One of the mitzvot (commandments) Jews have is “Shmirat HaLashon” - Guarding the Tongue from evil speech.  This is not about lieing.  It’s about gossiping, relaying harmful (but true) information to others about your fellow man.

Guarding against this behavior has been led by a Rabbi we refer to as “The Chafetz Chaim” (The Life Seeker).

***************

(image courtesy of inventorspot.com)

(Source: SimpleJew)
A Simple Jew asks:

As a Bas Noach (daugher of Noah) living in South East Asia, how did you first learn about the Chofetz Chaim? Why do you feel so attached to his teachings?

“Believing Gentile” answers:

When the Internet came to where I live around the early 1990’s, both my sons told me that now was the opportunity to seek teachings from the Chosen People.

Years earlier, I had responded to my younger son saying that there was no way we would ever, ever be able to study from the Jewish people from here. I remember he told me then, “G-d only gave them the Holy Scriptures so they are the only true teachers.”

I forgot his words until the Internet came. What I had years earlier thought was impossible, Hashem made it possible.

I know its a miracle, a blessing from G-d, that I entered the Orthodox sites at my first search and entry.

I feel G-d brought me first to the Chofetz Chaim’s teachings since controlling my speech is the area where I needed the most improvement. It is the most damaged part of myself that I needed to correct in order to draw nearer to G-d.

In my early years, I was taught that doing penance by saying “Hail Mary” and “Our Father” was enough to remove any sins, speech or otherwise. However, I have come to see that this belief is false. The words we speak don’t just go away. They can sometimes cause untold harm.

I carry with me always a small portrait picture of the Chofetz Chaim, which my Torah tutor Reuven Ginat sent me by email, years ago, along with a picture of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. They are outstanding examples of our times and I seek protection for myself in their merits and strive to follow their teachings. Quoting from an article from Rabbi Dovid Sears on this site, “We may not be able to see with the eyes of the tzaddikim (righteous people). But as we try to find our way through the confusions of this world, at least we should strive to heed their directions.”

Keeping in mind the famous story of Reb Zusia of Anapol, I know that I am not expected to be at the Chofetz Chaim’s level, but I know that I am answerable to the Seven Laws which G-d gave us believing Gentiles and which He gave us the capacity to fulfill.

May the merits of this great tzaddik (righteous person), the Chofetz Chaim, protect my family and me from evil speech.

I’m searching for a reputable site discussing tzedakah (charity) with regards to Noahides.

That includes a mention of the general rule of the 20% (one fifth) minimum and the precept that giving often is preferable.

Have been looking, haven’t found it.

-CY

Dear CY,

Next time, instead of searching on Google, try searching here:
http://4torah.com/ That’s a customized Google search by selected Torah-oriented websites.

You can even narrow the search by clicking “Noachide” on the homepage.

For all things Noachide, go here: http://www.WikiNoah.org

I also would note that the notion of a 20% minimum is not correct.  The number “20%” is the maximum amount that the rabbis instituted for Jews, lest the giver himself become impoverished, ch”v.

The exception is for those who are very wealthy and have the means to give great amounts - they can and should give beyond 20%, instead of spending the money on speed boats and extra vacation homes.  Of such people, my rabbi says “G-d gives you money so you can give it away.”

********

The laws below are sited by Rabbi Yoel Schwartz who is the rabbi designated to lead the High Court of Bnei Noach in Jerusalem.  See more at WikiNoah.

Here’s what the Torah Law is for Bnei Noach¹ as regards tzedakah (charity):

A Noahide is called upon to give to charities and persons in need. According to Rav Saadiah Gaon, it is commendable for a person to tithe, meaning that he set aside up to one tenth of all his earnings for this purpose. However, a person need not deprive himself of his own basic necessities in order to give to others.

According to Ezekiel, one of the reasons for the punishment of Sodom was that the poor people there were not given alms. It is worthwhile that a person keep a special account for such a purpose, and once a week or month he should transfer it to good causes. It is best to transfer it directly to the needy people.

A Noahide is called upon to act in a graceful manner and to be benevolent. One should be hospitable and a good host with all his heart as Abraham did.

There are eight degrees of charity², one higher than the other:

1. The highest degree is to aid a man who is in danger of losing his financial independence by offering him a gift or a loan, by entering into partnership with him, or by providing work for him, so that he may remain self supporting.

2. The next highest degree is where the one who gives and the one who receives are not aware of the identity of each other.

