Why does the Torah juxtapose the Parshah of B'nos Mo'av to that of Bil'am?
Rashi: Because it was planned by him. 1
Ramban: Because, after Bil'am told Balak that he cannot overcome Yisrael, but that Yisrael will not destroy Mo'av until the end of days, Balak provided Yisrael with wine and enticed them [to sin], pretending to be their good friends. 2
Refer to 24:14:2:1 & 24:25:1:1. Ramban: In fact, it was not so much an act perpetrated by the women of Mo'av as a plot - planned by Bil'am and carried out by the elders of Midyan, to make Yisrael sin, as the Pasuk specifically states later in Pasuk 18.
Ramban: Both the hirer and the hired were punished. Yisrael killed Bil'am for his desire to curse - indeed, he would have cursed Yisrael had Hashem not intervened ? and Mo'av was punished (their converts may never enter Yisrael), as the Pasuk teaches in Devarim 23:4,5.
Why does the Torah call the place "Shitim"?
Rashi (according to R. Eliezer in Sanhedrin 106a): Because that was the name of the place.
Targum Yonasan (according to R. Yehoshua in Sanhedrin 106a): The place was so-called because they indulged in foolish activity - 'Divrei Sh'tus.' 1
Oznayim la'Torah: Refer to 25:1:4:1**.
See Sifsei Chachamim and Torah Temimah, note 2.
What are the conotations of "Va'yachel ha'Am ... "?
Seforno: "Vayachel ha'Am Lizenos ? " implies that initially, they only intended to commit adultery with the women, but one thing led to another, 1 and they ended up worshipping idols. 2
Targum Yonasan: It means that the people defiled their sanctity 3 - by exposing themselves (and defecating) before the idol Pe'or which the women pulled out from under their belts.
Da'as Zekenim: It means that the people became defiled through Bil'am's counsel. 4
Perhaps "Va'yachel ? el B?nos Mo?av" means that the Z'nus began with the B'nos Mo'av. Refer to 25:1:152:2-4.
Oznayim la'Torah: "Vayachel ha'Am Lizenos ? " means they began to do things that led to Z'nus. 5
How is it possible for Yisrael - about whom Bil'am just said "Lo Hibit Aven be'Ya'akov ... " - to sudddenly commot such grave sins?
Oznayim la'Torah: They did not sin suddenly but, followed the Satan 1 as he led them from one stage to another: First he convinced them to go for a stroll in Mo'av, 2 There they came across a sale of linen garments, 3 where an older woman was selling clothes at market price, but when they entered the shop, a young woman offered them the clothes at bargain prices. 4 When the men displayed interest, the women exposed their bodies 5 and offered them highly potent Moabite wine, 6 at which point their desire was aroused and they accosted the women. 7 The women consented but before they worshipped their despicable idol Ba'al Pe'or and defacted on it.
Oznayim la'Torah: Whose way it is to tell a person today to do this and tomorrow to do that, until eventually he tells him to go and worship idols.
Oznayim la'Torah: Which some commentaries explain is why the place was called 'Shitim' - as in Iyov, 1:7 "mi'Shut ba'Aretz".
Oznayim la'Torah: Which were much sought after in those times (Sanhedrin, 106a). See Oznayim la'Torah later in the Dibur, who elaborates on the issue of clothes causing a person to sin. According to the Yerushalmi however, they were selling food snd drink - See Ba'al ha'Turim in Pinchas, 25:14.
Oznayim la'Torah: Although until now, the people had not sinned, the attraction to the woman had been formed.
Sanhedrin Ibid.
Oznayim la'Torah: Which was not yet prohibited.
Oznayim la'Torah: This was the first time that they actually sinned.
What are the implications of "va'Yeishev Yisrael"?
Da'as Zekenim: "va'Yeishev" always implies punishment. 1
Sanhedrin, 106a: "va'Yeishev" is a Lashon of Tza'ar (something painful). 2
See for example Vayeishev, Bereishis, 37:1 & 2. and Vaye'chi Bereishis, 50:22 & 24.
See Torah Temimah, note 1.
Here the Torah says that they commited Z'nus with the B'nos Mo'av. Mo'avi women are permitted to marry into K'lal Yisrael (Yevamos 76b), and this was not given (in Devarim 23:5) as a reason to forbid the men (for sending their daughters)! Yisrael fought Midyan to avenge making them stumble in Z'nus, but not Mo'av, and it says that B'nos Midyan caused Yisrael to sin through Bil'am's counsel (25:17, 18: 31:15, 16)?
Abarvenel #1 (on 31:1) #1, Malbim #1: They were B'nos Midyan. They pretended to be B'nos Mo'av, for Mo'av had made Shalom with Yisrael (Abarvenel). 1
Abarvenel #2 (on 31:1) #2: Initially, Yisrael sinned with B'nos Mo'av (Malbim #2, Kli Yakar 31:15 - B'nei Yisrael went to them to entice them). When B'nos Midyan heard, they came to seduce them and entice them to serve idolatry.
Alshich (on 26:1): B'nos Mo'av seduced the easiest targets (the lowest men), i.e. ha'Am. B'nos Midyan seduced the Tzadikim (called Yisrael). Tzur commanded his daughter Kozbi to seduce Moshe or Elazar (Sanhedrin 82a)!
Agra de'Kalah (on Matos 31:15): Initially, Bnei Yisrael would not sin without reason. They had a tradition that the kingship of Yisrael will come from a spark of Kedushah from Mo'av, so there was a great Yetzer to entice them. Only after they sinned with a 'reason', they sinned absolutely with B'nos Midyan, without a reason.
Malbim (Bamidbar 25:2): They were B'nos Midyan. B'nos Mo'av (and Amon) were modest; they are not blamed for not greeting B'nos Yisrael with bread and water, for "the honor of a Bas Melech is (to stay) inside" (Yevamos 77a). B'nei Yisrael thought that they are B'nos Mo'av.
This was after Yisrael defeated Sichon and Og (22:2), which was after Mo'av refused to let Yisrael pass through their land (Rashi 21:13; Shoftim 11:17). Did Midyan not have Shalom with Yisrael? Yisro was from Midyan! Shach (Pinchas) - perhaps they pretended, for Yisrael despised Midyan, a son of Keturah (a Pilegesh). Or, they would kill B'nos Midyan for disgracing their grandfather (Avraham). Or ha'Chayim (on Pasuk 15) ? had they known that they are B'nos Midyan, they would have killed them and taken their property (but we were commanded not to fight Mo'av. He did not explain why we would kill them if it were permitted. Perhaps had Yisrael known that the women came from afar, from the beginning they would suspect that it was in order to make them sin, and they would have stayed away (refer to 24:14:2:1 & 24:14:2:1 2
). They claimed to be from Mo'av nearby. Or, they feared to say that they are from Midyan, lest Bnei Yisrael avenge their seduction later. - PF)
