Witnessing Above Nature
עוד נראה בענין שבקשו לקבוע פ' בלק בק"ש
Furthermore, it appears that there is something to be understood in why the Sages wished to establish the recital of Parashas Balak as part of Krias Shema.
The Sfas Emes opens by asking why Chazal wanted the episode of Balak read together with Krias Shema, suggesting a deeper connection awaits explanation.
דכ' זכר כו' מה יעץ בלק כו'
For it is written, "Remember now... what Balak counseled..." (Michah 6:5).
He brings the verse from Michah that calls on us to remember Balak's plot, anchoring the link between Balak and our daily testimony.
והענין הוא שהראה הקב"ה ע"י בלעם שבנ"י הם למעלה מן הטבע והזמן
The matter is that the Holy One, Blessed is He, demonstrated through Bilaam that Bnei Yisrael stand above nature and above time.
The core point: through the failed schemes of Bilaam, Hashem revealed that Bnei Yisrael are not bound by the natural order or by time.
וז"ש לא נחש כו' קסם כו' כעת יאמר כו'
And this is the meaning of "For there is no divination... nor sorcery... at the proper time it shall be said..." (Bamidbar 23:23).
He cites Bilaam's own words that no sorcery works against Yaakov, since at the right 'time' it is told what Hashem does.
פי' כל הקסמים והנחשים בכח הזמן והמזלות שברקיע
The explanation is that all forms of sorcery and divination operate through the power of time and the mazalos of the heavens.
He explains that all sorcery and divination draw their power from time and the astrological forces of the heavens.
אבל בנ"י יש להם דרך מיוחד
But Bnei Yisrael have a unique path of their own.
Bnei Yisrael, by contrast, have their own distinct path that is not subject to those forces.
וגדול כחם בפ"ע כמו כח הכ"ח עתים שהזמן והטבע מתנהג בהם
And their power stands in its own right, as great as the power of the twenty-eight ittim (times) through which time and nature conduct themselves.
Their spiritual power is itself as potent as the twenty-eight set 'times' that govern how nature and time operate.
ז"ש כעת יאמר כו' שהם כמו העת בעצמו כנ"ל
This is the meaning of "at the proper time it shall be said..." (Bamidbar 23:23) — that they are like the very 'time' itself, as explained above.
Thus "at the proper time it shall be said" means Bnei Yisrael themselves are like the very source of 'time,' standing at its root rather than beneath it.
וזה צריך כל איש ישראל לידע
And this is something that every Jew must come to know.
The Sfas Emes stresses that every individual Jew must internalize this awareness of being above nature.
ולכן אתם עדי לפי שאתם למעלה מן הטבע יכולין להעיד על כל הטבע שהוא מאתו ית"ש
Therefore, "You are My witnesses" (Yeshayahu 43:10) — since you are above nature, you are able to testify concerning all of nature that it comes from Him, Blessed be His Name.
Because Bnei Yisrael stand above nature, they alone can testify that all of nature flows from Hashem — fulfilling "You are My witnesses."
לכן כתיב מקודם ענה בי כו' זכר נא שבכח זה בנ"י מעידין עליו ית"ש בק"ש בכל יום והוא בכח יציאת מצרים:
For this reason it is written beforehand, "Testify against Me... remember now..." (Michah 6:3-5) — that through this power Bnei Yisrael bear witness to Him, Blessed be His Name, in Krias Shema each and every day, and this is by the power of yetzias Mitzrayim.
Hence the prophet first says "testify against Me," for through this elevated power Bnei Yisrael bear witness to Hashem in Krias Shema daily, a power rooted in the Exodus from Mitzrayim.
Summary: The Sfas Emes asks why Chazal sought to attach the recital of Parashas Balak to Krias Shema, and answers that the Balak episode revealed, through Bilaam, that Bnei Yisrael stand above nature and time. Whereas all sorcery and divination draw their strength from the forces of time and the heavenly mazalos, Bnei Yisrael possess a unique path whose power equals the very 'times' that govern nature itself — they are, as it were, at the root of time rather than subject to it. Because they stand above the natural order, only they can serve as witnesses that all of nature comes from Hashem, fulfilling "You are My witnesses." This is precisely the testimony Bnei Yisrael bear in Krias Shema each day, and its power flows from yetzias Mitzrayim — which is why the parashah of Balak was joined to the Shema.