Bilam is confronted by his Jackass who speaks for all times for all the downtrodden and oppressed. Although the jackass sees the angel that is a menace to Bilam, it chooses to reprimand Bilam for his callousness. The reason is, that if you are so full of yourself that you cannot be opposed or criticized you aren't worthy of seeing the Angel!
Only after Bilam stopped to consider what the donkey said and respond accordingly , only then was he able to see the Angel that was prepared to destroy him.
The purpose of the donkey speech was to get him to reflect. The purpose of the Angel was to get Bilam to change. The question is why is it necessary to hear it from a jackass ?!Wouldn't an ordinary man suffice?
Bilam was a sorcerer. In order to be able to make things happen magically,one had to either be a woman who has reached her menses, or a man who engaged in bestiality. The Donkey wasn't just a ride for Bilam. She was his trusted foil who did everything he wished. The donkey was the eyewitness of Bilam's depravity.
History is filled with its' villains who used others to reach the top, only to do away with them. Hitler
was catapulted by Roehm, the organizer of the brown shirts. After seizing power, Hitler brutally had Roehm and his men eliminated in one lightning strike. Why? He didn't want to be beholden to anyone for his greatness.
So too, Bilam now wanted to kill the animal , the beast of burden that suffered his whims . Not so much because the donkey wasn't listening. It was that its' presence made him uncomfortable and the veering from Bilam's desired path was only a convenient excuse.
The call of the Jackass is the outcry of all tormented beings against those who tread upon others. It is the voice of conscience that keeps creeping in every stone-cold heart. It is the shriek of children abused , of men killed to satisfy sadism , of bereaved mothers and wives . The jackass spoke for all of us. Perhaps it is the donkey upon whom Moshiach will ride upon.
One thing is certain . Moshiach will take up the cause , that i have labelled the call of the jackass!
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2 comments:
To delve into the concidences in the German language: Roehm is very close to "ruhm" (fame) and Arian to Ehre (honor). Thus if these Germans pursued their famous Ruhm und Ehre chant, they went down really big time. And Bil'am did, too. One question I have with the Midrash that says that Balak's having built seven altars earned him the place in the chain of events that led up to Ruth? Was that so simple? To be against Bnei Isroel, build the altars, and he's saved (Olam Haba)?
i haven't seen that midrash. however, just because he set the matter into motion doesn't mean he got olom habo for it since his motive was evil.
what can be inferred is that within his nefesh resided a great soul-it was the evil part of kayin
who nonetheless does have his ultimate tikkun through Moshiach!
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