It is necessary to understand why a Torah portion is named after a wicked person—Balak—when the Sages teach that one should not perpetuate the names of the wicked.
This can be understood by first considering the law that it is permissible to mention the name of an idol that is recorded in the Torah.
The Sefer Yereim explains that since the Torah itself mentions the idol, it has certainly been nullified. At first glance, this is difficult to understand, since we find idols mentioned in the Torah that were not literally eradicated from the world.
The explanation is that the idol is nullified for the Jew who studies that passage of Torah. The Torah mentions the idol in order to reveal its true nature—that it is “vanity and of no benefit.” Through its inclusion in Torah, its false significance is exposed and nullified.
For this reason, the Tosafists explain that the prohibition against mentioning the name of an idol applies only to a human being, not to Hashem. When Hashem mentions the idol in the Torah, the very mention serves to nullify it.
The same principle applies to Balak.
When the Torah mentions Balak’s name, it is not granting him honor or importance. On the contrary, it adds to his disgrace and becomes part of the fulfillment of the verse:
“The name of the wicked shall rot.”
Thus, the Torah’s mention of Balak does not elevate him; it demonstrates the futility of his opposition to the Jewish people and to Hashem’s plan.
On a deeper level, however, Balak’s name is mentioned because through him there came some of the most exalted blessings ever bestowed upon the Jewish people.
This also explains why the Torah’s prophecies concerning the era of Moshiach appear specifically in Parshas Balak and in the prophecies of Bilam.
In the future redemption, the prophecy:
“Kings shall be your foster fathers”
will be fulfilled, and the nations of the world will assist the Jewish people in carrying out Hashem’s purpose.
This theme is already foreshadowed in the story of Balak and Bilam. With the very same intensity and determination that Balak sought to curse the Jewish people, those efforts were transformed into blessings. The power that was intended to oppose Israel became the vehicle through which extraordinary blessings were revealed.
Thus, the placement of the Messianic prophecies specifically in the narrative of Balak teaches a profound lesson about the future redemption: not only will evil be defeated, but even the forces that once opposed holiness will ultimately be transformed and redirected to assist in the fulfillment of Hashem’s purpose in the world. This transformation is already reflected in Bilam’s blessings, where the intended curse itself became a source of blessing.