Among the subjects discussed by Prof. Yehezkel Kaufmann (1889-1963) in The Religion of Israel is that of how the Bible views magic. He explains that “the confrontation between the magician and God is not a confrontation between divine demonic domains, but a confrontation between God and human wisdom. Magic”, Kaufmann writes, “is one of the forms of idolatrous ‘wisdom’ that seduces man to believe in his own power and cast off God’s yoke.”

In this week’s parasha, Balak, King of Moab and an earthly sovereign, does not send his army to fight Israel, but rather seeks a strategic advantage by means of magic. To that end, he seeks the aid of Balaam. Balaam is not asked to bring the powers of his gods to bear against Israel’s God, but rather Balaam himself is meant to defeat against Israel.

In the course of the story, Balaam finds that he is not at liberty to do as he pleases. He is not free to curse where God has blessed. At first, Balaam attempts to carry out Balak’s charge, but in the end he discovers that the freedom to speak his own mind derives from his acknowledgment of God’s will: “Word of Balaam son of Beor,
Word of the man whose eye is true, Word of him who hears God's speech,
Who obtains knowledge from the Most High, And beholds visions from the Almighty,
Prostrate, but with eyes unveiled” (Numbers 24:15-16).

The issue of human sovereignty and the supremacy of human wisdom as opposed to the dominion of God and the primacy of God’s will has long troubled humankind. Does man stand at the center of the universe, is man’s free will independent of God’s, and do we decide what is good on the basis of our own understanding? The Jewish neo-Kantian philosopher Hermann Cohen (1842-1918) found the answer in the haftarah of parashat Balak: “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk modestly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

1. Is Balaam an idolater? What forces does he bring against Israel? Why does Balaam instruct Balak: “Build me seven altars here and have seven bulls and seven rams ready here for me” (23:1)? To whom does he wish to sacrifice?

2. The Biblical narrative does not appear to reject the existence or power of magic but attributes it to human wisdom rather than to demons or other gods. Why?

3. According to the Jewish humanist approach of Hermann Cohen, as expressed in his choice of the verse from Micah, is the source of universal good – that is, the source of the “categorical imperative” – external to humanity and objective? Where does the verse place responsibility for good and evil? Does freedom of choice – which is the necessary premise for moral responsibility – require that the definition of right and wrong originate in human wisdom? What answer does parashat Balak give to this question?

4. What is the source of good and evil and of freedom of choice according to parashat Balak? What is their source according to the prophet Micah?