Last weekend, Zea Bowling was attending a local community festival in Columbus, Ohio with her father. A street preacher was shouting his anti-gay vitriol at the top of his lungs. Zea had been told about the Supreme Court's decision to legalize marriage for gay couples and she knew that this street preacher was spewing hate and she did not want to just ignore him. So, she walked up to this "man" and silently held out a gay pride rainbow flag. As he leaned in to her and continued to shout in her face, she continued to hold out her flag in a silent demonstration of strength and resolve. The adults around her were moved to tears, and some showed their support by giving her "high fives" and fist bumps. They came to the festival for a good time and were rewarded with a lesson in the power of innocence over hate.  

In this week's parashah, Balak, we find the unusual and comic story of Balaam and his donkey. This story is in many ways a strange interlude from the battles and laws we read about in most of B'midbar. Here we read of Balak, the king of Moab, summoning the sorcerer Balaam to curse the Israelites. On his way to do so, Balaam and his donkey meet an Angel of God. Three times, the donkey sees the angel and stops, veers, and sits.  Balaam, seeing nothing, just grows angry and beats the donkey. Finally, after the third incident, the donkey speaks, and says "why do you beat me, do you not see the angel." Only then are Balaam's eyes opened and does he see the angel.

We learn from this talking donkey that words or actions from an unexpected source may often be just what we need to see things differently, to add a new perspective, sometimes for the better, but always enlightening. A child who stands strong in silence can do even more. Hopefully, we do not need to always have a child or talking donkey to open our eyes to new experiences or moral insights, but we should take those lessons to remind us that unexpected sources can broaden our sight and our insights.

Shabbat Shalom.