This sheet on Numbers 24 was written by Stu Halpern for 929 and can also be found here
In commenting on the phrase in Balaam’s blessing “How goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places O Israel,” Rashi, the 11th century commentator, offers a rather surprising interpretation. He explains that the Hebrew word for dwelling place, “mishkenotekha,” refers to a pledge, more specifically, God’s commitment that in the future, hundreds of years after Balaam first delivered these words, He will take out His anger on the Jewish people by destroying the Temple as opposed to destroying the Jewish people themselves - and this destruction of the Temple will serve as a means of atonement for the Jewish people.
The authoritative biographer of Rashi, Prof. Avraham Grossman, professor Emeritus of Jewish History at the Hebrew University, suggests that what prompted Rashi to propose such a far-fetched interpretation was his commitment to being both an educator and inspiration to the Jews of his time, the era of the Crusades. In order to combat the Christian claim that God’s destruction of the Temple meant He had given up on his relationship with the Jews, Rashi, through an interpretation of the non-Israelite Balaam’s words, reassured his contemporary kinsmen that God had laid waste to the Temple in order to take his anger out on a building, and not His people, who He remains ever loyal to and did not abandon.
Despite Rashi’s explanation stretching our usual inclinations to interpret a verse within its immediate context, we can very much appreciate what he was doing – as one contemporary scholar, R. W. L. Moberly has put it, “Original meaning and continuing significance are not identical, but they are in important ways inseparable.”
While on the level of peshat, Rashi, the master teacher of Jews throughout the ages, knew “mishkenotekha” meant “dwelling places,” he offered the alternative explanation of “pledge” to remind the Jews of his time that despite the constant attacks, both polemical and physical, by their enemies, despite the Crusades, God had not abandoned the Jewish people and our relationship with Him was secure.
Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern is Senior Advisor to the Provost of Yeshiva University and is responsible for developing interdisciplinary educational and communal initiatives.
929 is the number of chapters in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, the formative text of the Jewish heritage. It is also the name of a cutting-edge project dedicated to creating a global Jewish conversation anchored in the Hebrew Bible. 929 English invites Jews everywhere to read and study Tanakh, one chapter a day, Sunday through Thursday together with a website with creative readings and pluralistic interpretations, including audio and video, by a wide range of writers, artists, rabbis, educators, scholars, students and more. As an outgrowth of the web-based platform, 929 English also offers classes, pop-up lectures, events and across North America. We invite you to learn along with us and be part of our dynamic community.
To join 929's listserv for new and dynamic content each week click here
