07-10-2025 Parashat Balak-Balam and his talking donkey

Due to a heavy travel schedule, I have missed  writing about several weekly sections. This week we  turn to one of the most unique sections of the Book  of Numbers and the story of Balaam and his talking  donkey.  

This week’s section’s name is Parashat Balak. You  will find it in the Book of Numbers 22:2-25:9. In this  week’s parashah we meet both Balaam and his  talking donkey. We also learn Balaam’s curse that  perhaps became a blessing.  

The parashah tells us that the king of Moab, Balak,  hired Balaam to curse Israel. On the road from Moab  Balaam’s donkey kept swerving from one side of the  road to the other and refused to follow Balaam’s  commands. In swerving the donkey caused Balaam  to injure his foot. The donkey’s quick changing of  course and its obstinacy infuriated Balaam who tried  to beat his donkey into submission. Finally, the  donkey could no longer stand the beatings and  spoke in human words to Balaam. The donkey  explained to him that there was a divine messenger  in on their path and if the donkey had not changed  course, then the divine emissary would have killed  Balaam and thus prevented him from cursing the people of Israel. In the end Balaam blesses the  people of Israel rather than curse them.  

On a macro level the text is morally neutral  concerning Balaam not describing him as being  either good or evil. Instead, the tale seems to  reenforce the idea that G-d will protect the people of  Israel even in the case of overwhelming odds. On a  micro or personal level this story makes us question  if all of us at times choose to see or hear only what  we want to see or hear rather than what lies before  us.  

In the case of Balaam it took a donkey to teach him  that none of us has all the facts and each of us at  times chooses to become blind to reality. In  Balaam’s case he was so sure that he was in  charge, that arrogance blinded him to reality Are we all too often so caught up in our own daily,  and often minor, “problems” that we fail to  appreciate the blessings that punctuate our lives?  

Should we see this donkey and the crushing of  Balaam’s foot as a metaphor to teach Balaam that  G-d is everywhere or does this week’s Torah portion  teaches us that knowledge is never static but always  dynamic? Is it teaching us that too often all of us at  times can be so arrogant that we allow ourselves to be blinded to facts as they are and not as we want  them to be? Is this week’s parashah teaching us  that wisdom comes about through humility? What do  you think? What does Balaam’s donkey teach you  and how you face the challenges in your life?  

Please pray for all who have died or suffered  losses in the tragic Texas flash floods.  ______________________________________________