Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Numbers 24:7/אור החיים על במדבר כ״ד:ז׳

איִזַּל מַיִם וְגוֹ׳. הַכַּוָּנָה עַל פִּי דִּבְרֵיהֶם (שמות רבה כח,ו) כִּי כָל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל קִבֵּל מִסִּינַי חֵלֶק בַּתּוֹרָה, וְלָזֶה רָמַז ״מוֹרָשָׁה״, וְדָרְשׁוּ (פסחים מט:) אַל תִּקְרֵי מוֹרָשָׁה אֶלָּא מְאוֹרָשָׂה. וְאָמַר כָּאן כִּי כָל מַה שֶׁמְּחַדְּשִׁים בַּתּוֹרָה הוּא ״מִדָּלְיָו״, מִמַּה שֶׁדָּלֹה דָלָה מֹשֶׁה, שֶׁהַכֹּל רָמוּז בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב.
1 יזל מים מדליו, "Water will flow from his buckets, etc." We have a tradition expressed in Shemot Rabbah 28,6 that every Israelite received his personal share in the Torah [some insight not revealed to someone else at the revelation at Mount Sinai; this was why all the souls who had not yet been assigned bodies were present at that time. Rabbi Moshe Alshich elaborates on this. Ed.] This is the reason Moses called the Torah מורשה in Deut. 33,4 (compare Pessachim 49). The Talmud suggests that the word Morashah could be read as Me-orassah, "betrothed." The "bucket" Bileam speaks about is the common source from which all the Torah insights are derived. Moses is considered as the one who filled this "bucket" with water originally, i.e. that all these insights have been alluded to in the written Torah.
בוְאָמַר לְשׁוֹן דְּלִי לוֹמַר, כִּי בְּעֵרֶךְ פִּנָּה (בִּינָה) הַגְּדוֹלָה אֲשֶׁר עָתִיד ה׳ לְגַלּוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּסוֹף הַדּוֹרוֹת בִּימֵי מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ, שֶׁהוּא שַׁעַר הַחֲמִשִּׁים שֶׁל בִּינָה, כָּל הַמ״ט הֵם בְּגֶדֶר דְּלִי בְּעֶרְכּוֹ. וְאָמַר כִּי הֲגַם שֶׁעַתָּה הוּא דְּלִי, זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יִזְכֶּה לָקַחַת מַיִם רַבִּים שֶׁהוּא שַׁעַר הַחֲמִשִּׁים, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ וְזַרְעוֹ בְּמַיִם רַבִּים:
2Bileam used the word bucket as hyperbole although a bucket is hardly a highly valued tool, because he envisages a time when the Messiah comes and the 50th level of בינה, "insight" will be revealed to mankind. At that time all the preceding 49 levels of insight which have been attained by various people throughout the preceding years will be considered as having been raised from that "bucket." In retrospect then, this insignificant bucket will be perceived as having been an extremely valuable and prestigious tool. Bileam refers to that period in the future as the time when the descendants of Israel will enjoy many waters, i.e. many insights.
גוְיָרֹם מֵאֲגַג מַלְכּוֹ. כָּאן גִּלָּה מַלְכוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל הַקַּיֶּמֶת שֶׁהִתְחִילָה מֵאֲגַג שֶׁהִיא מַלְכוּת עֲמָלֵק, רִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁעָשָׂה שָׁאוּל וּמִשָּׁם נִפְסְקָה מַלְכוּת שָׁאוּל וְנִתְּנָה לְרֵעֵהוּ הַטּוֹב שֶׁהוּא דָּוִד. וְטַעַם שֶׁכִּנָּה הַתְחָלַת מַלְכוּתוֹ מֵאֲגַג, לְהָעִיר סִבַּת הַדָּבָר שֶׁהָיָה מִצַּד אֲגַג, פֵּרוּשׁ שֶׁהִנִּיחוֹ שָׁאוּל חַי וְלֹא הֲרָגוֹ, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (מגילה יג.) שֶׁבְּאוֹתָהּ הַלַּיְלָה הִשְׁרִיץ אֲגַג זֶרַע עֲמָלֵק, וְזֶה סִבָּה לַעֲקִירַת מַלְכוּת שָׁאוּל וּלְרוֹמֵם מַלְכוּת בֵּית דָּוִד. וְתִנַּשֵּׂא מַלְכוּתוֹ הִיא מַלְכוּת הַמָּשִׁיחַ שֶׁהוּא דָּוִד, דִּכְתִיב (יחזקאל לז:כד) ״וְעַבְדִּי דָוִד מֶלֶךְ עֲלֵיהֶם״, יָרוּם וְנִשָּׂא מְאֹד כָּאָמוּר בִּישַׁעְיָה (ישעיהו נב:יג).
3וירום מאגג מלכו, "and its king will be greater than Agag." Bileam here revealed that Israel would become a formal kingdom at the time when king Agag the first king of the Amalekites ruled that nation. Saul lost his kingdom having failed to kill Agag and he was replaced by a more worthy colleague, i.e. David. The reason that Bileam described the commencement of the Jewish monarchy in terms of Agag the king of the Amalekites was only because this first Jewish king wasted his chance to kill Agag before the latter had progeny. Megillah 13 reveals that during the night that Saul kept Agag prisoner he succeeded in impregnating a woman who perpetuated his seed throughout the ages. The correct meter of our verse then is: "the reason that David became a greater king than Saul is the latter's failure to deal with Agag as G'd had commanded." The subject of מלכו is David. Bileam continued ותנשא מלכותו, that the kingdom of the Messiah who is a reincarnation of David will be more exalted even than that of David after Saul (Compare Ezekiel 37,24: "and My servant David will be king over them." Compare also Isaiah 52,13: ירום ונשא וגבה מאד מאד, where you have both these expressions in one and the same verse applied to one and the same person).
דעוֹד יִרְצֶה בְּאָמְרוֹ וְיָרֹם מֵאֲגַג, שֶׁתְּחִלַּת פְּעֻלַּת מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ הִיא מִלְחֶמֶת עֲמָלֵק, שֶׁכָּל עֲמָלֵק בָּא מֵאֲגַג כַּיָּדוּעַ, וְאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (תנחומא סוף פרשת תצא) שֶׁאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: ״אֵין הַכִּסֵּא שָׁלֵם עַד שֶׁיִּמָּחֶה זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק״, וְתִנַּשֵּׂא מַלְכוּתוֹ עַל כָּל הָעוֹלָם.
4Another thought Bileam may have had in mind when he spoke about the kingdom of the Israelites surpassing in grandeur that of Agag maybe a reference to the war against Amalek preceding the arrival of the Messiah. Inasmuch as all Amalekites nowadays are descended from Agag, G'd will have to defeat Agag and wipe out any memory of Amalek before His throne can be firmly established on earth (compare Tanchuma at the end of Parshat Ki Tetze).