Parsha Poster #40 – Balak: Beastly wordsAnd the ass saw the angel of God, and she lay down und

Parsha Poster #40 – Balak: Beastly words

And the ass saw the angel of God, and she lay down under Balaam; and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the ass with his staff. And God opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam: “What have I done to you that you struck me these three times?” And Balaam said to the ass: “Because you mocked me; if were a sword in my hand, I would have killed you.” And the ass said unto Balaam: “Am not I your ass, on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Would I ever have done this to you?” And he said: “No.”  Then God Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of God standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face.
— Num. 22:27-31 

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Balaam

By Barbara D. Holender. Originally published on thejewishpluralist.net, and used here with permission of The Jewish Pluralist.

How can I tell you what came over me?
Not that the beast found her voice–
any simple sorcerer can pull that trick–
but that I, the most articulate of men,
lost mine. It was as if a spell seized me;
my mind was perfectly clear, I knew
exactly my mission and, being practical,
I always find for the one who pays my rent.
It was my own mouth betrayed me.

No surprise, then, that I missed the messenger
on the road. There was no messenger.
Not then. Not for me. My thoughts were fixed
on the perfect phrase, the lethal message.
He’s smart, that Jewish God, he’s hard
to get around. But I’ve matched wits with gods
from everywhere in the neighborhood
and bested them. Not Him. Not then, not now.

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