Just for a Moment
Ch. 22, v. 22: "Va'yichar af Elokim ki holeich hu" - Why was Hashem angered
by Bilom's going, since He said to Bilom "kum leich itom" (verse 20)? The
Chid"o in Nachal K'dumim answers with the gemara mentioned earlier, that
Bilom wanted to ch"v curse the bnei Yisroel at the exact moment of Hashem's
daily anger. The gemara says that since Bilom planned to do this Hashem
refrained from being angry during those days, contrary to His regular
practice. However, once Bilom took to the road and made his way to Moav,
Hashem returned to His daily "anger for a fleeting moment." Since Bilom was
travelling he didn't have the presence of mind to calculate the exact moment.
This is the meaning of our verse. Hashem was willing to be angry, as is His
daily practice of "V'Keil zo'eim b'chol yom" (T'hilim 7:12) because Bilom was
travelling.
Taken from Sedrah Selections - Balak