BALAK
07/15/2022 01:37:53 PM
"...G-d his G-d is with him and the homage to a king מלך is in him." (23, 21)
From a curse to a blessing
It says in Sefer Hagan that one makes a blessing he must say it aloud so that his friend will answer Amen. If he does so, even if G-d forbid a curse was decreed on him it will change from a curse into a blessing,
We can learn an allusion to this idea from this verse.
As we know, Bilam wanted to curse Israel in the daily fraction of time when G-d is angry at Israel. Since one can only say one word at this time, Bilam wanted to say "כַּלֵם" – Destroy them – but G-d changed it from "כַּלֵם" to "מלך" – king- which has the same letters – as it says "ותרועת מלך בו" – " the homage to a king is in him."
The words "כַּלֵם" and "מלך" add up to the numerology of the word Amen (including a one for the word).
We see from here that answering Amen turns a curse into a blessing, as per the Sefer Hagan.
SHABBAT SHALOM!!