To recap the end of last week’s parsha, Chukat —as B’nei Yisrael makes their way toward actually entering the Land of Israel, they have to pass through some “enemy” territory. They come across the land of the Amorites, east of the Jordan river. (So in modern-day Jordan). B’nei Yisrael sends emissaries to speak to the Amorite kings, asking for permission to simply pass through their lands, not even stopping to drink water from their wells or take produce from their fields. The Amorim refused, and so B’nei Yisrael battles the Amorim and succeed, settling their cities.
The nearby country of Moab / Moav hear of this conquest and become nervous. Balak, the king of Moav, enlists a non-Jewish sorcerer / prophet named Bilaam for help. The king wants Bilaam, a powerful prophet, to curse B’nei Yisrael so they don’t overtake Moav.
Dignitaries of the king of Moav go to Bilaam and convey the message. G-d communicated with Bilaam through dreams, so Bilaam says, “Let me sleep on it and I’ll circle back.” G-d comes to him in the dream and says, “No! Don’t curse B’nei Yisrael”
So Bilaam tells the dignitaries he cannot do it. So even more important dignitaries come, and Bilaam again sleeps on it. G-d answers in a puzzling way this time. G-d says something like, “Look, if people came to get you, go with them. But you’re only going to be able to say what I will allow you to say.”
So Bilaam arises the next morning and starts toward B’nei Yisrael on his donkey. G-d is still angry that Bilaam insists on going, so G-d sends an angel to stop him.
Like Dr. Sam Beckett’s true identity in Quantum Leap, the Malach Hashem, the angel of G-d, can only be seen by animals (and I guess kids too?), so Bilaam is blissfully unaware. The donkey sees the angel, who is there to kill / stop Bilaam, so she (yes it’s a she-donkey) turns away from the road. Bilaam has no idea what’s going on, so he’s enraged and strikes the donkey. The donkey keeps on. But the angel is still in the way! So the donkey runs into a fence. Bilaam, again strikes it. The donkey continues. And again, tries to save Bilaam because the angel is now blocking a narrow path so that they cannot get by. Bilaam is striking his relentlessly when G-d suddenly opens the mouth of the donkey who says something like, “Why are you such a jerk!!! Have I not been a loyal mode of transportation for you??”
Then G-d opens Bilaam’s eyes so that he could see what was actually impeding his way. The angel backs up the donkey saying, “I was in the way and would have killed you if the donkey wouldn’t have turned away these three times!!!”
Bilaam is chastened (maybe? the commentary says he just said what he needed to to get the angel off his back, but who knows) and the story continues.
Bilaam goes to B’nei Yisrael, but as G-d promised, Bilaam is only able to speak blessings upon the people. So, he blesses them 3 times and goes on his way.
That’s how the story is resolved, but the part that sticks out to me every time we get to this parsha is the genuine cluelessness of Bilaam when he’s being kept from his own death.
How many times have you missed a flight, a bus, lost a job opportunity, been turned down for a date, been left out of a social outing, or any number of other disappointing things? All the time!!! These kinds of let downs happen ALL. THE. TIME. And maybe it means nothing and the world is just an amalgam of random occurrences… OR these were all merciful redirections.
Cont’d…
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opening theme: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed
