are “falling” and “open eyed,” and it is the vision of the Almighty, who was seeing a fallen one and one who was open eyed.
