Balak
In Parashat Balak, in Perek 22, pasuk 21, the Torah writes "Vayakom Bilaam BaBoker Vayachavosh Et Atono." It says that Bilaam arose in the morning and he saddled his donkey. And he went with the officers of Moav in order to go curse the Jewish people. Rashi points out that from here you see how hatred disrupts the correct order of things. Bilaam was really not supposed to saddle his own donkey. He was a wealthy man and he had servants and he had slaves, but his anti-Semitism and hatred for the Jews was so strong that he went out of his way and did things out of the norm when he himself saddled his own donkey. It can be compared to the president of the USA putting gasoline into Chopper One or Air Force One before going on a trip. It is not befitting for him. This is what Bilaam did.
So Rashi brings down from the Midrash, that G-d said to Bilaam, "Rasha, Kevar Kademcha Avarahm Aveenu". G-d said to Bilaam; ‘you fool, Avraham the forefather preceded you in this act’, as was said, ‘VaYashkem Avaraham BaBoker VaYachovosh Et Chamoro’, that when Avraham went out to do Akedat Yitzchak, he had saddled his donkey. The point being, that Bilaam was not the first one in this act. Avraham, who was just as rich, did it before.
What does this Midrash mean? What is the significance of the fact that Avraham did it first? What is the connection of Avraham’s saddling of the donkey, to Bilaam’s saddling of the donkey? What is the point that Avraham did it first? Does the fact that Avraham did it first take away from the action of Bilaam?
So the Mefarshim explain that Bilaam was trying to invoke a great Kitrug (prosecution) and claim against the Jewish people. He was leaving on a trip to curse the Jews. So his actions of saddling his own donkey was showing how devoted and strongly he felt about his mission. For a man of stature such as Bilaam, saddling a donkey was a statement and great action. This passionate action of Bilaam was a proclamation of his hatred of the Jewish people. Further, he was comparing is devotion to the hatred of Jews, to the lack of devotion of the Jewish people to Mitzvot. Bilaam was sacrificing his dignity by saddling the donkey. He wanted to prove that his commitment to the hatred of Jews exceeded the commitment of the Jews towards Hashem. He wanted to show that the Jewish people don’t have such passion when it comes to serving G-d. So Bore Olam said to Bilaam; ‘you fool, you are wrong Bilaam, there is no claim against the Jewish people, as simply proven by the actions of Avraham Aveenu.’ Avraham Aveenu saddled his own donkey when going out to do a Mitzvah. Avraham was a wealthy man like Bilaam. And so you see, Bilaam’s entire testimony was invalidated. But, if Avraham Aveenu did not do this already, then Bilaam would have been correct in his declaration.
And that is the important lesson. We can not be less passionate for our religion, than the Goyim are passionate for their frivolity and for their vanity. For example, we see how in the winter time, Goyim sacrifice themselves as they sit at football games in sub-zero weather. They freeze as they watch the game and they even stay longer when it goes into overtime. This is dedication. And then unfortunately we see Jewish people at that same time of year complaining in the Succah, because it might be a little cold or the weather is not 100% perfect. We see Jewish people give excuses why they can’t do Mitzvot because it is too hot or it is too cold. The Goyim never complain when they are at a baseball game and it is 95 degrees. They sit there and sweat it out. But how many Jews would stay and how many would leave early, if the air conditioners would not be working for class in synagogue. We have to look at the Goyim to see how committed they are to their vanities, and we have to be just as committed to the study of Torah. That is the lesson ‘Kevar Kademcha Avraham Aveenu’, that Avraham preceded Bilaam, which means that Avraham had the same vigor and the same passion to the Mitzvot as Bilaam had to Anti-Semitism. And that is the lesson to us. You have to learn from them to learn how to serve Bore Olam.
