Parashat Balaq: שֶֽׁפִי | shéfi
We can also imagine that he has some preparations of his own that he doesn’t want the king to overhear. Maybe he wants to test whether it’s better to put “the sand of Yisra’eil” or “the dust of Ya’aqov” in the first half of the line describing how abundant this people is. Maybe he just wants to make sure his tongue doesn’t stumble getting out uthi aḥariti kamóhu. Above all, we can be sure he wouldn’t want to give Balaq a heads up about what he’s about to say — better that the king should have no idea what’s coming until the blessing is pronounced and there’s nothing to be done about it. Either way, he needs just a moment alone, a moment to gather his thoughts and his nerve, a moment where no one can report back what he’s preparing to do.
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