Moses's Biblical Fiction - Balak

In this episode of "Truths, Jewish Wisdom for Today," Levi Brackman discusses the Torah portion of Balak, offering an ideological perspective on its authorship and historical authenticity. Brackman begins by summarizing the story of Balak, the Moabite king, who hires the Gentile prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites. Despite his efforts, Balaam ends up blessing them, influenced by divine intervention.

Brackman then delves into the story's authorship, exploring the notion that it stands apart from other Torah narratives in style and content. He references the Talmud, specifically Bava Batra 14b, which attributes the writing of certain texts, including the story of Balaam, to Moses. This raises questions, given that Moses couldn't have witnessed these events, as they occurred outside the Israelite community.

He parallels the Book of Job, another text ascribed to Moses yet set outside the Jewish tradition. The Talmud suggests that Job might be a parable supported by Maimonides, who sees Job's story as a didactic fiction rather than a historical account.

Brackman posits that the Balaam narrative might similarly be a parable written by Moses, intended to convey truths about God's protection of the Jewish people rather than historical facts. He emphasizes that the Torah's purpose is to impart eternal truths, not necessarily empirical reality. This perspective aligns with rabbinic thought, which acknowledges the possibility of non-factual elements within the Torah, using parables to teach profound lessons.