By God preventing Bilaam from cursing the Jews, was that not an impingement of Bilaams free will?
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Bil'am chooses to "say whatever God says". – Double AA Jul 03 '12 at 16:33
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1-1, no context indicating where God did so. – msh210 Jul 03 '12 at 16:37
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guys, if you don't know the answer, just say so – Jul 03 '12 at 17:02
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@BoelShamusToova Suppose it was. What's the problem? – Dov F Jul 03 '12 at 17:54
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Possible dup? http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/12200/did-hardening-paros-heart-mean-he-wasnt-really-responsible?rq=1 (There are additional considerations there beyond just the free-will question.) – Monica Cellio Jul 26 '12 at 14:50
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@MonicaCellio, not really a duplicate: one's about Par'o and one's about Bil'am, and they may have completely disparate answers. – msh210 Jul 26 '12 at 15:49
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To add to my previous comment; see http://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/18063/1601 – Dov F Jul 26 '12 at 17:35
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Bilaam had free will - but he also had a heightened awareness of Gcd's presence.
As a prophet he was acutely aware of Gcd's ability to punish; and he even got a "refresher course" on his journey, in the episode with his talking donkey.
Compare it to this: You find a perfect spot to park - but it's there's a no-parking sign and a policeman standing nearby. Would you consider that an impingement of your free will?
Of course not! You are simply in a situation with a heightened awareness of the law's ability to punish you.
Both you and Bilaam have the physical ability to do whatever they please - park or curse - so you have free will. But you both realize the consequences of making the wrong choice.
See this Q&A for a similar idea with Paro's free will.
Danny Schoemann
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In particular, this answer there: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/12202/472 . – Monica Cellio Jul 26 '12 at 14:48
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