It's all about perception, stubbornness, and maybe even a little bit of divine humor.
So, the scene is set: Bilam, a non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Israelites, is on his way to do just that. But wouldn't you know it, an angel of God keeps getting in his way. (Numbers 22:24) tells us, "God's angel then stood on a narrow path through the vineyards, a fence on this side and a fence on that side.” Seems pretty straightforward. But the Rabbis in Bamidbar Rabbah dig a little deeper.
Why, they ask, does the angel need to hide on this narrow path? Why not just confront Bilam directly? It seems a bit… sneaky. But the text explains this is actually about God's character. A human king might send an executioner to relentlessly pursue someone for days. But God? God is different. The "executioner," in this case, the angel, stands in place, and the one deserving punishment comes to him. It’s efficient, almost… economical. The angel isn't troubled to chase after Bilam; he simply waits.
And that narrow path, the bemishol? According to this Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), it's not just any path. The angel essentially asks Bilam, "Are the vineyards – and here, the vineyards symbolize Israel, drawing on imagery from (Song of Songs 7:13) – sold like foxes, shualim?" It's a pointed question playing on (Song of Songs 2:15), suggesting Bilam thinks he can ruin Israel as easily as selling off a few foxes for profit. The "fence on this side, and a fence on that side," the Midrash continues, represents the Tablets of the Law, inscribed on both sides, as we read in (Exodus 32:15). These tablets are a powerful protection against Bilam's curses. He won't be able to overcome them.
But here's where it gets really interesting. The donkey, the poor, long-suffering donkey, sees the angel. Bilam doesn't. The donkey swerves, gets pressed against the wall, even crushes Bilam’s foot. And what does Bilam do? He beats the poor animal!
The Midrash asks, what did the donkey see that led him to precede him three times, before he appeared to him? And the answer is amazing. The angel showed Bilam the signs of the patriarchs. The angel revealed to Bilam that if he sought to curse the descendants of Abraham, he would find on this side and on that side the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Ketura. If he sought to curse the descendants of Isaac, he would find the descendants of Esau on one side, "it was pressed to the wall." The descendants of Jacob, he found no dross in them. That's why the angel stood in a narrow place, or tzar, which the Midrash connects to Jacob's distress, or vayetzer, in (Genesis 32:8), because there is no fault to be found in his descendants.
Finally, God opens the donkey's mouth, and it speaks! "What did I do to you," the donkey asks, "that you struck me these three times?" (Numbers 22:28). The Midrash points out that the donkey specifically says "three times" or regalim, alluding to the three pilgrimage festivals – Shalosh Regalim – that the Israelites celebrate. Bilam is trying to curse a nation devoted to God.
Bilam, naturally, is furious. "Because you abused me!" he cries. But Bamidbar Rabbah is quick to point out that even though he's speaking in Hebrew – the holy tongue – the language of an idolater is still despicable. The word he uses, hitalalt, even has connotations of sexual abuse, as in (Judges 19:25)!
The Midrash then offers a sharp analogy: Bilam is like a doctor who tries to cure a snakebite with a spell but can't even kill a gecko. The donkey essentially tells Bilam, "You can't even kill me without a sword. How do you expect to curse an entire nation?"
The princes of Moab, who are witnessing this whole bizarre scene, must be wondering what they've gotten themselves into. And, in a final, almost comical touch, the donkey asks Bilam, "Am I not your donkey, that you have ridden upon me from your start until this day? Have I made it a habit to do thus to you?" (Numbers 22:30). Some even say that Bilam initially denied that the donkey was even his! The Midrash suggests that Bilam must have been quite young, as the donkey was older than he was.
The Midrash concludes with a powerful thought: God spares the honor of even the wicked. As it says in (Leviticus 20:16), God spares the honor of people, knows their needs, and sealed the mouth of the animal. If God spares the honor of the wicked, how much more so does He care for the righteous! The implication is clear: even in this strange, almost absurd story, there's a profound lesson about divine justice and compassion. And maybe, just maybe, a reminder to listen to your donkey – it might just see something you don't.
