וישא משלו ויאמר נאם בלעם בנו בער ונאם הגבר שתם העין.” (במדבר כד ג)
רש”י: שתם העין – עינו נקורה ומוצאת לחוץ וחור שלה נראה פתוח… ורבותינו אמרו לפי שאמר ומספר את רובע ישראל, שהקב”ה יושב ומונה רביעיותיהן של ישראל מתי תבא טפה שנולד הצדיק ממנה, אמר בלבו מי שהוא קדוש ומשרתיו קדושים יסתכל בדברים הללו, ועל דבר זה נסמת עינו של בלעם
Rashi: “His eye was punctured and pulled outwards, and the socket looked open… And our Rabbis said, ‘Because he (Bilaam) said, “And He counts the conjugations of Yisroel”, that Hakadosh Baruch Hu sits and counts the conjugations of Yisroel: “When will the drop that the tzaddik will be born from arrive?” (Bilaam) said in his heart, “He who is holy and whose servants are holy looks at such things?” And it was from this matter that the eye of Bilaam was blinded.”
If light, for whatever reason, cannot enter the eye, then of course the person will not see. But vision is likewise impaired when there is too much light. In fact, one of the important functions of the eye is to limit the amount of light that enters the eye. If too much light were to enter, the person would be blinded.
Bilaam was blind in one eye, but Rashi stresses that this eye was completely open. The implication is that he was blind specifically in a manner that all light entered. Such an attempt at sight, where everything enters, is characteristic of Bilaam’s “philosophy” throughout the Parsha, his “vision” for the world.
From the very beginning of the narrative, Bilaam plots to attain Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s consent to curse Klal Yisroel, despite his knowing that Hakadosh Baruch Hu had chosen them as His nation, and was intent on bestowing good upon them. And even now, after finally realizing that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not willing to curse Yisroel, Bilaam does not give up; he says, “He (Hashem) wants to, and does not want to, curse them. I will make mention of their sins, and the curse will take effect with the mention of sin.” ( Rashi 24:1) But Hakadosh Baruch Hu did not want to curse Klal Yisroel, and Bilaam knew that! What was Bilaam trying to do?
The hashgacha elyona—divine providence—is expressed in our world according to set principles and guidelines. For example, closeness to Hashem is achieved through kiyyum hamitzvos, and the Kavod of Hashem is revealed through Klal Yisroel. Hakadosh Baruch Hu, in His wisdom, determined that the world should progress according to these principles. But Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not limited; He could have chosen different principles, a different path for the world to take. There are countless ways in which He could have ordered the world. This is what Bilaam was trying to tap into: a different, hidden Hashgacha that does not exist in our world. Perhaps the purpose of the Universe can be fulfilled through wrath, or Kavod Hashem can be revealed through Eisav or Yishmael. Anything is possible.
This was Bilaam’s “vision”: a vision where there are no limitations, and everything enters. He wanted to see that which cannot be seen. And thus Rashi elsewhere identifies Bilaam as being “פורץ גדרו של עולם”—breaching the boundaries of the world. (Rashi Bamidbar 22:5) But in addition to being wrong, running counter to Ratzon Hashem, such an attempt is ultimately futile, and leads only to blindness.
We can certainly identify traces of Bilaam’s “vision” in society today. Very often, it seems like the crazier the better. People are awarded with prized titles such as “Creative” or “Pioneering” simply for breaking established norms. Extreme open mindedness is emblematic of “enlightened” society, but in actuality it impairs one’s perception of the world…
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Rashi continues that Bilaam was disturbed by Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s interest in and concern for things he considered mere physicality: He who is holy and whose servants are holy looks at such things? And he was therefore blinded in one eye. The Mashgiach zt”l noted that just as a person who is blind in one eye cannot perceive depth, so too one who does not see kedusha in the physical world. He ceases to see in three dimensions; everything is superficial and low, without depth.
At first thought, Bilaam’s objection is surprising: after all, who was more “open-minded” than Bilaam? Bilaam wanted no limitations; he wanted to “see” everything. But the exact opposite is true. When “everything goes”, there is no depth, no kedusha anywhere. In this world, depth will be found only where there are limitations and distinctions. As an illustration, if you sit down to learn a sefer, and simply accept everything you read, without questioning, analyzing and deliberating, you will discover little depth. The same is true of life; if we attempt to “see everything”, to “let everything in”, then distinctions lose their meaning and we are never forced to look beyond. Life becomes two dimensional: He who is holy and who’s servants are holy looks at such things?