By Rabbi Baruch Lederman
SAN DIEGO — Bilam was traveling with his donkey, when for no apparent reason, the donkey stopped in its tracks. Biliam started to beat the donkey, when miraculously, the donkey spoke and said to Bilam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden since you first started until now? Have I been accustomed to do this to you?” He said, “No.” (Bamidbar 22:30)
Bilam was stymied. Indeed the donkey stopped because it saw an angel that Bilam couldn’t see. This was a humiliating experience for Bilam. The Medrash Rabbah Beraishis (93:10) says: “Abba Kohen Bardala says “Woe to us from the Day of Judgement…the Day of Rebuke… Bilam, the wisest amongst the nations, could not stand up to the rebuke of his donkey… how much more so when Hashem comes and rebukes each of us, how will we respond…
A dear friend of mine, Michael Ambush was once reading an issue of “Horse Illustrated”. A magazine devoted to the care and
performance of horses. As Michael explained, much care is exerted in the maintenance of horses. Horses are valuable. There is a
lot of money in the industry. Not just in the horses themselves but in the products and services that are used to care for them. There is
a lot to know about proper treatment of a horse, from grooming to health to equipment.
Michael was struck by an article on horsemanship. The specific focus of this article was how to deal with horses that refuse to move.
Horses that “have more whoa than go.” Here are some excerpts:
If you don’t have a horse’s respect, you will not be able to get true impulsion because you need respect before you get anything
else. Impulsion is why you will feel less and less need to use the reins for control. The horse will either be sluggish or racy, non-
responsive or over-reactive. If you don’t have impulsion, you’ll have to resort to force.
What you do on the ground to teach your horse to be more responsive, as well as establishing a relationship with you as the leader,
is a major key. It’s ground skills that build respect. The goal is to have your horse respond to you with respect and not fear. It’s a “I
would love to! How far? How fast? How high? When would you like me to quit?” attitude with a smile.
A lot of people get into trouble because they don’t have these elements really solid before they get in the saddle.
The horse’s attitude will improve greatly because of the new level of communication, trust and respect. It is important to get your
horse’s confidence and respect on the ground before you mount up – regardless of whether your horse is lazy by nature or a tightly
wound racehorse.
Repeated kicking desensitizes the horse and causes upward motion rather than forward motion. Great riders use their legs to
communicate, but they don’t kick. The goal is to do as little as possible to get the desired response.
Imagine if you would reread this article and each time you see the word “horse,” replace it with the word “child” or “spouse” or “friend.”
Woe to us when on the day of judgment we have to explain why we failed to treat our loved ones as well as some people treat their
horses!
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Rabbi Lederman is spiritual leader of Congregation Kehillas Torah in San Diego. He may be contacted at baruch.lederman@sdjewishworld.com