3. The third, inferior degree, is when the giver knows who is the recipient, but the recipient does not know who is the giver.

4. The fourth, still lower degree is where the recipient knows who is the giver, but the giver does not know who is the recipient.

5. The fifth degree is where the giver puts the alms into the hands of the poor without being asked.

6. The sixth degree is where he puts the money into the hands of the poor after being asked.

7. The seventh degree is where he gives less than he should but does so cheerfully.

8. The eighth degree is where he gives resentfully.

May you merit to give an abundance of tzedakah, and never come to need to receive it.

Regards,

Daniel

P.S.
While on the topic of tzedakah, I would note that it is the only investment of your money that is GUARANTEED to pay off. Think about that next time you see the stock market roller coaster headlines.

I admit I should have posted this 2 weeks ago, at the beginning of this month.  My apologies.  Please forgive me.

Rosh Hashanah is coming up quickly.

- The day that Hashem is declared Master over the entirety of Creation, including each and every one of us!
- The anniversary of the day homosapiens were imbued with the soul (the 6th Day of Creation), separating them from the animal kingdom!
- The day that the Creator judges the entirety of Creation!

How can you ensure a wonderful Rosh Hashanah when you stand before the King?

Just like marathon runners prepare many days in advance of their big day, so too must we prepare ourselves in advance.  In fact, we don’t even do teshuvah (repentance) on Rosh Hashanah itself - it’s all supposed to be done now, leading up to the day of judgment!

So here’s how you can get started.

1) Download and read the Rosh Hashanah Celebration guide by the Oklahoma B’nai Noach Society.
2) Don’t (just) make a “New Year’s Resolution” on Rosh Hashanah.  Instead, make and do your resolution now.
3) Take time each day to talk with Hashem.  Go over the past year.  Review your life.¹

Below is the Table of Contents from the OKBNS Rosh Hashanah Celebration guide.

This wonderful guide they have designed with Rabbinic support is not meant to establish a single obligatory standard for all Bnei Noach.  Rather, it is a guide for those who feel that such a guide will enhance there connection to and service of Hashem.  This is important to understand, lest people mistake this for a new religion.
See “About this Book” page 3.

Table of Contents

About this book………………………………………………………………………………….3
Rosh Hashanah (New Year)……………………………………………………………….5
Prayer……………………………………………………………………………………………8
Prayer Customs……………………………………………………………………………8
Pre-Prayer Meditation……………………………………………………………………9
Kindling Lights…………………………………………………………………………….10
Psalms 1……………………………………………………………………………………11
Prayer for Parents……………………………………………………………………….11
Prayer for Children………………………………………………………………………11
Prayer for Remembrance……………………………………………………………..11
Rosh Hashanah Celebration Meal ……………………………………………………..13
Kiddush………………………………………………………………………………………..14
Washing of the Hands……………………………………………………………………14
Symbolic Foods…………………………………………………………………………….15
Against Idolatry…………………………………………………………………………..15
Against Theft………………………………………………………………………………15
Establishing courts of Justice………………………………………………………..15
Against Blasphemy……………………………………………………………………..16
Against Homicide………………………………………………………………………..16
Against Elicit Behavior…………………………………………………………………16
Against Eating the Limb of a Living Animal …………………………………….16
Merits of Society…………………………………………………………………………16
Blessing for Bread…………………………………………………………………………16
Blessing for Apples………………………………………………………………………..17
Eat the Festive Meal…………………………………………………………………………17
Blessing After the Meal……………………………………………………………………..17
Blessing of the New Moon…………………………………………………………………18
Shema……………………………………………………………………………………………19
Song………………………………………………………………………………………………20

The positive attitude of Judaism toward sexuality stands in sharp contrast with a more negative picture that developed in early Christianity. Although Christians disagreed on the nature of Adam’s sin in the Bible, it was generally believed to be tied up with sexuality. Paul particularly emphasized this attitude. According to Elaine Pagels, a Christian scholar:

“He [Paul] often speaks of marriage in negative terms, as a sop for those too weak to do what is best: renounce sexual activity altogether. Paul admits that marriage is ‘not sin’ yet argues that it makes both partners slaves to each other’s sexual needs and desires, no longer free to devote their energies ‘to the Lord’ [1 Cor. 7:1‑35].

Admittedly, Paul was speaking to a community that believed the kingdom of God was imminent. Even after such hopes failed, however, this identification of sex with sin was further developed by the early fathers of the church, particularly Augustine, and has remained influential in Christianity to this day.”

