Balak - בלק : "Balak"
Torah : Numbers 22:2-25:9
Haftarah : Micah 5:6-6:8
Gospel : John 13-14

Thought for the Week:

Just because we cannot see the spiritual does not mean that we should be unaware of its presence. After opening the donkey's mouth so that it could speak, God opened Balaam's eyes so that he could see the angel too. The implication is that ordinarily we are no more capable of seeing spiritual beings than animals are capable of uttering human speech.

Commentary:

And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" (Numbers 22:28)

The story of Balaam's talking donkey makes a popular children's story. But it is not a fairy tale. The Torah relates the conversation in a matter-of-fact manner, simply explaining that "the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey" (Numbers 22:28). The implication seems to be that all animals would be capable of speech if only God opened their mouths. Remember the talking serpent in Eden?

When the donkey speak...