The voices we dismiss may be the ones trying to save us

A talking donkey sounds like the beginning of a joke. Instead, Parashat Balak offers one of the Torah’s most unsettling lessons about leadership, certainty, and the dangerous things we fail to see. Balak, king of Moab, is terrified by the approaching Israelites. Convinced they pose an existential threat, he hires Balaam, a famous prophet-for-hire, to curse them. Balaam consults God and receives a clear answer:

You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed (Numbers 22:12).

You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed (Numbers 22:12).

The story should end there. But Balaam asks again. And again. Because sometimes the hardest answer to hear is the one we already know. Eventually, Balaam sets out on the journey. Along the way, an angel blocks his path. Three times the donkey sees what Balaam cannot. Three times she tries to save him. Three times he responds by striking her. Only then does the impossible happen. The donkey speaks.

What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?” (Numbers 22:28)

What have I done to you that you have beaten me these........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)