The concept that the sin of Adam and Eve was related to sexuality is not a mainstream idea in Torah. On a number of levels, I’m not qualified to speak about the true perspective that G-d’s Torah gives us on sexuality. So I’ll leave it to one of the holiest rabbis in Jewish history:

“We the possessors of the Holy Torah believe that G-d, may He be praised, created all, as His wisdom decreed, and did not create anything ugly or shameful. For if sexual relations were repulsive, then the reproductive organs are also repulsive…If the reproductive organs are repulsive, how did the Creator fashion something blemished? If that were so, we should find that His deeds were not perfect.” (attributed to Nachmanides)

Like most other things the Torah instructs us to do or not to do, it all boils down like this: proper time, proper place, proper person.

In the Code of Jewish Law it says:

Here is, in the language of the Rambam zt”l, the basic Torah commandment of prayer, at the very opening of his Laws of Prayer:

“The Torah does not set the number of prayers [to be said each day], it does not give its formulation, it does not set fixed times for prayer… the obligation to pray is for a person to beseech and supplicate each day;

1. to [first] praise HaShem,
2. then implore and beg for what he needs,
3. and then to thank HaShem for His goodness to him,

each one the way he can. If he is fluent, he elaborates his supplications and requests; if he is not articulate, he speaks the way he can, and any time he wants.

So too, the number of prayers a day is according to each person’s capability. One will pray once a day, and another several times.

And everyone prays in the direction of the Temple, from wherever he is. This is how it was done since the time of our teacher Moses until the time of Ezra”.

This is the proper way to turn to God, for Jews as well as Gentiles. It changed for Israel at the time and Ezra, and for Gentiles it is still the same.

In the Second Temple period¹, Ezra and the Men of the Great Assembly established structured, organized, set prayers for the Jewish people. One reason for this was to ensure unity within the Jewish people, having seen the division and destruction that exile caused within the Jewish people.

However, prior to Ezra, the way of prayer for Jews was the same as it was - and is - for Gentiles today, as described above by Rambam.

Rabbi Schwartz² also implied that [Bnei Noach] saying their own [personal] prayers may be the ideal situation, but has ruled that a BN may pray all the prayers from the Jewish prayer book.

Some prayers however don’t make sense for a BN to say, so the [Oklahoma Bnai Noah] prayer book was an attempt to select the prayers and wording that would be more applicable to BN, but still parallel the Jewish prayer book. The nascent Sanhedrin supports Rabbi Schwartz rulings in these matters.³

That is to say, it seems that ideally a Noahide should pray directly from the heart, without an organized prayer book as a guide.

However, if the need arises, one can use the OKBNS prayer book, which is similar to the Jewish prayer book - only modified to be more relevant to Bnei Noach.

For advice on praying from the heart, see Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, amongst the many other ways and guides for opening up personal prayer to Hashem.

As a follow up to yesterday’s post on the real names for the days of the week, here’s an answer to a very common and important question for Bnei Noah.

How Do Noahides Observe the Sabbath (Shabbat / Shabbos)?

(source: WikiNoah.org)
(excerpted from “Noahide Commandments” Download PDF | View Online)

Rabbi Yoel Schwartz (Jerusalem Court for Bnei Noah)

A Noahide should not observe the Shabbat in the manner that a Jew does. Nor should he make a point of abstaining from hard physical work on the Shabbat. A Noahide should not give occasion for a Jew to break the Shabbat.

There are those who say that every Ger Toshav (a non-Jew living in Eretz Yisrael in the time of the Jewish Temple, who has formally accepted the obligation to observe the Noahide laws in front of a Jewish court) has to uphold and keep the Sabbath (Rashi, Kritot 9, Yevamot 40). There is room to suggest that the Noahides, even nowadays, by accepting to fulfill the seven commandments, are in the same category as a Ger Toshav and should, according to Rashi, be required or at least allowed to keep the Shabbat. So I (Rav Schwartz) would like to suggest that this is the way that the Noahides could celebrate the Seventh Day, a day of refraining from his vocation. On the eve of the Sabbath (Friday night), they might have a festive family dinner with special food and light candles after sundown in honor of the Seventh Day, which was given to Adam and Noah (and to make the Noahide celebration of the Shabbat distinct from the Jewish Shabbat observance). During the meal they may sing songs to strengthen their belief, including songs about the creation. They may read from the Torah. They should not call this day the Sabbath, but the Seventh Day as it is written in Genesis.

