65. Come and see: All is predisposed and revealed before the Holy One, blessed be He. Though Balak and Bilaam did not mean to devote THEIR SACRIFICES for the Holy One, blessed be He, yet all is established before Him, and He does not reduce their reward at all in this world. At that time they had power over Yisrael, by their sacrifice which caused twenty-four thousand people from Yisrael to pass away, besides those who were killed, as it is written, "Slay every one of his men that have attached themselves to Ba'al Peor" (Bemidbar 25:5), and "Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up before Hashem" (Ibid. 4). And even now that sacrifice impends upon Yisrael to cause misfortune. They built seven altars, AND OFFERED SACRIFICES UPON THEM, 42 in all.

66. Rabbi Shimon said, Come and see: Balak and Bilaam offered 42 sacrifices, and took them from the Other Side to the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore, that sacrifice is impending until it is taken by the Other Side called 'curse from Yisrael'. Until now, he has not taken it from them. And this is the secret of, "And he turned back, and looked at them" (II Melachim 2:23), AT THE BOYS WHO JEERED AT HIM AND SAID TO HIM "GO UP, BALD HEAD." "And he turned back," NAMELY, to the back of the Shechinah, because the Other Side stands at the back. "And looked at them," he looked and saw IN THOSE 42 BOYS, the Other Side CALLED 'CURSE', and saw that they deserved to be punished. Therefore, "he cursed them in the Name of Hashem" (Ibid. 24), in order to remove the Name of Hashem from the debt, NAMELY the debt of the sacrifice, that the Other Side offered him, NAMELY, BY BALAK AND BILAAM. And all was made right before the Holy One, blessed be He, and nothing is lost before the Holy One, blessed be He. In the same manner, everything stands before the Holy One, blessed be He, both good and evil.