Parshas Balak

(The Segulah of Learning Zera Shimshon)

The pasuk tells us "Those that you bless are blessed, and whom you curse will be cursed." The question is why there are two different tenses –– bless in present tense and curse in future.

The Zera Shimshon says that when giving a bracha the blessing is immediate; Bilaam's bracha was immediate. A curse, however, is delayed and takes place at a point in the future, thus the tense is future.

He brings the example of Moshe Rabbeinu when Hashem told him to put his hand into his cloak and when he took it out it was covered in tzaraas. He then put it back into his cloak and before he even took it out it was back to normal. It only turned leprous with tzaraas after he took it out of his cloak, but already it was healed when he returned his hand to inside his cloak even before removing it for a second time. This is because blessing happens immediately, and a curse is delayed.

Source: Zera Shimshon Parshas Balak