Balak 24:09 · unit 2 — he crouched upon his donkey

Parashas Balak · Aliyah 6 · Passuk 9 · TT unit 2

The Complete Passuk

כָּרַ֨ע שָׁכַ֧ב כַּאֲרִ֛י וּכְלָבִ֖יא מִ֣י יְקִימֶ֑נּוּ מְבָרֲכֶ֣יךָ בָר֔וּךְ וְאֹרְרֶ֖יךָ אָרֽוּר׃

He crouched, he lay down like a lion, and like a lioness — who will rouse him? Those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed.

Chabad.org — 24:9

Source Citation

Torah Temimah: Sanhedrin 105a — Mar son of Ravina: Bilam had relations with his donkey.

Sefaria — Sanhedrin 105a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמַר מָר בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַבִּינָא: בִּלְעָם בָּא עַל אֲתוֹנוֹ הָיָה. כְּתִיב הָכָא ״כָּרַע שָׁכַב״, וּכְתִיב הָתָם ״בֵּין רַגְלֶיהָ כָּרַע נָפַל שָׁכַב״.

English: Mar son of Ravina said: Bilam had relations with his she-donkey. It is written here, “he crouched, he lay,” and it is written there [Judges 5:27], “between her feet he crouched, he fell, he lay.”

Type of Learning

Gezeirah shavah on כרע שכב exposing moral corruption.

What Is Learned

The same language used of Israel’s lion-rest is turned, by parallel, into an indictment of Bilam’s own conduct with the donkey.