Parshat Hashavua: Balak
Parashas Balak
I. Maintaining Bilam's Dignity
I would have killed you and let it (the donkey) live…(Bamidbar 22:33)
Bilam, a non-Jew granted the gift of prophecy by Hashem, was commissioned
by Balak, the king of Moav, to curse the Children of Israel. Hashem sent an
angel to confront Bilam on his way to B'nei Yisrael's encampment. Bilam was
not able to see the angel, but the donkey that Bilam was riding did see it
and stopped. When he tried to force his donkey to continue by striking it
repeatedly, the donkey miraculously spoke! It rebuked Bilam for his lack of
appreciation for all it had done for him. Bilam was unable to reply to the
donkey's rebuke. Rashi (ibid.) tells us that the donkey died immediately
after this episode; Hashem felt it would be too great a blow to the dignity
of Bilam for the donkey to remain alive, since people would point to it and
say, "There is the donkey that silenced the great prophet Bilam."
The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 93:10) quotes the sage Abba Kohen Bardela's
reaction to the story of Bilam's inability to answer his donkey's reproof:
"Woe unto us on the day of (final) judgment, woe unto us on the day of
rebuke!" Bilam's feeling of total embarrassment upon being admonished by
his donkey, having no justification to offer for his misdeeds and
ingratitude, served as a vivid lesson for the great sage Abba Kohen Bardela.
The shame that will be experienced by every person when he is called to
account for his actions on the day of reckoning can be seen to some degree
in Bilam's episode.
Wouldn't the donkey serve as a reminder to everyone of this important
lesson? A living reminder of the incident would be the greatest educational
tool that could be devised. People would see the donkey, recall Bilam's
shame and remember to mend their ways, to avoid being embarrassed on their
day of judgment. Was it worth losing this walking mussar exhibit just to
spare the dignity of such an evil person?
Hashem was teaching us by example how careful we have to be of each
other's honor. Even the most evil person, one who wanted to curse and
thereby destroy Hashem's Chosen People, deserved to have his dignity
preserved. Wicked Bilam was still a human and his honor had to remain
intact even if it meant losing the chance to teach the world an important
lesson. We have to bend over backwards to give everyone, our friends and
our enemies, the respect they deserve.
At times, we may be involved in an important pursuit, one that greatly
benefits not only ourselves, but also others, and someone's honor or
feelings will be slighted in the accomplishment of our goal. We are tempted
to say: "Push him out of the way. The needs of the many outweigh the needs
of the few." And this sentiment seems to be justified – should one endanger
a worthy objective, which profits the entire community, to protect the
feelings of a mere individual? Rashi's explanation of Hashem's reason for
not allowing the donkey to remain alive reminds us of the importance and the
greatness inherent in each of us, and shows us that the dignity of man comes
first. The ends do not always justify the means, especially when someone's
feelings or honor is at stake.
A Mid Summer Night's Pool Party