On the Seventh Day itself, if they can arrange it without difficulty, they should refrain from going to work. If possible, they should go out to the fields or a park so as to feel close to the Creator of the world. If the congregation holds a prayer session, they may recite the Psalms connected to the Sabbath and to the creation (like Psalm 104). Also they should study portions of the Torah connected to commandments of the children of Noah. They can study from the weekly portion of the Torah being read that Sabbath in the synagogues those subjects which concern all mankind and skipping those topics that concern specifically the Jews.

At the end of the Sabbath (Motzai Shabbat), the end of the Seventh Day and the beginning of the new week, they can recite the prayer for the new week (Havdalah) after having lit a havdalah candle, to thank G-d for having taught Adam how to make fire, which is the source of all energy that enabled man to make changes in this world. This Havdalah prayer, that separates the Seventh Day from the beginning of the week, can be recited as a Noahide wishes and can go something like this.

Blessed are you our G-d, King of the Universe, Who differentiates between darkness and light, between day and night, between the seventh day from the first day of the week, between the clean and the unclean, between the sacred and secular, between holy days and regular days, between Israel and the rest of the nations, who together are partners in one holy objective, to make Your Name holy in this world. AMEN.

(See more in the lengthy discussion here.)

(Source: BeingJewish.com)

(Please note that if your mother was Jewish before you were born, whether observant or not, then by Jewish Law you are also Jewish, and you do not need to convert. Please contact an Orthodox Rabbi for guidance.)

So, you want to become Jewish. I applaud your goal.

Becoming Jewish is, as you realize, a significant and life-changing event. It is not a small matter by any means.

But before you start, consider a few things. When a Gentile wants to become Jewish, the Rabbis are required to try to dissuade him. Only the very sincere make it through the entire process. And the process can take a long while. It may not turn out to be easy.

Becoming Jewish means that most of what you were taught about spirituality until now will be irrelevant, and in many cases wrong. You must drop the religious beliefs taught you by whatever other religion(s) you once followed or read about. People sometimes ask me, “Can I convert to Judaism and still believe in Jesus?” The answer is no. This is not something negotiable in Judaism. Jewish doctrine about G-d is core and inviolate. Non-Jewish beliefs about G-d invalidate a conversion (and Jesus is a prime example of a non-Jewish belief about G-d, no matter what anyone tells you). So this could be a major change for anyone contemplating conversion to Judaism. If this is difficult for you, then you should not be considering conversion at all.

You must also accept the fact that it is Hashem’s Torah that defines what is right and what is wrong, what is spiritual and what is mundane, what elevates a person and what lowers him. Human beings do not make those determinations, and every such decision that a Rabbi makes is based on Torah precedent, i.e., established Jewish Law.

Your life style will also change, as well as the way you think about many things. Even the meaning of some words will change, especially if you have been Christian: words like “confession,” “heaven,” “patrilineal descent,” “Messiah,” “savior,” and others.

It also means that your relationships will change. Not all your friends will be happy that you’ve become Jewish. Worse yet, your family members might disown you, as often happens.

When your parents, your siblings, even your children, sit down to eat a meal, you will often not be allowed to join them. You won’t even be able to attend some of their joyous occasions. It is forbidden for a Jew to enter most non-Jewish places of worship. If your own baby sister gets married in a church, you will not be able to attend. If you have non-Jewish children from before you converted, you will not be allowed to attend any occasion they make in a church or any religious gathering. (If this occurs, make sure to consult with an Orthodox Rabbi before making any decision. There may be a solution.) Nor will you be allowed to celebrate Christmas or Hallowe’en, or any other religious holiday except the Jewish holidays.

And you will have to learn many rules. You will have to wear less revealing clothing all year round (which in the summer can make you feel hotter); you will have to be concerned wherever you go about the food you can buy and eat; you will have to make sure that you don’t carry anything in your pockets outside your home on the Sabbath, and many other considerations. You will need two sets of dishes, two sets of pots and pans (and at least one more set for Passover), and you will have to keep different types of food separate. You will have to wait six hours after eating meat foods before eating dairy foods. Judaism will guide your steps and your thoughts every moment of your waking life.

As a convert to Judaism, you will be a Jew — a full-fledged Jew. Think about the word “Jew” for a minute. It’s a title we bear proudly, yet it’s a word that comes from many mouths as a curse and insult. Of course, that’s silly. It’s like when a little boy thinks he’s insulting a girl by calling her “girl!” Not only is it not an insult, but it should be borne proudly and openly.

