Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”LTo sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice! For comments and inquiries, email itistaught@gmail.comBilam's Journey to BalakIn the morning, Bilam wakes up and saddles his donkey. The fact that he saddled his own donkey shows how hatred disrupts the right order of one's mind, as he should not have saddled his own donkey. Rashi likens this haste of Bilam to when Avraham saddled his own donkey for Akedat Yitzchak.He leaves with the Moabite officers, united with them in mind, aware that G-d didn't want him to go but disregarded that.He brought two men with him and Rashi teaches that this demonstrates that a person of importance should travel with two people to serve him, and those two shall serve one another.G-d was angry about him going and He sent an angel of mercy to try to prevent him from going and perishing.This angel stood in the path in the road trying to block him. Bilam did not see the angel however his donkey did. G-d made it so that animals can see more than humans since humans would go mad if they saw too much due to their higher intelligence in relation to animals.The angel held a sword in its hand. Rashi says that this is because just as"the evil one" was putting aside his standard weapons to fight Israel with their weapon which is speech (the prayer of Israel is their weapon), G-d will attack this "evil one" with his weapon, i.e a sword.Upon seeing the angel, the donkey turns away from the road and goes into the field. Bilam strikes the donkey to try to get her to go back onto the main road.The angel stood now with a fence on either side made of stones. The donkey pressed herself and Bilam's leg against the wall.The angel went ahead of them, standing in a narrow space with no room to turn to the right or to the left.Side note: In total then, the angel is described as standing in the road three times with progressive amount of constraint. The Midrash Tanuchuma (chapter 8) describes that this was a progression of what was possible and not possible regarding cursing the Patriarch's descendants.First, the angel stands in the road with room on either side of him for anyone to pass. This represents Avraham who through bearing Ishmael and Keturah left openings for curses to come through them.The second time the angel stands, he is described as standing with a wall on either side of him that was broad enough just for two people to pass, i.e Bilam and his donkey on one side and one more. This second one was Esav whom Yitzchak bore and thus left room for curses to come through him.The third time the angel stood, he was in a narrow place with only room for one person to pass. This represented Yaakov who had only righteous descendants and thus no curse could have a hold on his family.The donkey saw the angel hiding under Bilam and Bilam hit the donkey with his staff out of anger. G-d caused the donkey to talk and the donkey said to Bilam "What did I do to you that you hit me three times*?"*Side note: These "three times" were an allusion to the fact that the Israelites are a nation that goes up to Jerusalem for a pilgrimage for three holidays.Bilam replied that it was because the donkey mocked him. He said that if he had a sword he would have killed the donkey by now. This last statement served to be very embarrassing to Bilam as the messengers of Balak who heard it thought, this person is planning to kill an entire nation using his mouth but he can't even kill his own donkey without a sword?The donkey retorted, "Am I not your donkey that you have ridden since birth? Do I usually act like this?" Bilam conceded that no he did not.G-d then uncovered Bilam's eyes so that he was now able to see the angel as well. The angel was standing with his sword drawn. Bilam prostrated himself.The angel said to Bilam, "Why did you strike your donkey three times? I blocked the road and thats why he turned away from the road. If your donkey hadn't had moved away from the path I would have killed you but let your donkey live."Bilam admits his guilt and said that he didn't know (and here again embarrasses himself by admitting that he doesn't know everything) that the angel was there on the road. He says in a hostile manner, "G-d told me to go, but now you, who are just an angel are telling me to go back? I'll go back if you tell me too."However, this is often G-d's manner to say one thing and then send an angel to contradict him. For example in Breishis Chapter 22 where G-d originally told Avraham to take his son up onto the alter (with Akeidas Yitzchok) and then later sent an angel to retract that command.The angel says, no go ahead ...
