I heard a fascinating comparison between one of the shadiest characters in Tanach, Balaam, and one of the greatest, Abraham. Both men rise in the morning and saddle their donkey, yet these parallel actions conceal profoundly different hearts. This repeated phrase, “arose and saddled his donkey,” is not just stylistic; it highlights a pivotal moral question woven into our first steps each day.
Two men. Two donkeys. Two sunrises. But the destinations diverge entirely. Abraham ascends in trust and sacrifice, binding himself to God. Balaam strides toward destruction, hatched in greed and malice. The Torah uses the identical phrase to underscore that outward moves take on meaning only through inner intention.
The sages draw out out a key insight. Both men refused the help of servants to saddle their beasts. Abraham did it with devotion, an act of personal service to God’s command. Balaam did it in haste, driven by hatred and the lure of payment. The message is clear: identical acts can be charged with holiness or hollowed out by darker forces, depending on what animates them inside.
The story deepens when Balaam’s donkey becomes spiritually alive. Time and again it sidesteps an angel blocking the path, an angel Balaam cannot yet see. Frustrated, Balaam beats the donkey until God grants it speech: “What have I done to you people that you have struck me these three times?” Suddenly Balaam’s eyes open he sees the angel and he is rebuked. His donkey has more spiritual insight than he does.
Contrast Abraham. He saddles his donkey not to fulfill selfish desire but to obey God’s command, even one as difficult as sacrifice. His vision is clear and unwavering. His donkey requires no chiding to walk straight.
When we saddle our own metaphorical donkey each morning, be it the day’s tasks, family duties, or spiritual routines – the Torah asks what is driving us. Are we rising to serve, to build, to connect? Or are we sprinting from resentment, pressure, or ambition?
Here is a verse that helps orient us:
Every sunrise is a crossroads. When morning comes we choose whose energy we allow to move us. Abraham’s heart aligns with devotion. Balaam’s choice steers him into darkness until God’s messenger forces him to reckon.
Our daily challenge is to saddle our passion with clarity. Am I waking to bless or to gripe? To create or to react? When we do the same physical acts feed children, answer emails, lead meetings – the question is not what we do but why. Motivation matters more than action itself.
Sometimes our donkey will hesitate, our conscience, a nudge, a moment of awareness. Do not ignore it. Listen. Let it speak before you beat it into obedience.
The Torah frames these morning scenes side by side to remind us real distinction lies not in what we do but in what stirs us within. Two men mounted identical donkeys but only one ascended.
May we choose to saddle our days like Abraham with intent, devotion, and a heart directed upward. And may our mornings rise in blessing not bitterness.
