Question: When I was reading Numbers 22 – 24 I had a hard time understanding Balaam’s position. Was he a son of G-d or a False prophet? What is Balaam’s history and how can I understand his position?

Answer: Balaam was a Gentile prophet. The Talmud explains that his prophecy was given to him as a gift in order that the nations of the world not complain that they weren’t given prophecy like the Jews were. Generally prophecy is earned by achieving greatness in scholarship, piety, and the such. Nowhere does it say anything about a son of G-d. That idea only exists in Christian theology. Balaam misused his prophecy to do things like cursing others. In the event of the Jewish people he was unsuccessful in cursing them. He is considered to be a wicked person, especially after he gave the advice to Moab to attack the Jew’s moral standards by enticing them to immoral behavior.

Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum