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When Adam was created, he sinned and was expelled from G-d's Presence and the angels said: "Our original claim, that it is almost inevitable that he will fall, has been justified.." So G-d cast down these angels from their level of holiness and bound them with metal chains in the mountains of darkness. Balaam found out where these fallen angels were and learned the occult arts from them.

The Ari comments that the strength of Balaam, the evil sorcerer employed by King Balak, was in his ability to curse. This power is rooted in the breath, which in Hebrew is "hevel". "Hevel" is also the Hebrew name of Abel, the son of Adam, demonstrating that Balaam was the wicked side of Abel reincarnated. He worked as a team with Balak, who was the reincarnation of the wicked side of Cain, Abel's brother.

The Shelah teaches that Balaam communicated with the forces of impurity, forces considered by the nations as deities. When he spoke about being privy to the Supernal Knowledge, the listener got the impression that Balaam claimed to be privy to G-d's range of knowledge, whereas in fact he was privy only to the "highest" of the forces of impurity that G-d has allowed to govern part of nature.

G•d chose to rest His Presence on Balaam, a wicked gentile, so that the gentile nations will not have any allegation against G•d saying, "Had you given us prophets, we too would have improved our ways."

Balak was a wicked, idolatrous king who brought about the death of over a hundred thousand Jews, yet an entire Torah portion is names after him. This embodies the idea that the Messianic future will be the full transformation of evil into good.

Balak represents the transformation of darkness to light - the metamorphosis of the idolatrous kingdom of Moab to the sacred kingdom of David and Mashiach. Just as Balak was transformed from evil to good, darkness to light, we too are reminded that if we make the effort, every obstacle can be overcome and the light revealed.