(13) But every firstling ass you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every first-born male among your children. (14) And when, in time to come, your son asks you, saying, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘It was with a mighty hand that the LORD brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage.
(20) But the firstling of an ass you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every first-born among your sons. None shall appear before Me empty-handed.
(15) The first issue of the womb of every being, man or beast, that is offered to the LORD, shall be yours; but you shall have the first-born of man redeemed, and you shall also have the firstling of unclean animals redeemed.
R. Hanina ask R. Eliezer while at the Great School: Why are firstborn donkeys different [and subject to sancity] but not firstbron horses or camels? He responded: (1) it's a decree of the torah; and also (2) because donkeys aided the Israelites upon their departure from Egypt when each was accompanied by 90 Libyan donkeys laden with Egyptian gold and silver.
, מִפְנֵי מָה בִּקֵּשׁ יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ שֶׁלֹא יִקָּבֵר בְּמִצְרַיִם ... יַעֲקֹב אָמַר שֶׁלֹא יִפָּדוּ בִּי הַמִּצְרִים, הֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לְשֶׂה וַאֲנִי נִמְשַׁלְתִּי בְּשֶׂה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיה נ, יז): שֶׂה פְזוּרָה יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבְמִצְרַיִם כְּתִיב (יחזקאל כג, כ): אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׂר חֲמוֹרִים בְּשָׂרָם, וּכְתִיב (שמות לד, כ): וּפֶטֶר חֲמוֹר תִּפְדֶה בְשֶׂה, הֱוֵי אַל נָא תִקְבְּרֵנִי בְּמִצְרָיִם,
Why did Jacob request that he not be buried in Egypt? ... Jacob worried that "my presence there might save the Egyptians, since the Egyptians worship lambs and I am compared to a lamb ("Israel is a scattered sheep," Jer. 50:17) whereas as Egypt is compared to donkey ("and [Egypt's] flesh is like the flesh of donkeys," Ezek. 34:20) and the verse states that the firstborn of the donkey is redeemed through a lamb. So please don't bury me in Egypt."
בכל בהמה טמאה אין לך שחייב בבכורה אלא חמור בלבד. בכל חיה אין לך שאסור משום מחיר אלא כלב בלבד. היה ר"מ אומר כל המקיים מצות פטר חמור מעלין עליו כאילו קיים מצות בהמה טמאה כולה וכל המבטל מצות פטר חמור מעלין עליו כאילו ביטל מצות בהמה טמאה
Of all the unclean animals, only the donkey is subject to the laws of the firstborn. Of all the wild animals, only the price of a dog is prohibited [for a sacrifice]. Rabbi Meir used to say, "whoever fulfills the commandment of redeeming the firstborn donkey is deemed to have fulfilled all the commandments pertaining to unclean animals and whoever fails to do so is deemed to have failed to fulfill all of the commandments concerning unclean animals.
(ג) וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם אַבְרָהָ֜ם בַּבֹּ֗קֶר וַֽיַּחֲבֹשׁ֙ אֶת־חֲמֹר֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־שְׁנֵ֤י נְעָרָיו֙ אִתּ֔וֹ וְאֵ֖ת יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֑וֹ וַיְבַקַּע֙ עֲצֵ֣י עֹלָ֔ה וַיָּ֣קָם וַיֵּ֔לֶךְ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אָֽמַר־ל֥וֹ הָאֱלֹקִֽים׃... (ה) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶל־נְעָרָ֗יו שְׁבוּ־לָכֶ֥ם פֹּה֙ עִֽם־הַחֲמ֔וֹר וַאֲנִ֣י וְהַנַּ֔עַר נֵלְכָ֖ה עַד־כֹּ֑ה וְנִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֖ה וְנָשׁ֥וּבָה אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃
(3) So early next morning, Abraham saddled his ass and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and he set out for the place of which God had told him. ...(5) Then Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the ass. The boy and I will go up there; we will worship and we will return to you.”
