<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">1) Balaam advocates the destruction of an entire people. He is a hired gun (or mouth) who has exploited his prophetic gift and is willing to help implement a genocide for the right price. </span><br class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">This type of individual has separated himself from all people, hence, this position of his is coded in his very name Balaam, "B'li Am," "without a people." </span><br class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class=""> </span><br class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">2) Both Abraham and Balaam arise early and mount their donkeys. However, Abraham's donkey is referred to as "chamor," while Balaam's is called an "aton.” </span><div class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">Why the difference? Rabbi Ari Kahn points out that "chamor" (physical) suggests that Abraham transcends and harnesses the donkey - a symbol of the physical. </span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">But Balaam is seen no better than his donkey, therefore his donkey speaks to him -- the inference being that Balaam has descended to an animalistic level, </span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">and that is the symbolism of the donkey talking to him. <br class=""> </span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">I see it as "chamor" in the sense of "heavy" referring to Abraham, since he carries so much more weight than Balaam. On the other hand, Balaam's donkey is called “aton,” </span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">very similar to the word "etnan" which means a "harlot's pay” — quitet fascinating since Balaam prostituted himself with the intention of fulfilling Balak's request.</span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">"<b class=""><i class="">The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.</i></b>”</span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 17px;" class=""><b class="">Albert Einstein</b></span></div></body></html>