“But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.”
When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey again with his staff — the donkey, perceiving the angel, refuses to proceed and lies down in the path. Again, the animal's action is protective (refusing the danger ahead), yet Balaam interprets it as disobedience. Balaam's anger (vayichar af-Balaam) mirrors God's anger (Numbers 22:22); the human's rage at the animal reflects the divine rage at him. He strikes the donkey repeatedly, driving it forward toward danger it alone can see.
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