TheYeshiva.net - Rabbi YY Jacobson

Moshiach’s Donkey: A Drama in Four Acts

A Tale of 4 Donkeys: The One of Bilam, Avraham, Moshe & Moshiach

1 hr 48 min

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Class Summary:

Why does the donkey hold such prominence in the story of Bilam and in Jewish history? Bilam’s donkey was apparently created on the first Friday of history. Then, we are taught, that Moshe used the same donkey once used by Avraham. And that Moshiach will come riding on that same donkey! Moshiach's donkey has a long, prestigious history. But why is it the donkey that features so prominently? What is the symbolism?

Time and again the donkey makes its appearance through the generations, surfacing at key junctures of the messianic process. Each time we see it fulfilling the same function, but in a slightly different manner -- reflecting the changes our world undergoes as it develops toward its ultimate state of perfection.

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Please leave your comment below!

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Eli -6 years ago
New insight
Listening to the shiur gave me a deeper understanding of the passuk-

יודע צדיק נפש בהמתו

- A tzadik really understands his "chamor".

Thank you for a wonderful shiur!

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E
Eli -6 years ago
Even My Chamor says thanks for a transformative experience!
Wow. These tape are transformative.

Many thanks and blessings,

Eli,

Crown Heights

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MS
Moshe Susman -7 years ago
After understanding Bilaam's relationship with the אתון and חומר
I began to understand the end of the parsha. זמרי and כזבי their relationship and behavior was what Bilaam represented and the exact opposite of the praise tznius that he gave with מה טובו אהליך.
They were the exact opposite of tznius and where do Bnai Yisroel cry out in front of the ״אהל ״מועד
What then occurred was Pinchas taking a spear and killing them it seems that the angel with a dagger standing before Bilaam and the donkey and what their relationship represented was a prophetic vision and foretold what would happen at the end of the parsha as those who acted like Bilaam were killed by the spear/dagger through the act of Pinchas
It is also intriguing that at the end of the parshas Balak, Pinchas kills זמרי וכזבי
With a רמח the same letters as discussed earlier in the shiur
Thank you for your wonderful shiurim
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M
mordechai -7 years ago
I am in the middle of listening to Rebbes shiur on the four donkeys. Once again superb! Very much in line with the Torah from the Lubavitcher Rebbe on bris milah.
I just wanted to share one heara that I had. Perhaps we could suggest that these three madreigos is represented in the Mishnah of harbei lamaditi meirabosai, yoser meichaveirai umeitalmidai yoser meikulam. In the end we learn the most from the one we saw as the talmid. The guf teaches the neshoma something about Hashem that it didn't know. Just a thought.
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RFA
Rahel F Adye -7 years ago
i am gratified that my belief in the role of
guf/chamor as the more profound purveyor of geula consciousness (rather
than the neshama) is ratified and underscored. Wow!
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