“God's angel then stood on a narrow path through the vineyards, a fence on this side and a fence on that side” (Numbers 22:24). “The donkey turned from the road, and went” (Numbers 22:23) – this wicked one is going to curse an entire nation that has not wronged him, and strikes his donkey so that it will not go into the field, and it is written: “The angel of the Lord stood on a narrow path through the vineyards” (Numbers 22:24). Could he not have gone after him?35Why did the angel need to conceal himself in ambush rather than confronting Bilam directly? Rather, this is the attribute of the Holy One blessed be He. A flesh-and-blood king sends an executioner to kill a person, the executioner follows him for many days. The one who incurred liability for death eats and drinks, and the executioner follows him relentlessly from place to place. But before the Holy One blessed be He, it is not so. The executioner stands in his place, and one who incurred liability for death comes to him on foot. So that the angel would not be troubled to go after Bilam, he preceded him to the road. “The angel of the Lord stood on a narrow path [bemishol] [through the vineyards]” – He said to him: ‘Are the vineyards36Israel is likened to God’s vineyard (Song of Songs 7:13). sold like foxes [shualim]?’37Based on Song of Songs 2:15. Do you think that you will be able to ruin the vineyards in exchange for the money you received? “A fence on this side [mizeh] and a fence on that side [mizeh]” – you will be unable to overcome them, as in their hands are: “Tablets inscribed on both their sides; from this side [mizeh] and from that side [umizeh] they were inscribed” (Exodus 32:15). “The donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and it was pressed to the wall, and it pressed Bilam's foot against the wall, and he carried on striking it” (Numbers 22:25) “The angel of the Lord moved forward, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn right or left” (Numbers 22:26). “The donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and it was pressed to the wall…. The angel of the Lord continued passing” – what did he see that led him to precede him three times, before he appeared to him? He [the angel] showed him the signs of the patriarchs. Initially, there was space on this side, and from that side, “and the donkey turned from the road, and went” (Numbers 22:23). In the second, there was space to move only to one side. In the third, “there was no way to turn right or left.” What were these signs? If he sought to curse the descendants of Abraham, he would find from this side and from that side the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Ketura. If he sought to curse the descendants of Isaac, he would find the descendants of Esau on one side, “it was pressed to the wall.” The descendants of Jacob, he found no dross in them. That is why it said in the third: “In a narrow [tzar] place” – this is Jacob, as it is written: “Jacob was very frightened and distressed [vayetzer]” (Genesis 32:8). “Where there was no way to turn right or left” – as there is no dross in any of his descendants. “The donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and it lay down beneath Bilam, and Bilam's wrath was enflamed, and he struck the donkey with the staff” (Numbers 22:27). “The donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and it lay down beneath Bilam, and Bilam's wrath was enflamed, and he struck the donkey with the staff [bamakel]”38The word makleh means demeans (see Deuteronomy 27:16). – due to the humiliation with which it humiliated him. “The Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Bilam: What did I do to you, that you struck me these three times?” (Numbers 22:28). “The Lord opened the mouth of the donkey” – to inform him that the mouth and the tongue are in His control. If he seeks to curse, his mouth is in His control. “It said to Bilam: What did I do to you that you struck me these three times [regalim]?” – it alluded to him: You are seeking to uproot a nation that celebrates three pilgrimage festivals [regalim]. “Bilam said to the donkey: Because you abused me; had there been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you now” (Numbers 22:29). “Bilam said to the donkey: Because you abused [hitalalt] me.” Even though he speaks in the holy tongue, the language of an idolater is despicable.39The choice of the word hitalalt has connotations of sexual abuse, as in Judges 19:25, in the context of the concubine in Giva. “Had there been a sword in my hand” – this is analogous to a doctor who comes to cure one bitten by a snake with his tongue.40By use of a spell. On the way, he saw a certain gecko and began seeking a rod to kill it. They said to him: 'This one you are unable to overcome, how did you come to cure one bitten by a snake with your tongue?' So, the donkey said to Bilam: 'You are unable to kill me unless you have a sword in your hand. How do you seek to uproot an entire nation?' He was silent and did not find an answer. The princes of Moav began wondering, as they witnessed a miracle without precedent in the world. “The donkey said to Bilam: Am I not your donkey, that you have ridden upon me from your start until this day? Have I made it a habit to do thus to you? He said: No” (Numbers 22:30). Some say that he said to them: 'It is not mine.' It responded to him: “Am I not your donkey that you have ridden upon me from your start until this day?” You learn that he was not elderly, as the donkey was older than he was. “Have I made it a habit to do thus to you?” Once it spoke, it died, so they would not be saying: ‘This is the one that spoke,’ and render it an object of worship. Another matter, “have I made it a habit to do thus to you?” The Holy One blessed be He spared the honor of that wicked one, so they would not say: ‘This is the one that dismissed Bilam.’ If the Holy One blessed be He spares the honor of the wicked, it goes without saying regarding the honor of the righteous. Likewise it says: “And a woman who shall approach to any animal to mate with her, you shall kill the woman and the animal” (Leviticus 20:16), so they will not say: ‘This is the animal by means of which so-and-so woman was put to death.’ This is to inform you that the Holy One blessed be He spares the honor of people, knows their needs, and sealed the mouth of the animal. Were it to speak, one would be unable to subjugate it and withstand it, as this is the dumbest of the animals and the wisest of the wise men. When it spoke, he was unable to withstand it.
