Population growth
And Moav became disgusted with life (see Rashi) because of B’nei Yisroel (22:3).
If the people of Moav were scared of a battle with the Jewish nation, why should that have made them become disgusted with life? Moreover, Balak knew that the Jews were forbidden to wage a full-scale war against Moav, and he was only afraid that they would impose taxes on him. Surely the thought of that is not enough to make the whole nation disgusted with life.
In truth, they were not worried for their pockets, but were disgusted at the thought of having to come into any contact with the Jewish nation. The thought that their licentious and corrupt lifestyle could be affected by the holy way of life practiced by the subduing nation made them become disgusted with life. They preferred death as opposed to having restrictions imposed on their unbridled lifestyle.
In Eretz Yisroel, too, we hear about the alarmed reaction of local residents when even one religious family moves into a fortress of secularism. This stems from their fear of the influence these new neighbors could wield on their way of life.
Our erring brethren worry about the population increase among the Chareidim. One of their methods of dealing with this “problem” is to hold out all sorts of baits in order to encourage Chareidim to assimilate into the way of life followed by the general population. In several cities in Eretz Yisroel mayors do what they can to counteract the influence of the Chareidim, and they fight against Shabbos observance.
In a similar vein, Israel's Education Ministry once accepted criticisms voiced by the Secular Forum bewailing the promotion of Jewish religious observance in state secular schools. More than 70% of Jewish children receive their education in these schools. Parents are worried that any mention of G-d or religion might provide the Chareidim with unwarranted influence. They insist on secular schooling with no religious content of any kind. In other words, they are disgusted by the thought that their children might become closer to the religious. For the same reason, one previous government wanted to make it a criminal offense to attempt to influence a boy under 18 to enter a Torah educational institution without his parents’ consent.
The current feverish attempts to enlist Chareidim into the army stem from the same motives. They are not interested in more soldiers. If that would be their motive, they would focus on secular draft dodgers or on working Chareidi boys. Their aim is to destroy the Torah world, and they do not even deny it. Almost forty years ago they imported a million secularist Russians, almost none of them religious, and many of them not even Jewish. The fact that many of the non-Jewish immigrants were not idealistic Zionists but rather anti-Semitic Christians interested in the financial benefits of aliyah and likely to form a fifth column in the future did not matter, as long as the presence of all these immigrants would guarantee a continued secular majority in the country.
They would like all Chareidim to acculturate into the melting pot of the country’s Hellenistic army. That would take care of the demographic problem posed by the Chareidim. However, neither financial incentives, nor financial penalties, nor incarceration, will induce any yeshiva bachur or avrech to become a deserter by abandoning the Torah world for a hotbed of immorality and heresy.
Ayin HaRa
Moav became terrified of the people, for they were numerous (22:3).
The commentators (see e.g. Ramban on 22:3) ask why Balak was afraid of the Jews, since, as we said, he knew that the Torah forbade us to fight him at all as it says, “Do not be at enmity with Moav, neither contend with them in battle” (Devarim 2:9).
Perhaps Balak was afraid of the erev rav, as it says, “Moav became terrified of the people [ha’am]” and "am” is a connotation for the erev rav, e.g. in the context of the Chet Ha’egel. Balak knew that the erev rav did not observe the commandments of the Torah, because they had made the Golden Calf, and he was therefore afraid that they would also not observe the commandment not to start a war with Moav. According to this, when Balak asked Bilaam to curse the Jews, he meant the erev rav, because he was afraid only of them.
Based on this explanation, we can understand the extent of Hashem’s mercy in thwarting Bilaam’s attempt to apply an ayin hara on the Jews. Rav Sternbuch heard from Rav Eliyohu Eliezer Dessler that an ayin hara only has the power to harm a bad person, for example a depraved person or someone who has an evil eye himself, such as a person who is jealous of someone else’s wealth, but not a good person, who has a “good eye”. Therefore, a wealthy person only needs to worry about ayin hara if he is stingy, because then many people will be jealous of him and wonder why he deserves to have so much money if he does not give charity. However, if he donates generously, he has nothing to fear. Even though everybody realizes that he must be very wealthy to give so much money to charity, the ayin hara has no power to harm a good person.
If Hashem would not have overturned Bilaam’s curse to a blessing, his curse would have been very successful in causing harm, because Bilaam wanted his ayin hara to have an effect specifically on the erev rav, and since they were wicked people, they were ripe candidates for being victims of an ayin hara. Therefore, were it not for Hashem’s miracle they would have definitely been harmed by Bilaam’s ayin hara. Hashem prevented Bilaam from cursing the erev rav because if they would have been killed or hurt, the Jewish nation would have become very frightened and disheartened. Balak too had been interested in that side effect of Bilaam’s curses, although his main purpose, was to prevent the erev rav from harming him militarily.
Curses Instead of Blessings
Please come and curse this people for me (22:6).
If Bilaam had the power to bless, why did Balak not ask him to bless him for success in his attempts to wage war against the Jews, instead of asking him to take the circuitous path of cursing the nation so that they could not succeed?
The Chofetz Chaim notes that when a Jew is in trouble, he goes to a tzaddik to seek a brachah, but the wicked are not interested in blessings for themselves but only in harming others. Hence, Balak preferred that Bilaam curse the Jews rather than bless him.
The urge of anti-semites to witness the downfall and suffering of their (imagined) enemies has always been stronger than their concern for their own welfare. In World War II, for example, Hitler was informed by his generals that trains were desperately needed to bring more soldiers and weapons to the front. They asked him for permission to put a temporary halt to the deportations of Jews to concentrations camps so that more trains could become available. Hitler responded in fury, “Don’t you understand? Our main war is against the Jews. They have to be annihilated, and as long as there are any of them left, the whole war will not have been worth it!”
Admiring Politicans
Bilaam refused to go with the elders of Moav and the elders of Midian, who had magic charms in their hands, and conveyed Balak's message to him (22:7). Only when Balak subsequently sent “dignitaries, more and higher in rank than these” (22:15) did Bilaam accompany them to meet Balak.
The first group consisted of religious leaders, with their magic charms, and Bilaam had no respect for them, whereas the second group was composed of government ministers, who were held in very high regard by Bilaam.
Unfortunately, there are also people today who think that a government minister or a professor is worthy of being honored, whereas a yeshiva bachur is not. Similarly, there are some parents who have the great fortune of having a son who has studied Torah for many years, but instead of taking pride in this, they do not find religious matters important enough, and would prefer their son to acquire an academic degree. This attitude is reminiscent of Bilaam’s approach.
On the subject of government ministers, Rav Sternbuch notes with pain that we should feel no affinity with any politician, irrespective of his political affiliation. Rav Sternbuch heard from the late Gerrer Rebbe, the Beis Yisroel, that we do not distinguish between left and right, and we do not oppose any party that does not fight us. In any event, it is a desecration of the divine name to feel any personal connection with a secular politician. Anyone who has a personal or social connection with a heretic and non-observant politician demonstrates that he has lost any sensitivity for any matter of kedushah.
He who overcomes trials is sanctified greatly by Hashem. Our whole desire in this world is to attain sanctity, and, by doing so, we hasten the coming of Moshiach. As for the current attempts to recruit boys to the army, Rav Sternbuch noted that the Jews have always displayed mesirus nefesh for Torah in all conceivable situations. As the Torah testifies, we are a “stiff-necked” nation that does not compromise on its principles, and stubbornly adheres to Hashem and His Torah.
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