Parshat Balak: The Donkey Can Talk!

(20) That night God came to Balaam and said to him, “If the people have come to invite you, you may go with them. But whatever I command you, that you shall do.” (21) When he arose in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and departed with the Moabite dignitaries. (22) But God was incensed at his going; so a messenger of ה׳ took a position in his way as an adversary (a Satan). He was riding on his donkey, with his two servants alongside, (23) when the donkey caught sight of the messenger of ה׳ standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. The donkey swerved from the road and went into the fields; and Balaam beat the donkey to turn her back onto the road. (24) The messenger of ה׳ then stationed himself in a lane between the vineyards, with a fence on either side. (25) The donkey, seeing the messenger of ה׳, pressed herself against the wall and squeezed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he beat her again. (26) Once more the messenger of ה׳ moved forward and stationed himself on a spot so narrow that there was no room to swerve right or left. (27) When the donkey now saw the messenger of ה׳, she lay down under Balaam; and Balaam was furious and beat the donkey with his stick. (28) Then ה׳ opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?” (29) Balaam said to the donkey, “You have made a mockery of me! If I had a sword with me, I’d kill you.” (30) The donkey said to Balaam, “Look, I am the donkey that you have been riding all along until this day! Have I been in the habit of doing thus to you?” And he answered, “No.”

(31) Then ה׳ uncovered Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the messenger of ה׳ standing in the way, his drawn sword in his hand; thereupon he bowed right down to the ground. (32) The messenger of ה׳ said to him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? It is I who came out as an adversary, for the errand is obnoxious to me. (33) And when the donkey saw me, she shied away because of me those three times. If she had not shied away from me, you are the one I should have killed, while sparing her.” (34) Balaam said to the messenger of ה׳, “I erred because I did not know that you were standing in my way. If you still disapprove, I will turn back.” (35) But the messenger of ה׳ said to Balaam, “Go with the people. But you must say nothing except what I tell you.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s dignitaries.

ויפתח ה׳ את פי האתון, He provided her with the ability to speak; we are familiar with the verse in Psalms 51:17 which we recite daily before our prayers, asking G’d ה׳ שפתי תפתח, O Lord please open my lips.” G’d went to all these lengths in order to provide Bileam with yet another incentive to become a penitent. Solomon in Proverbs 16,1 points out מה׳ מענה לשון, “the answer of the tongue comes from G’d.” Even when man is not prepared to change his way for the better, G’d, on occasion, initiates a step in this direction; how much more so will He extend a helping hand to sinners who seek to mend their ways! All of this in order to save the sinner from perdition.

AND THE ASS SAW THE ANGEL OF THE ETERNAL. Angels of G-d — which are Separate Intelligences — cannot be perceived by the [human] sense of sight, for they are not physical beings which can be apprehended by sight. And when they become visible to prophets or to men possessed of Ruach Hakodesh (the spirit of God), such as Daniel, they are apprehended by them through the perception of the rational soul...but that the angels should be perceived by the eyes of an animal — that is impossible! Therefore you could explain the phrase "and the ass saw [the angel of the Eternal]" to mean that she felt the presence of something which frightened her off from passing on. It is, however, possible that the One who gave the ass the power of speech also bestowed upon her an additional power of vision, so that she saw the likeness of a human being, although Scripture does not mention it. Thus G-d opened the eyes of the ass [and she indeed saw the angel], just as Scripture mentions [later] in regard to her master, [And the Eternal opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Eternal]. For the whole matter of the ass was a great miracle, being a “new creation” like those that were created at twilight [on the eve of the first Sabbath].

(6) Ten things were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight, and these are they: [1] the mouth of the earth, [2] the mouth of the well, [3] the mouth of the donkey, [4] the rainbow, [5] the manna, [6] the staff [of Moses], [7] the shamir, [8] the letters, [9] the writing, [10] and the tablets. And some say: also the demons, the grave of Moses, and the ram of Abraham, our father. And some say: and also tongs, made with tongs.