When I was thirteen years old, my friend and I were riding our bicycles through the side streets of Brooklyn, New York, when some Gentile boy (a little younger than us, it seemed) yelled at us jeeringly, “Jew!” I turned around and yelled back at him, “Thanks!” My friend almost fell off his bike laughing. I couldn’t — and still can’t — understand the attitude of that kid and people like him. I dress in what is an unmistakably Jewish style. I have noticeable payos (sidelocks, as per the Torah’s Commandment in Leviticus 19:27). I’m obviously not trying to hide the fact that I’m Jewish. Did he really think I’m embarrassed to be a Jew?

The answer is probably yes. Granted he was a kid, but it is a very prevalent attitude even among some adult groups. In the minds of many people who wouldn’t consider themselves racists or bigots, being a Jew is such a lowly thing that they are sure and positive that we must feel degraded about being Jewish. It doesn’t help to explain to them that we are proud of being Jews, because they can’t see any reason we should be proud of being Jewish.

These days most people don’t say things like that out loud anymore. But racism and anti-Semitism still exist, and Jews still suffer from it — especially converts. I have a friend who almost lost his job because he was a convert. No, it’s not what you think. His boss could never have gotten away with firing him because he had converted to Judaism. What happened was a coworker of his was a born-again Christian who felt that my friend should be punished for leaving Christianity to become Jewish. So he filed an accusation of malfeasance, or some such thing, and had my friend hauled before an inquiry panel, expecting him to defend two years’ worth of financial decisions from records and memory. This is no reflection on all Christians today. But bear in mind that there are some Christian groups (mostly fundamentalist Protestant, I am told) that work very heavily on missionizing to Jews, and I imagine that they probably dislike people they consider lapsed Christians.

This story is unusual only in the particulars, I fear. There are people out there (not necessarily religious people) who do not like it when non-Jews become Jews. And some of them may be close to you.

Anti-Semitism should not be considered dead at all. It still shows up in various forms and sizes. It doesn’t take a Holocaust to harm Jews. Lately the news has been buzzing with bigotry and racial incidents. Bigoted groups are growing in America. Some even call themselves “churches” and claim non-profit status. Many of these groups target Jews in particular.

When you join the Jews, you become equally responsible, and suffer with us together. When Jews have sinned, sometimes all the Jews take part in the punishment.

So, consider this: Judaism teaches that you do not have to become Jewish to go to heaven. The righteous of all nations merit a share in the eternal World to Come. The basics of it involve keeping the Seven Laws of the Children of Noah.

After the Flood, Hashem the Creator made a covenant, an agreement, with Noah and his children, involving seven commandments, along with details of the laws pertaining to those Seven Commandments. Those who keep the Seven Commandments and their details are Righteous Gentiles according to the Torah. Since they keep the “Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah,” they call themselves “Bnei Noah,” the Children of Noah. When a Ben Noah lives in Israel, the Torah refers to him as a “Gair Toshav,” a resident alien.

You might consider joining a group of Righteous Gentiles. There is a growing movement in the United States and other countries of what is called the Noahide or the Bnai Noah Movement. They have a presence on the Internet as well. You can find out more about them by visiting one of their web sites, at: Rachav’s Bnai Noah Page [and more at this links page].

There are many advantages to this approach. As a member of the Bnai Noah (a man would be a “ben Noah”; a woman would be a “bas[/bat] Noah”), you can be righteous and still eat pork. You can drive your car to the movies on the Sabbath; you can dress any way you want, and you won’t need two sets of pots, pans, and dishes. If you do any of this after you have become Jewish, you have sinned. And once you have become Jewish, the Torah says you are always Jewish, even if you stop believing.

…

The rest of the article is relevant only if you are still interested in conversion. iHeartNoahides.com is not qualified to encourage conversion. However, if you are so inclined, you can read the rest of the article here.

For more information on Noahides / Bnei Noach, see our Links section.

The Torah demands different things from Jews and Bnei Noach.

I recently read that according to the Zohar, when a non-Jew learns Torah in the same manner and depth that a Jews is obligated to learn Torah, great destruction is wrought - both on the Ben/Bat Noach’s soul and on the World as a whole.

Just as there are natural boundaries in the physical world, there are natural boundaries in the spiritual world.

We cannot be subjective and say, “That doesn’t jive with me - I won’t listen to that.” That’s like saying, “Gravity doesn’t jive with me” and then jumping off a bridge.

