The Gemara discusses Bilam’s powers:
Bilam described himself as one who knows the mind of the Supreme One. Now Bilam did not even know what was on his animal’s mind. Could he possibly know what was on the mind of the Supreme One? Of course not! -? –
The Gemara explains:
What do we mean when we say that he did not know what was on the mind of his animal? For the Moabite emissaries said to Bilam: Why did you not ride a horse? He said to them: Usually I ride a horse. However, today I am riding a donkey, because I put my horses in the marshland to graze. Thereupon, the she-donkey said to Bilam in front of the Moabites: “Am I not your she-donkey?” “Merely for carrying burdens,” Bilam said, trying to cut her off before she could contradict him further. “That you have ridden on,” the donkey continued, contradicting Bilam’s contention that she was merely a beast of burden. “Only occasionally,” Bilam said, implying that ordinarily he did not ride her. “All your life until this day,” the donkey went on, contradicting Bilam’s contention that he had never ridden her except on rare occasions. “And not only that,” she continued, “but at night I perform marital acts with you.” This is deduced as follows: It is written here that the donkey said: Have I been accustomed (hahaskein hiskanti) to do such a thing to you, and it is written elsewhere: Let her be for him a warmer (sochenes). To this retort of the donkey Bilam was unable to make any reply. Thus, the donkey got the best of Bilam in their verbal sparring. How, then, could Bilam claim to “know the mind of the Supreme One,” that is, to know and manipulate the mind of G-d to allow him to cure the Jews, when it is evident that he was unable to know and manipulate even the mind of an animal?
Rather, what is the meaning of Bilam’s description of himself as one who knows the mind of the Supreme One? It means that he knew how to ascertain the exact moment at which The Holy One, Blessed is He, becomes angry. If Bilam cursed someone at that precise moment, the curse would be effective. And that is the meaning of what the prophet Michah said to Israel: My people, remember, please, what Balak king of Moav plotted, and what Bilam the son of Beor answered him; [remember the period] from the Shittim to the Gilgal, so that you may realize the benevolences of Hashem. What is the meaning of so that you may realize the benevolences of Hashem? The Holy One, Blessed is He, said to Israel: Realize, please, how many benevolences I performed for you in that I did not become angry all those days, in the days of the wicked Bilam when he was seeking to curse you, for had I become angry during any of those days no remnant whatsoever would have remained from the enemies of Israel. This is the meaning of that which Bilam said to Balak: How can I curse? G-d has not cursed, etc. How can I anger? Hashem has not become angry. This teaches that throughout all those days G-d did not become angry.
One must wonder why the Torah records the dialogue of Bilam with his donkey. The purpose of relating Bilam’s prophecy was for the honor of the Jewish People, but what prestige was involved in the conversation between Bilam and his donkey?
Rav Shlomo Vohlbe writes regarding the donkey of Moshiach that the donkey, called a chamor in Hebrew, reflects materialism. Although this is not the subject of this thesis, it is significant that chamor symbolizes materialism. The debate between Bilam and his donkey indicates a struggle of spirituality with materialism. Bilam in his arrogance claimed that the donkey was used merely for carrying burdens, and certainly a prophet like himself would not utilize materialism for any other purpose. The donkey refuted this claim by declaring that Bilam had actually copulated with her. This decadent act is clear evidence that Bilam, the one who claimed to know what was on the mind of the Supreme One, was in essence not even aware of what was on his mind, i.e. he was so sunk in depravity that his animalistic inclination dominated his intellect.
This incident has a great lesson for our generation. The forces of materialism are stronger than ever, and the Jewish People are being pulled involuntarily in that direction. Assimilation is on the rise, and our youth are being lured towards the temptations of the street in greater numbers than ever. What can be done to stem the tide? Bilam’s solution was to kill the donkey for ridiculing him. The Torah’s solution, however, is to “open the mouth of the donkey.” Identifying the roots of the evil is the first step in rectifying the epidemic. One must know that there is the ‘mind of an animal’ and there is the ‘mind of the Supreme One.’ Hashem, in His loving-kindness, does not become angry with us despite our acts of deviance. It is said: Ani Ledodi Vdodi Li, I alone am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine. If Hashem is tolerant of our behavior, this should not be interpreted as an oversight, Heaven forbid, but rather it is an indication of Hashem’s love for his chosen nation. We can channel this love to our children and acquaintances, and then we will merit the fulfillment of the words of the prophet Michah: He has told you, O man, what is good! What does Hashem require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your G-d?
Daf Drush 