ותקראן לעם לזבחי אלהיהן (במדבר כה ב). שהלכו בעצת בלעם, שנאמר הן הנה היו לבני ישראל וגו' (שם לא טז), עשו להם קלעים, והושיבו בהן זונות, ובידיהן כל כלי חמדה, והיתה זקינה מסרסרת לילדה, שהית הזקינה בפנים מן החנות, בשעה שישראל עוברין לטייל בשוק, זקינה אומרת לו בודאי מבקש אתה כלי פשתן שבאו מבית שאן, והיתה מראה לו, זקינה אומרת לו ביותר, וילדה בפחות, מיכאן ואילך ילדה אומרת לו אתה כבן בית שב, וצרצור יין עמוני מונח אצלה, שעדיין לא נאסר יין של עובדי כוכבים, וילדה יוצאת מבוסמת ומקושטת ומפתה אותו, ואומרת לו למה אנו אוהבים אתכם, ואתם שונאים אותנו, טול לך כלי זה חנם, כולנו בני איש אחד, בני תרח אבי אברהם, ואין אתם רוצים לאכול מזבחותינו ומבישולינו, הרי לך עגלים ותרנגולים ושחטנו כמצותכם ואכלו, מיד משקתו היין, ובער בו השטן, והיה נשטה אחריה. (Numb. 25:2:) AND THEY INVITED THE PEOPLE TO THE SACRIFICES FOR THEIR GODS. Thus they (i.e., daughters of Moab) were going by the counsel of Balaam, as stated (in Numb. 31:16): HERE THESE WOMEN <AT THE BIDDING OF BALAAM> MADE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL…. 116Tanh., Numb. 7:13; Numb. R. 7:23, cont.; ySanh. 10:2 (28cd); Sanh. 106a; PRE 47. They made themselves curtained stalls and installed harlots in them with every object of delight in their hands. Now a girl would have an old woman as an agent, for an old woman would be in front of the shop. During the time that Israel was passing by on the way to the market place, the woman would say to him: Surely you want objects of linen which have come from Beth-shean! Then she would show them to him; and when the old woman would tell him a high price, the girl would <give him> a lower one. From then on the girl would tell him: You are like one of the family. Sit down. Now a jug of Ammonite wine was placed by her, since the wine of star worshipers had not yet been forbidden. Then out comes a girl, perfumed and adorned, who seduces him and says to him: Why do you hate us, when we love you. Take for yourself this article gratis. We all are children of a single man, children of Terah, the father of Abraham. So do you not want to eat from our sacrifices and from our cooking? Here are calves and cocks for you which we have slaughtered according to your own precepts. So eat. Immediately she has him drink the wine. Then Satan (STN) burned within him, so that he fell madly in love (ShTH)117In the unpointed Hebrew text ShTH appears somewhat similar to the Hebrew spelling of Satan. The S in Satan is a sin and looks exactly like the Sh in “fell madly in love.” (ShTH). Note also that the T in Satan and the T in ShTH are both tet. with her.
ויש אומרים בלעם צוה אותם שלא להשקותם יין, שלא יסונו כשתויי יין אלא כמזידין, כיון שהיה תובעה, היתה אומרת איני שומעת לך, עד שתשחוט לפעור, והוא נשטה אחריה, ושוחט תרנגול לפעור ואוכל עמה, ונצמדים זה לזו, לכך כתיב ותראן לעם [וגו']. ויצמד ישראל לבעל פעור, כצמידים הללו, ר' לוי אמר זו היתה קשה מן העגל, [דאילו בעגל כתיב ויתפרקו כל העם (שמות לב ג), וכאן ויצמד ישראל, כצמידים, בעגל נפל כשלשת אלפים, וכאן ארבע ועשרים אלף]. There are also those who say: Balaam commanded them not to have them drink the wine, so that they would not be judged as those who are drunk but as willful sinners. When he sought her out, she would say: I am not listening to you until you slaughter <a sacrifice> to Peor. Since he had fallen madly in love with her, he would slaughter a cock to Peor and eat it with her. So they would be joined to each other. It is therefore written (in Numb. 25:2): AND THEY INVITED THE PEOPLE <TO THE SACRIFICES FOR THEIR GODS, SO THAT THE PEOPLE ATE AND BOWED DOWN TO THEIR GODS>. Thus Israel was joined (rt.: TsMD) to Baal Peor like bracelets (rt.: TsMD). R. Levi said: This was more serious than the <sin of the golden> calf, [for while in reference to the calf it is written (in Exod. 32:3): SO ALL THE PEOPLE TOOK OFF <THE GOLD RINGS THAT WERE IN THEIR EARS … >, so here (in Numb. 25:3): THUS ISRAEL WAS JOINED (rt.: TsMD) <TO BAAL PEOR,> like bracelets (rt.: TsMD)>. Because of the calf about three thousand fell, but here (according to Numb. 25:9) <the number fallen is> twenty-four thousand.