Balak

Adapted from a d'var by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner

When the seer Bilaam agrees to curse the Israelites for a hefty fee, his way is blocked by an angel. At first, Bilaam does not see the angel – but his donkey does. Bilaam, confused by the donkey's behavior, beats her with a stick, until she opens up her mouth and says, "What did I ever do to you to deserve this treatment?"

A skeptic once asked philosopher Franz Rosenzweig if he believed that Bilaam's donkey really talked. Rosenzweig thought for a while and answered with a wink, "On Shabbos when they read it from the Torah, I believe it."

With a similar trick, our sages of blessed memory explain that this talking donkey was one of the few exceptions to the natural order created by God on the eve of the sixth day of creation. Donkeys don't see angels or speak – except for Bilaam's donkey – and both these facts were determined at the time of creation.

Taken literally, the story of the talking donkey is obviously silly. Or is it?

People do routinely communicate with animals. And animals can and do know things hidden from human perception. In this parashah, even a donkey can see that Bilaam's mission is contrary to God's plan. The question is, can the great seer Bilaam raise himself to the level of a donkey? And, when we evaluate the directions our own lives take, can we do the same?

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