The OU's Daily Tehillim and Chizuk Call
Tehillim Call, 06/23/2026, Rabbi Ezra Goldshmiedt
Jul 30, 2026 · 0 min · 7 segments
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Ezra GoldschmidtGuest
Naftali HermanHost
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The OU's Daily Tehillim and Chizuk Call
Jul 30, 2026 · 0 min · 7 segments
Ezra GoldschmidtGuestNaftali HermanHost
But even in an earlier era where there was prophecy, to become worthy of it took significant work.
He says the following, Ein ha-nebuachala ela achacham gadol v'chachma, gibor b'midotav.
Instead, with his intellect, he overcomes his natural inclinations at all times.
He'll advance and separate himself from the masses who proceed in the darkness of the time.
Prophecy is only for those who have developed themselves with a lot of hard work, a lot of hard spiritual work, into something very special.
But if that indeed is the case, so of course our parasha poses quite a challenge.
To quote Rashi, who asks this question, he says, Why did God visit his presence onto an evil Gentile.
That individual being the wicked Bilaam, the main character of Parshas Balak, the guy who, even if you're just focusing on the Pesukim alone, and not Midrashim, he's the guy who beats up his donkey, runs to curse the Jewish people, he devises a plan to trap an ASL into immorality at the end of our Parsha.
He doesn't exactly fit that description of the ideal candidates for prophecy, to say the least.
So why then does God speak to him? Rashi continues answering his own question.
He says, This was so that the nations of the world wouldn't have an excuse to say the following.
So God established prophets for them, and they nevertheless, they breached the fence of the world, meaning they violated laws that were universally understood to be wrong.
At first they were fenced in, meaning they were observant when it came to prohibited relationships.
Yet this guy, Bilaam, he gave them advice which they followed, to abandon themselves to lewdness.
But even in an earlier era where there was prophecy, to become worthy of it took significant work.
He says the following, Ein ha-nebuachala ela achacham gadol v'chachma, gibor b'midotav.
Instead, with his intellect, he overcomes his natural inclinations at all times.
He'll advance and separate himself from the masses who proceed in the darkness of the time.
Prophecy is only for those who have developed themselves with a lot of hard work, a lot of hard spiritual work, into something very special.
But if that indeed is the case, so of course our parasha poses quite a challenge.
To quote Rashi, who asks this question, he says, Why did God visit his presence onto an evil Gentile.
That individual being the wicked Bilaam, the main character of Parshas Balak, the guy who, even if you're just focusing on the Pesukim alone, and not Midrashim, he's the guy who beats up his donkey, runs to curse the Jewish people, he devises a plan to trap an ASL into immorality at the end of our Parsha.
He doesn't exactly fit that description of the ideal candidates for prophecy, to say the least.
So why then does God speak to him? Rashi continues answering his own question.
He says, This was so that the nations of the world wouldn't have an excuse to say the following.
So God established prophets for them, and they nevertheless, they breached the fence of the world, meaning they violated laws that were universally understood to be wrong.
At first they were fenced in, meaning they were observant when it came to prohibited relationships.
Yet this guy, Bilaam, he gave them advice which they followed, to abandon themselves to lewdness.
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