Bilam the Wise and the Donkey
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

June 28, 2026, Israel

This past Shabbat in the synagogue we read the Biblical portion of Balak. It tells the story of Balak King of Moav and his attempts to defeat the Nation of Israel by the use of sorcery.  

And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moav was afraid of the people, seized with terror, because they were many; and Moav was overcome with dread because of the children of Israel. And Moav said to the elders of Midian: 'Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.' And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moav at that time. And he sent messengers to Bilaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying: 'Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me. Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me; peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.'  (Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers, Chapter 22)

Bilam, who believes in God, tells the messengers he must consult with God first, only then can he go. but God says, no. King Balak sends a second delegation, more prestigious than the first and with a much better offer, more gold, more silver, more honor, and again the faithful God-fearing Bilam says he must consult with God. He can only go with God's permission. 

Eventually God grants Bilam permission to go but warns him that "go with them; but only the word which I speak to you, that shalt you do.'

but then we read, that after Bilam got his donkey saddled and ready to go, as God had instructed him, "And God's anger was kindled because he went", but why should God be angry when after all, Bilam was only doing as God had commanded? and then they continue but God sends an angel to stop Bilam and his contingent. "and the angel of God placed himself in the way for an adversary against him.--Now he was riding upon his donkey, and his two servants were with him."

Bilam gets angry with his donkey for stalling, as he Bilam does not see the Angel of God, but the donkey does, "And the donkey saw the angel of God standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and the donkey turned aside out of the way, and went into the field; and Bilam smote the donkey, to turn her into the way."

Bilam tried hitting the donkey again and again, the donkey went from side to side but the Angel of God with the sword prevented her from moving forward. "And the donkey saw the angel of God, and she lay down under Bilam; and Bilam's anger was kindled, and he smote the donkey with his staff."

Eventually two supernatural things happen, first, the donkey begins to speak and starts rebuking Bilam, and next God opens Bilam's eyes to see what the donkey has been seeing all along, a humanlike figure with a drawn sword.

First, "And God opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Bilam: 'What have I done to you, that you have smitten me these three times?"

and then after stopping Bilam, and rebuking him, God lets' him proceed!!!  " And the angel of God said to Bilam: 'Go with the men; but only the word that I shall speak to you, that you shalt speak.' So Bilam went with the princes of Balak".

Bilam eventually reaches Moav, attempts to curse Israel but every word that comes out of his mouth becomes a blessing instead.

"How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce, whom God has not denounced?"

"For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the stock of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let mine end be like his!"

"Behold a people that riseth up as a lioness, and as a lion doth he lift himself up; he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain."

A careful reading of the entire story leads to much confusion. If God permitted Bilam to go to Moav, why was God's "anger kindled because he went"? and why was God angry with Bilam for not seeing what could not yet be seen? (the angel) and how is it that suddenly a donkey which does not have the anatomical ability to speak, suddenly begins to speak and make a rational argument?  And if God did not want Bilam to continue, why did he instruct Bilam, after the incident with the donkey, to continue to Moav and attempt to curse Israel? And is Bilam a God-fearing man as he portrayed at the beginning of the story, or is he just another evil man bent on the destruction of the Nation of Israel? and yet today we use some of his intended curses, which became blessings, in our daily prayer book!

There are too many contradictions in this story. Over the past thousands of years greater minds than mine, rabbis, scholars, researchers, linguists, have attempted to solve these questions. But none have come up with any conclusive definitive solutions. A discovery in Jordan revealed a non-Biblical source for the existence of Bilam. In 1967, a team of archaeologists under the direction of H.J. Franken of the University of Leiden uncovered fragments of a plaster inscription in a destruction level dating to around 800 B.C.E. at the site of Tell Deir ‘Alla in the eastern Jordan Valley. Among the writings were found fragments that mention the Biblical Bilam:

"The misfortunes of the book of Bilam s[on of Beo]r. A divine seer was he.

The gods came to him at night
And he beheld in a vision in accordance with El’s utterance.

They said to Bilam son of Beor:
“So will be done, with naught surviving,
No one has seen [the likes of] what you have heard.”

Bilam arose on the morrow,
behold…
He summoned the heads of the assembly unto him.
And for two days he fasted and wept bitterly.
Then his intimates entered into his presence,
And they said to Bilam son of Beor:
“Why do you fast and why do you weep?”
And he said to them:
“Be seated and I will tell you
what the Shaddai-gods have planned,
And go, see the acts of the gods.”  (Balaam the Seer: From the Bible to the Deir ʿAlla Inscription, Prof. Carl S. Ehrlich)

So we know that Bilam was an actual person who was regarded in his own day as a "Seer", a man who could see the future, and perhaps change it. 

