This is German artist Gustav Jaeger’s depiction of Balaam’s donkey protesting that Balaam was beating him when an angel, visible at first only to the donkey, was blocking their way with a drawn sword.

When people think of Shrek, they usually picture the green ogre or Eddie Murphy’s fast-talking Donkey. Very few realize that Donkey’s personality started with a real animal. In 2025, that connection ...

The story of Balaam and his talking donkey is a major problem for serious theologians and scholars of the Bible. If you are not familiar with this gem in this week’s Torah portion, take a look at ...