Bilam's Talking Donkey
Bilam's donkey sees an angel, stops and speaks to rebuke him, then dies at once, so that wicked Bilam would be spared the shame of a living reminder.
We find an even greater example of this in the Torah (Bamidbar 22). Bilam HaRasha was on his way to curse the Jewish nation; his goal was the total annihilation of the Jewish people. But Hashem sent an angel to obstruct Bilam’s path. While Bilam was not able to see the angel, his donkey saw him clearly. The donkey halted, and Bilam struck it repeatedly to coerce it to continue. The donkey miraculously spoke, rebuking Bilam for the beating. The donkey’s censure remained unanswered.
What a fine specimen this donkey would make for a public presentation! Throngs of people would come to see the ogre and his talking donkey. However, the world never got the chance: the donkey expired immediately following this episode. (The only talking donkeys nowadays are of the animated variety.) Rashi explains that the survival of the donkey would be too great a blow to Bilam’s dignity. People would point to the donkey and say, “This is the donkey that silenced Bilam.” Bilam obviously deserved severe retribution (and eventually received it). Nevertheless, Hashem judged that any additional embarrassment for Bilam was unwarranted, even though Bilam was the personification of evil (see Derech Hashem). If that is the treatment afforded a wicked man, then how much more careful we must be with our conduct towards our friends and family to prevent their embarrassment!