By the blessings of that wicked one, what was in his heart becomes apparent. Balak has the letters of Kabel [receive], whose quality is self-reception. Balaam has the letters of Lev-Am [heart of the nation], a nation that belongs to the stony heart.

He sent to him, “Behold, a nation has come out from Egypt,” meaning that the people of Israel has emerged from the Klipa [shell/peel] of Egypt, which is self-reception. Therefore, from this day onward there will not be dominance to those who are placed in self-reception.

Since Balaam is an Am [nation] of the stony heart, he wanted to spoil the method of Israel, who emerged from the control of the Klipot [pl. of Klipa] of self-reception. This is why he was compelled to bless, as our sages said, “A bad angel will say ‘Amen’ against his will.”

This is why he said, “How good are your tents, Jacob,” for “tent” means Torah, which is Katnut [smallness/infancy], Jacob. Afterward, we are rewarded with the quality of “Your dwellings, Israel,” by which comes the tabernacle of the whole of Israel.

Each time, there are Katnut and Gadlut [greatness/adulthood], as Baal HaSulam said, “And it came to pass when the ark journeyed, that Moses said, ‘Arise…’ and when it rested, he said, ‘Return.’” In other words, during the work there is rising, and at a time of rest, there is the quality of “returning.”

On one hand, Torah is Katnut, since when we feel a deficiency, we learn Torah, and through the deficiencies we achieve fillings, for where there is no lack, there is nothing to fill.

But when a person is filled in the tent of Torah, he shifts to “Your dwellings, Israel.” Yet, when he dwells in the tabernacle, it is called “when it rested, he said, ‘Return,’” meaning that there is no ascent in degree there, since “journeying” means walking from degree to degree.

Hence, when he achieves wholeness, he should immediately try to find a deficiency, and then he shifts to the state of “How good are your tents, Jacob,” which is the tent of Torah. At that time, he is in the degree of “Jacob,” which is Katnut. When he completes the filling through the Torah, he shifts to wholeness, which is regarded as a tabernacle, and so forth until he achieves complete wholeness. The beginning of the exit is from the exodus from Egypt.

The exodus begins not necessarily when he has departed, but even if he merely wants to emerge from Egypt, or even if he wants to emerge but cannot, and he has the strength to pray to the Creator to deliver him from Egypt, then he already begins to walk on the path of truth.