Bearing in mind Chazal's tendency to Darshen names - as we find by the Meraglim - what are the implications of "Bil'am ben Be'or" and of ?Balak ben Tzipor??
Sanhedrin, 105a: "Bil'am" is the acronym of 'Bala Am' spelt either with an 'Ayin' 1 - he wanted to swallow the nation of Yisrael), or with a 'Hey' - he wanted to wear out the nation of Yisrael; "ben Be'or" - implies that he had relations with his mule. 2
Targum Yonasan: ?Bil?am?, ?Bala Amen Be?? ? he wanted to swallow the nation of Yisrael; ?ben Be?or? (without a ?Vav?? he was crazy because he had no pity on the descendents of his own daughters Rachel and Le?ah, Bilhah and Zilpah, whom he wanted to kill.
Ba?al ha?Turim (in Pasuk #2): ?Balak? is the acronym of ?Ba Luk? ? ?he came to lap-up (the blood of Yisrael); ?ben Tzipor? ? ?He hovered over them like a bird to curse them?. 3
Why here, does the Torah call Bil'am the son of Be'or, and in 24:3, Bil'am refers to Be'or as his son?
Sanhedrin,105a: In reality, he was the son of Be'or and the Pasuk later is hinting at the fact that Be'or was inferior to him in prophecy. 1
See Torah Temimah, note 2.
What is the meaning of "Pesorah"?
Rashi #1: It is comparing Bil'am to a moneychanger, 1 to whom everyone brought their coins (to check or to exchange), so too, did everyone bring Bil'am their letters (to decipher).
Rashi #2 and Targum Onkelos: It is simply the name of the place where Bil'am lived. 2
Targum Yonasan: It is the name of the place where Bil'am, alias Lavan ha'Arami, 3 lived, 4 named after Bil'am who was a dream-interpreter. 5
A moneychanger used to sit in back of a table ('Pesorah' is also Arama'ic for 'a table'), on which all transactions were performed.
Targum Onkelos: Aram (Naharayim) on the River P'ras.
Targum Yonasan: Who was so wicked that he actually went to curse the descendants of his own grandchildren!
"Pesorah" is from the Lashon 'Poser Chalomos'. See Ba'al ha'Turim.
What are the connotations of "Eretz B'nei Amo"?
Rashi (citing the Midrash Rabah) and Rashbam: It means that Bil'am hailed from the same town as Balak. 1
Ramban: It means from the land where Bil'am was born and where his lineage lay. 2
Targum Yonasan: It means that people from all over came and bowed down to him. 3
Rashi: Whom he predicted would become king. See also 23:7.
Ramban: To teach us that he was a sorcerer, and that he came from a land where they were all sorcerers - See Yeshayah, 2:6.
See Peirush Yonasan and Na?ar Yonasan
Why did Hakadosh-Baruch-Hu grant prophecy to a wicked Nochri?
Rashi: So that the Nochrim would not be able to claim that, had Hashem given them prophets, they would have followed the right path. So He gave them a prophet, and what did he do? He broke down the barrier - inasmuch as previously, the people guarded themselves against adultery, and he came along and advised them to engage in Z'nus.
Oznayim la'Torah: Hashem appointed Bil'am as the universal prophet, because, in his prevous capacity as a universally respected and popular dream-interpreter, he had the potential to convince the world to keep the seven Mitzvos B'nei No'ach - and perhaps even to accept the Torah when it was offered to them at Matan Torah, 1 only he chose to go for the money and the Kavod.
See Oznayim la'Torah, DH 'Pesorah', who elaborates.
What are the implications of "Likro lo"?
Rashi: It implies that Balak offered Bil'am a lot of money to come and curse Yisrael. 1
As the word "Lo" generally means 'for his benefit' - Refer to Bereishis, 12:1:3:1.
Why did Balak add "Hinei Chisah es Ein ha'Aretz"?
Rashi: He meant metaphorically that Yisrael had defeated Sichon, who guarded them, and that they therefore constituted a threat to Mo'av.
Why throughout the current narrative, do neither Balak nor Bil'am even once refer to Yisrael by name - always as "Am"?
Oznayim la'Torah: It seems that they were afraid to mention it because it is the name by which which they are particularly beloved by Hashem, 1 and mentioning it would arouse the Mal'achim to come to their defence. 2
Perhaps it was simply a sign of hatred, since both of them are described as haters of Yisrael.