Or as one of my friends said in an essay on avodah zarah (idol worship):

[A fence] keeps people on the outside from what they are trying to obtain on the inside. But on the other hand, a fence can be used to allow one to go further, allowing one to get as close to the edge as possible without falling over.

I will try my best to continue posting within the bounds of my current understanding of which type of Torah material will not damage the souls of Bnei Noach. There is virtually no limit to what can be learned and studied from within these bounds of Torah - this is G-d’s Torah!

But I do not want to be a stumbling block for the Bnei Noah who strive to live according to G-d’s Will and Wisdom — that is to say, according to Hashem’s Torah.

Excerpt from “The Path of the Righteous Gentile” (p. 41-42). The parts in square brackets [ ] are insertions for additional clarification:
(source: AskNoah.org).  The following are forbidden:¹

c. Studying those parts [and branches] of the Torah [specifically parts of the Oral Torah] that do not apply to [or enhance] the Noahides’ service of [and belief in] G-d.

(Note: A prime purpose of the Seven Universal Laws is to teach the Children of Noah about the Oneness of G-d, and therefore those parts of Torah that pertain to this knowledge [including many Chassidic teachings] are permissible for him to study. This includes the entirety of the twenty-four books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Also, the study of any part of the Torah that brings one to greater knowledge concerning the performance of the Seven Noahide Commandments is permissible. But Talmudic [study], or [in-depth] Halakhic [i.e. Torah law] study of subjects that pertain exclusively to the Jew’s service of G-d is forbidden [for Noahides].)

[In Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings, Chap. 10, Maimonides (the "Rambam") states that a Gentile is in general forbidden to be "osek ba'Torah" - which means to delve and strive into Torah learning in the manner that a Jew is commanded. A Gentile is however allowed to be "osek ba'Torah" in matters which relate to the Seven Noahide Commandments, but he is not commanded to do so.

Therefore it is very important to have competent Rabbinic guidance in choosing what to study, if one goes beyond the permissible text of the 24 Books of the Hebrew Bible and their basic traditional commentaries/explanations.]

Much blessings to everyone,

Daniel

This week’s parsha is parshat “Balak.”

The evil prophet¹ Balaam is summoned by Balak to curse the Jews.

Against Hashem’s desire, Balaam saddles his she-donkey and journeys to the land of Moav to curse the Jews. Hashem sends an angel to impede Balaam’s way.

If we pay attention to the order in which things happen here, we can get a sense of the infinite love Hashem has for all of His creations - even donkeys.

1. Hashem sends an angel with a sword (i.e. ready to kill them), but only reveals the angel to the donkey; Balaam doesn’t see the angel.

2. The donkey moves out of the angels way - Balaam strikes the donkey - the angel closes in.

3. The donkey moves out of the angels way again - Balaam strikes the donkey a second time - the angel closes in further.

4. The donkey moves out of the angels way once again, but is now cornered - Balaam strikes the donkey a third time - the angel closes in further.

5. Hashem causes the she-donkey to speak to Balaam, and the donkey says:
“What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?”

Balaam answers her:
“For you have mocked me. If only I had a sword in my hand, I would right now kill you.”

The she-donkey:
“Am I not the she-donkey that you have rode upon me from your youth until this day? Have I been accustomed to do such to you (i.e. to mock him)?

Balaam:
“No.”

And only now - after Balaam admits to the she-donkey that she did nothing wrong, does Hashem reveal the angel. And furthermore, the rest of the story revolves around Hashem defending the donkey before Balaam, the self-centered.

6. Hashem reveals the angel to Balaam, at which point Balaam becomes terrified and bows down on his face.

7. The angel of Hashem says to him, why have you struck your she-donkey these three times? Behold, I have come to impede your way because you have journeyed (to curse the Jews) against Me.

8. And the donkey saw me and moved out of my way these three times. Unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I would have slain you and saved her!

9. Balaam finally repents, and only afterwards does Hashem commences with instructions for Balaam’s journey.

Hashem cares for the well being (and apparently the honor and respect) of all of His creations. Clearly, mankind who is made btzelem elokim - in G-d’s image - is paramount, which is why we use animals for food, medicine, clothing, or sacrifices.

But nonetheless, Hashem loves all of his creatures, for they are His creations. Therefore, we should act as Hashem does in whatever way is appropriate to each of us on our own situations.

Shabbat Shalom.