Now let us put that into context of our own story. How does Bilam see himself? Well, the Biblical story tells us. He refers to himself as שֹׁמֵעַ אִמְרֵי אֵל, “one who hears God’s speech” (24:4, 16), and וְיֹדֵעַ דַּעַת עֶלְיוֹן “one who obtains knowledge from the Most High” (24:16), and מַחֲזֵה שַׁדַּי יֶחֱזֶה “who beholds visions of Shaddai” (24:4, 16).  (Shaddai is both the name of a Canaanite deity and for the Hebrews, one of the names or expression of the Divine God.)

We see the following verses in which Bilam describes himself. 

The saying of Bilam the son of Beor, and the saying of the man whose eye is opened;

The saying of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, fallen down, yet with opened eyes:

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not now. (I.e. I see the future). 

Thus, this is a man confident of his abilities. And yet what do we see in the story. Bilam is a man of words, his words are so beautiful that we use them in our prayers until this very day! He is a man of the spirit. Yet, when the donkey does not obey him, for reasons he does not yet know, he becomes frustrated. and what does he do? He beats the poor animal with a stick. He resorts to violence against a helpless creature, a beast of burden that has served him his entire life! "and Bilam's anger was kindled, and he smote the donkey with his staff." If I would have a sword in my hand, I would have killed you".

Such violence from a man of the spirit, a poet, a seer, as soon as one faces a little delay, some traffic, a flight delayed, suddenly the violent temper emerges. This here is a lesson for all of us, but in particular for Krav Maga students, and instructors!

What do we see in the world? Violence. And what is the image of a Krav Maga instructor that sells and brings in profits? the Bad Ass Tough Guy image, not the man of the spirit. Touch me and your first lesson is free. (I hate that slogan), Why? are we as short-tempered as Bilam? Will we explode as soon as we face a little obstacle. Get out of my way or I will beat you with my fists! I am a Krav Maga instructor! (Not in my book! Not with IKI) 

There is a lesson here, being a man of words is meaningless if you cannot control your temper during stressful times. If you have no control over yourself, you should have no control over others. Deal with yourself first. 

But there is more. Bilam, for all his vision cannot see what the donkey sees. Perhaps it is a parable, a metaphor for life. We are so educated, we think we are so smart, we have diplomas on the wall, but at times a brute animal is smarter than us and can see what we fail to see. A dog senses danger and starts barking long before we sense anything at all. 

Is there such a thing as a talking donkey, or is this a message of a more spiritual type? Be humble, the donkey saw what you did not see. In this case it was the Angel of God with a drawn sword but perhaps a donkey sees danger, perhaps there is an obstacle, perhaps the passegway is too narrow, a cliff, or too dangerous. 

A man who claims he can see the future cannot even see what is right in front of him. He cannot see what the donkey sees. True, this was deliberately hidden from him, but that is the message - don't be so confident in what you see, there are things hidden from you, there are facts you do not know yet. and when these come to light you will regret what you have said, you will have to apologize humbly as the great seer, Bilam, did. "And Bilam said to the angel of God: 'I have sinned; for I knew not that you stood in the way against me; now therefore, if it displeases you, I will return.'"

Some commentators say this story with the donkey has the purpose of mocking Bilam, to show that he may have visions from God, but he is not as great as the Hebrew Biblical prophets, he is not Moses, he is not Jeremiah, Isaiah or Ezeikiel. For me there is a message here, academic knowledge is not wisdom. Diplomas on the wall do not mean you know how to manage a crisis. A black belt does not mean you know how to protect yourself. 

When your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, you don't care if one of the passengers has a degree from Harvard, you would rather find a rugged Boer, a farmer, who knows how to fix a car and get you to where you need to go. Being a highfalutin professor rarely helps anyone stuck in the woods. The donkey sensed an obstacle, learn to respect that. Sometimes a "simple" person whom you did not value is the one who has the tools you truly need. Your words may be beautiful, but you need a donkey to guide you along the way, navigate the path.

Some are wise, but cannot see that which is right in front of them. Some have advanced degrees but fall into a rage upon the slightest temporary setback. 

Talking donkey or not, there is a lesson here. And that lesson has survived about 3,700 years. 

Perhaps one of the points of this episode is that Bilam the Seer does not really “know the knowledge of the Most High” ידע דעת עליון, as he claims, nor is he actually “one with eyes unveiled” גלוי עינים, but rather, at times he is blind to God’s message and messenger and dumber than a donkey.

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Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt Hall of fame, USA and Europe.

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