Animal rights advocates often ponder what animals would say if they could speak. The Torah provides an answer through the story of Balaam and his talking donkey (Numbers 22). As the Israelites wander through the desert, they pass through Moab, alarming King Balak. He summons Balaam, a prophet, to curse the Israelites. On his journey, Balaam's donkey sees an angel with a sword and veers off the path, causing Balaam to beat her. This happens three times until the donkey, enabled by God, speaks and questions Balaam's actions. Balaam, blinded by anger, doesn't realize the miracle and threatens the donkey. The angel then reveals himself, rebukes Balaam, and explains that the donkey saved Balaam's life.
According to Kohenet Yael Tischler (2020), a ritual-weaver, a Jewish educator, and a song leader, the story suggests that if animals could speak, they would defend themselves and criticize human brutality, offering insights we might overlook. For instance, what would a factory-farmed hen say about her life and the exploitation of her fellow hens? What might a monkey, whose forest home is being destroyed by human developers, express about habitat loss? What would the birds soaring above or perching in our neighborhood trees say about air pollution? These creatures have experienced the consequences of human actions on the planet in ways that many of us may never fully understand. To his merit, Balaam eventually acknowledges his wrongdoing and blesses the Israelites instead of cursing them . We should all emulate Balaam by repenting and correcting what we have been doing to our neighbours -- the animals who are innocent creatures of God.
Article link: https://www.vegantheology.net/post/the-relevance-of-the-balaam-and-donkey-story-to-animal-rights-activism-by-dr-chapman-chen
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