<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; "><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Angus_Heifer.jpg" class="image" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><img alt="" width="300" height="226" class="thumbimage" style="border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; vertical-align: middle; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); " id="2bdef3f2-8d7e-4a80-93dd-c403619e5a3e" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:A5A25A49-55DD-4589-A25D-26590CF9D9EC@ri.cox.net"></a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 21px; ">"You won’t go broke if you
follow the chok, but if you don’t keep trying, you’ll keep on dying."</span></div><!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment-->
<div><br></div><div>Regarding the mystery of the para aduma whereby the ashes purify the defiled and defile the pure, I have given the following analogy</div><div>to my classes. If in the 17th century doctors were told there was a machine that gives off invisible rays and if you stand in front of it</div><div>for any length of time, it will kill you, the doctors would have you committed to a mental hospital. Well, fast forward...such a machine</div><div>indeed exists. X-Rays are invisible. For a sick people who have cancer, the invisible rays can save their lives. For healthy people, the</div><div>invisible rays can kill. Very interesting parallel to the mystery of the para aduma. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:
Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext">We see in this week's portion that Bil'am
strikes his donkey three times, until God gives the power of speech to the
donkey, <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:
Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext">who castigates Bil'am for his evil. Then God opens the eyes of Bil'am
allowing him to see the angel, and Bil'am confesses his iniquity. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> </span>I can't help but notice an amazing
parallel to the previous sidra Chukas. [Moshe also strikes the first rock once
(Shmos:17:6) <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> and this time twice (Bamidbar 20:11) making a total of three
times]. Moshe is supposed to speak to the rock but instead,
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> he strikes it and then the water pours forth. Bil'am strikes the
donkey three times and (as Moshe was supposed to have spoken <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> to the rock),
the donkey speaks to Bil'am. One of the main reasons given for
Moshe's sin was that had he spoken to the rock as <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> God commanded, it would have
been a much greater Kiddush HaShem. Also, we get more with words
(reasoning and communication) <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> than with violence (striking). So as it turns out
in the Sidra Balak, the donkey is the one who sanctifies God and teaches
us the power of speech. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> This is one animal that's far from dumb!</div></body></html>