Bilaam and The Rooster
במדבר כד,ג : םֻאְנ ו רֹעְב ֹונְ ב םָעְלִ ב םֻאְנ רַמאֹ יַו ֹולָ שְמ אָ שִ יַו רֶבֶ גַה ש ְתֻם הָעָיִן:
Baal HaTurim notes that the word גבר (for man) that the Torah uses here often refers to a rooster. Indeed, he points out, there are a number of similarities between Bilaam and a rooster. One, Bilaam was just like the rooster, which is the most promiscuous of all the animals, as he was the most promiscuous of all men (even going so far as having relations with his ass). Two, Bilaam had the ability to discern the exact fraction of a second when G-d was angry each morning, just like a rooster (whose comb turns white at that exact moment). And three, Bilaam was just like a rooster that stood on one leg (because Bilaam was lame in the other one).
