“What have I done to you that you struck me this three times?
Numbers 22:28
Children have a sense of wonder at the ordinary. Why the wind blows, what thunder actually is, the way the spores of a dandelion fly.
Great artists and scientists often possess the rare ability to retain this child-like wonder. Van Gogh could look at a flower as if he had never seen a flower before. Einstein wondered what it would look like if you could travel on a beam of light.
As Balaam travels, alone, on his mission in this week’s sidrah to curse the Jewish people, his donkey disobediently turns away from the road and starts moving through a field. Balaam becomes angry and strikes the donkey. And then, something remarkable happens. His donkey turns to him and says, “What have I done to you that you struck me these three times?”. Balaam’s response is, “Because you mocked me”. His response is not, “What?! A talking donkey?”
