Two Minute Torah Podcast

Balak 5768 by Rabbi Shalom Kantor

Shalom, my name is Shalom Kantor, KOACH – Hillel Campus Rabbi at Binghamton University. Welcome to KOACH’s Two-Minute Torah; a project of the College Department of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

The story of Balaam and his talking ass is one of the classic stories of the Torah. Balak, the king of the Moabites, hires Balaam, a prophet with the ability to bless or curse a group, to curse the Israelites so that the Moabites can successfully defeat them in battle.

As Balaam sets out on his mission, riding his ass, an angel appears and blocks the road. The only thing is- Balaam doesn’t see it but his ass does and refuses to move. Three times the ass attempts to avoid the angel in the path and each time Balaam proceeds to beat the animal as he assumes that the animal is just being stubborn. After three beatings, the ass finally has enough of this treatment and turns around and speaks to Balaam and complains that it doesn’t deserve this treatment. Only after this comical interchange does G-d “open Balaam’s eyes” and allow him to see the angel that had been blocking the road all the time.

Balaam had been so intent on the mission at hand that he could not see the Angel in the middle of the road. The angel in the middle of the road was a messenger from G-d, yet, the midrash teaches us that Balaam had been blinded to the presence of the angel because of the promise of the great riches he would receive once he cast his curse on the Israelites.

Every year when we get to Parashat Balak and the wonderful story of Bilam and his talking ass, I ask the question, “What message have I attempted to ignore? Who is that angel or messenger from G-d that I have attempted to go around or over? What message do I need to hear but would rather not?”

I bless us this Shabbos and this summer to take the time to listen to those angels in our lives that we may have each been ignoring. Shabbat Shalom