Sources from essay by Rabbi Harvey J. Winokur in The Mussar Torah Commentary
This parashah is known for God giving adonkey the ability to speak, but there is much more to glean from these chapters. Balak, the king of Moab, is so concerned with the column of Israelites approaching his border that he sends messengers to bring Balaam son of Beor, a well-known diviner, to him. God comes to Balaam and instructs him not to go with the messengers, and Balaam obeys. Balak sends his dignitaries a second time, offering great riches to Balaam fi he complies. Balaam responds that riches will not persuade him because he must follow the commands of the Eternal. Balaam asks the messengers to remain overnight. During that evening, God comes to Balaam once again. This time God's message is:
-Rabbi Harvey J. Winokur
(20) That night God came to Balaam and said to him, “If the agents 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 ass and departed with the Moabite dignitaries. (22) But God was incensed at his going; so a messenger of יהוה took a position in his way as an adversary. He was riding on his she-ass, with his two servants alongside, (23) when the ass caught sight of the messenger of יהוה standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. The ass swerved from the road and went into the fields; and Balaam beat the ass to turn her back onto the road. (24) The messenger of יהוה then stationed himself in a lane between the vineyards, with a fence on either side. (25) The ass, seeing the messenger of יהוה, pressed herself against the wall and squeezed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he beat her again. (26) Once more the messenger of יהוה moved forward and stationed himself on a spot so narrow that there was no room to swerve right or left. (27) When the ass now saw the messenger of יהוה, she lay down under Balaam; and Balaam was furious and beat the ass with his stick. (28) Then יהוה opened the ass’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 ass, “You have made a mockery of me! If I had a sword with me, I’d kill you.” (30) The ass said to Balaam, “Look, I am the ass 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.”
If God gave Balaam permission to go to Balak, why would God then change course and try to stop Balaam on his journey?
In verse 20, God gave Balaam permission to go with the men as long as he only spoke what God told him to speak. The text then says that "when he arose in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and departed with the Moabite dignitaries (Numbers 22:21). The answer lies in the two-letter word "if" in the context, "If these personages have come to invite you, you may go with them" (Numbers 22:20). However, the following morning and without hearing from Balak's men, Balaam sets out on his journey.
Mussar would teach that Balaam shows arrogance and pride instead of humility and sense of mission at exactly the moment at which he saddles his donkey and begins the journey. We are meant to understand that it is Balaam's initial arrogance and lack of sense of mission that are making God angry - and therefore Balaam's anger at his donkey is entirely unjustified— and that, in turn, his donkey is right to get angry at him!
-Rabbi Harvey J. Winokur
What can we learn about kaas by reflecting on God's choice to use a donkey to make Balaam aware of his error in setting forth that morning? What can be learned about anger by looking at Balaam's angry response to the actions of his donkey?
When his donkey repeatedly strays from the path, Balaam responds by angrily striking his donkey three times. Balaam is blinded by his anger and unable to see the angel. He is so full of himself, so lost in ego, that he is dumbfounded by the actions of his donkey. If he were thinking clearly, he would have realized that his faithful donkey was trying to tell him something. Gerhard von Rad, a twentieth-century German theologian, has written, "In anger, God's will is hidden from human eyes."
God is angered, too, but uses the anger to teach Balaam. We read in the Torah that God
is "compassionate and gracious" and "slow to anger" (Exodus 34:6). Rather than lashing out at Balaam, God shows mercy by using the donkey to get Balaam's attention. Balaam does not get his anger under control until God gives the donkey the power of speech. Only after the donkey admonishes his master for striking her does he see the angel.
Anger does not allow us to se things clearly or at all. Anger clouds our minds and
makes us incapable of rational thought. In many ways, when Balaam is admonished by his donkey, he becomes the donkey. The Talmud instructs that "if someone calls you a donkey, put a saddle on your back."
-Rabbi Harvey J. Winokur
Through the unique story of Balam and his donkey, Parashat Balak us something about the challenges of being provoked into anger. Building on Mussar teachings, we are able to come to a better understanding of our responsibility to rein in our anger and create
a stronger connection to the Eternal. Understanding the ways we become angry is a significant part of our spiritual curriculum.
Therefore, we may pray:
May my heart be cleansed of useless anger.
May my eyes see the good in all.
May Igive the other the benefit of the doubt.
May I be a maker of peace.
Amen.
-Rabbi Harvey J. Winokur
A Question to Ask
Is it better to suppress anger or let it be expressed?