(כא) וַיָּ֤קָם בִּלְעָם֙ בַּבֹּ֔קֶר וַֽיַּחֲבֹ֖שׁ אֶת־אֲתֹנ֑וֹ וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ עִם־שָׂרֵ֥י מוֹאָֽב׃ (כב) וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֣ף אֱלֹקִים֮ כִּֽי־הוֹלֵ֣ךְ הוּא֒ וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֞ב מַלְאַ֧ךְ יקוק בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ לְשָׂטָ֣ן ל֑וֹ וְהוּא֙ רֹכֵ֣ב עַל־אֲתֹנ֔וֹ וּשְׁנֵ֥י נְעָרָ֖יו עִמּֽוֹ׃ (כג) וַתֵּ֣רֶא הָאָתוֹן֩ אֶת־מַלְאַ֨ךְ יקוק נִצָּ֣ב בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ וְחַרְבּ֤וֹ שְׁלוּפָה֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ וַתֵּ֤ט הָֽאָתוֹן֙ מִן־הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה וַיַּ֤ךְ בִּלְעָם֙ אֶת־הָ֣אָת֔וֹן לְהַטֹּתָ֖הּ הַדָּֽרֶךְ׃ ... (כח) וַיִּפְתַּ֥ח יקוק אֶת־פִּ֣י הָאָת֑וֹן וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לְבִלְעָם֙ מֶה־עָשִׂ֣יתִֽי לְךָ֔ כִּ֣י הִכִּיתַ֔נִי זֶ֖ה שָׁלֹ֥שׁ רְגָלִֽים׃ (כט) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר בִּלְעָם֙ לָֽאָת֔וֹן כִּ֥י הִתְעַלַּ֖לְתְּ בִּ֑י ל֤וּ יֶשׁ־חֶ֙רֶב֙ בְּיָדִ֔י כִּ֥י עַתָּ֖ה הֲרַגְתִּֽיךְ׃ ׃
(21) When he arose in the morning, Balaam saddled his ass and departed with the Moabite dignitaries. (22) But God was incensed at his going; so an angel of the LORD placed himself in his way as an adversary. He was riding on his she-ass, with his two servants alongside, (23) when the ass caught sight of the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. The ass swerved from the road and went into the fields; and Balaam beat the ass to turn her back onto the road. ... (28) Then the LORD opened the ass’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?” (29) Balaam said to the ass, “You have made a mockery of me! If I had a sword with me, I’d kill you.”
על החמור UPON “THE” ASS — the ass designated for this purpose: this was the ass which Abraham had saddled for the purpose of travelling to bind Isaac on Mount Moriah, and this, too, is the ass upon which King Messiah will once show himself in public, as it is said, (Zechariah 9:9) “[Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, …] lowly and riding upon an ass” (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 31:4).
עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פִּי הָאָרֶץ, וּפִי הַבְּאֵר, וּפִי הָאָתוֹן, וְהַקֶּשֶׁת, וְהַמָּן, וְהַמַּטֶּה, וְהַשָּׁמִיר, וְהַכְּתָב, וְהַמִּכְתָּב, וְהַלּוּחוֹת. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף הַמַּזִּיקִין, וּקְבוּרָתוֹ שֶׁל משֶׁה, וְאֵילוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף צְבָת בִּצְבָת עֲשׂוּיָה:
Ten things were created at twilight on the eve of the [first] Shabbat: (1) The mouth of the earth [Korach]; (2) the mouth of the well [midbar]; (3) the mouth of the donkey [Bilaam]; (4) the rainbow [flood]; (5) the manna; (6) the staff [of Moshe]; (7) the shamir (the Temple worm); (8) the letters; (9) the writing; and (10) the tablets. And some say the destructive spirits, Moshe's burial place, and Abraham's ram. And some say, the first tongs, were made with [Divine] tongs.