Numbers 22:32

Because your way is contrary to me. Our Rabbis, the sages of the Mishnah, expound this as an acronym: “She was afraid [of me], she saw [me], and she turned, because the course is against me,” as if to say, “to arouse my vengefulness, and to anger me.” According to the plain interpretation, “because the course hurried against me.” The word [יָרַט] denotes hurrying. Because I saw that the traveler along the course (Bil’am) hastened and hurried on the course to anger and defy me. This is a shortened passage, similar to “Dovid longed.” Another interpretation: יָרַט denotes desire. Similarly, “through the wicked, He strives for my good will,” He attempts to appease and comfort me through the wicked, who only anger me.

And the angel of the Lord said to him, why hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? Behold, I have come out to withstand thee; and the ass, fearing, saw, and turned from the way. It is known before me that thou seekest to go to curse the people, a thing that is not pleasing to me.

FOR THE WAY ‘YARAT L’NEGDI’ — for he who is going [on this journey, i.e., Balaam], has distorted his way and perverted it in front of my eyes, for I am He that knoweth, and am witness. Or [the word] l’negdi [may not mean “in My presence”, but] that he perverted the way [i.e., the journey] to act “against My Will,” as Onkelos rendered it, [“because you wanted to go on the journey against My Will”], as in [the verse]: for they have vexed ‘l’neged’ (before) the builders. does not mean “in the presence of,” but means that they have vexed the builders by speaking “against” them. The word yarat is an expression of “perverting.” Similarly, through the hands of the wicked ‘yirteini’ which means “He warps me.” And the meaning of our verse is as I have explained, namely that the [actual] journey had the permission of the Glorious Name, but Balaam perverted it by going with them and apparently having them believe that he would curse the people [since he had not informed them of the conditions under which G-d had allowed him to go].

על מה הכית את אתונך?; When you saw these various signs you should have been astute enough to guess that your journey is unwelcome and will not succeed.

זה שלוש רגלים, how could you remain obstinate in light of three successive warnings! How could you persist in trying to hasten events?

הנה אנכי יצאתי לשטן, When I went out of my way to oppose you I did so for your eventual benefit!

כי ירט הדרך לנגדי, the root of the word ירט is רטט, it occurs in a sense similar to here in Jeremiah 49,24 ורטט החזיקה “and a quaking has seized her.” The construction is parallel to that of the root רצץ, to crush, which we find meaning “it crushed his skull,” ותרץ את גוגלתו, in Judges 9,53. The angel when saying הנה יצאתי לשטן, explained that his purpose in opposing Bileam had been to frighten him into turning back Sometimes the presence of a hostile or superior force is felt although not seen, as in the case of Daniel’s companions who trembled although they did not see the visions Daniel had seen and which were the cause of this trembling. (Daniel 10,7). The angel chides Bileam for all his efforts apparently having been in vain. He accuses Bileam of having been stiff-necked, else he could not have failed to notice the signs.