Why God Had to Uncover Balaam's Eyes to See the Angel

Midrash Aggadah, Numbers 22:31

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"And the LORD uncovered the eyes of Balaam." From here we learn that human eyes are not granted permission to see as He grants the beasts to see, for concerning the she-donkey it is said "and she saw," whereas concerning Balaam it is said "and the LORD uncovered." And why is it so? Because if a human being were granted permission to see the angels who walk upon the road, he would at once be terrified and go out of his mind. "And he bowed down and prostrated himself to his face." For he recognized that he was an angel and that he had come to kill him.

Themes

AngelsProphecyDivine Revelation

Biblical References

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Yalkut Shimoni on NachThe Angel Who Came Up from Gilgal to BochimA single Hebrew word, malach, means both "angel" and "messenger," and the sages press on that double meaning when they read that an angel of the LORD came up fr2 EnochHow Light And Darkness Were Created2 Enoch turns to How Light And Darkness Were Created. Before anything we can see existed, there were only invisible things. Then God, in His infinite wisdom, deLife of Adam and EveSatanael Refuses to Bow Before AdamSatanael refused to bow. The Life of Adam and Eve imagines the scene on the sixth day of creation. God has formed Adam, breathed life into him, and placed him b1 EnochEnoch's Vision Of GodEnoch, as we learn from 1 Enoch, wasn't just any man. He was righteous, a figure of immense importance in Jewish tradition. And he was granted something extraorLife of Adam and EveAdam Is Taken Into ParadiseOne such story, preserved in Vita Adae et Evae (The Life of Adam and Eve), tells of a remarkable vision. It's a bit obscure, not as well-known as other heavenly3 EnochA Vision Of MetatronFour sages entered Paradise, and only Rabbi Akiva came out whole. One of the most famous of these accounts involves four prominent sages who, according to the T