I see them from the head of rocks,
I look at them from hills.
It is a nation that will dwell alone,
And will not be reckoned with the nations.
Classic Questions
What does "I see them from the head of rocks" mean? (v. 23:9)
Rashi: I look at the "head" and beginning of their roots, and I see that they are well-founded and powerful, like these mountains and hills, because of their Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
Ramban: Bilam was simply declaring that he was looking down upon the Jewish people from a high place, as the Torah states explicitly that Balak took Bilam to a high place: "He took him up to Bamos-Ba'al, and from there he saw part of the people" (22:41).
Maharzu: At the literal level, Bilam was standing at the peak of mountains and hills. However, since it seems irrelevant to relate where he was standing, the Midrash taught that the rocks and hills refer to the Patriarchs and Matriarchs (Maharzu on Bamidbar Rabah 20:19).
The Rebbe's Teachings
"Rocks" and "Hills" (v. 9)
At the beginning of the current passage, we read how Balak took Bilam to a high place where he could look down upon the Jewish people and curse them: "Balak took Bilam and brought him up to Bamos-Ba'al, and from there he saw part of the people" (22:41). Thus, when Bilam later said, "I see them from the head of rocks, I look at them from hills" (v. 9), he simply appears to have been describing how he was standing upon a high point from where he could see the Jewish people, as Ramban writes. Why does Rashi reject this interpretation and offer instead an explanation based on the Midrash, that the "rocks" and "hills" allude to the foundations of the Jewish people, the Patriarchs and Matriarchs? Rashi appears to have disregarded his own declared intention to explain scripture exclusively at the literal level.
Maharzu argues that the issue of where Bilam was standing is an irrelevant, redundant detail, which demands Midrashic interpretation.
However, it could be argued that Bilam's position on a high mountain where he could see all the Jewish people is relevant at the literal level, as it reconciles a contradiction between two other verses. Before Bilam's first parable, the Torah states that he was situated in Bamos-Ba'al, where "he saw part of the people" (22:41). Yet, after Bilam proceeded to bless, rather than curse the Jewish people, Balak suggested, "Come with me to another place from where you will see them. You will only see a part of them, but not all of them" (23:13), indicating that on the first occasion Bilam had indeed seen all of the Jewish people. Thus, there appears to be a need to take this verse ("I see them from the head of rocks, I look at them from hills") literally, for with these words the reader discovers that Bilam had reached a summit where he did actually see all of the Jewish people.
So the question stands: Why does Rashi cite a Midrashic explanation, rather than the literal interpretation suggested by Ramban?
The Explanation
The Torah describes Bilam's first discourse as a "parable" (v. 7), indicating that it is metaphoric in nature. However, on reading Bilam's first parable, Rashi was troubled that it seems to be totally devoid of metaphor or imagery. Verses 7-8 are a straightforward introduction to explain why Bilam blessed the Jewish people, the latter part of verse 9 is a blessing for the Jewish people to "rest alone," and verse 10 describes the large size of the Jewish people, without the use of allegory or metaphor. Thus, the only section of Bilam's words which could actually constitute a "parable" are the words, "I see them from the head of rocks, I look at them from hills." Therefore, Rashi explains that this was a metaphor for the strength of the Jewish people: "They are well-founded and powerful, like these mountains and hills."
(Based on Likutei Sichos vol. 28, p. 165ff.)
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