Our Mishnah on Amud Beis relates an interesting anecdote wherein Rabbi Tarfon made an incorrect ruling, causing a financial loss that he believed he would have to repay to the defendant. He called out loud, “There goes your donkey, Rabbi Tarfon.” The simple reading of this is a kind of self-deprecating, sardonic humor, saying to himself, “Too bad, buddy; looks like you have got to pay back this person and mortgage your donkey.” (See Yachin on the Mishnah.) Hon Ashir finds it odd that Rabbi Tarfon would be mourning the loss of his donkey, as if he were a poor person who could not pay other than by selling his donkey. In fact, Rabbi Tarfon was known to be wealthy (Nedarim 62a). Therefore, Hon Ashir says it was a play on words, because the Hebrew word for donkey is also a homonym for stringency (chamor and chumrah), hinting that he was unnecessarily strict in this ruling, and that was the problem.
A mystical idea is expressed by Tzafnas Pa’aneach (Bamidbar 23:18). (Since it is kabbalistic, this is my interpretation of what he is trying to say, and I may be missing parts of it because of my illiteracy in that area.)
The donkey is also similar in Hebrew to chomer, physical material matter. We find that the prophets, good or evil, “ride the donkey.” Bilaam, Moshe, and the Mashiach ride donkeys (Shemos 4:20, Bamidbar 22:22, and Zechariah 9:9, respectively, although the first example regarding Moshe involved placing his wife and children on a donkey, but presumably that means he utilized one as well.) What does this allude to? A prophet has to utilize physicality too, with the correct intentions, but still use his imagination and intellect to summon up the spiritual focus or experience he is inviting. The righteous prophet uses it properly and the evil prophet demonically, but one way or the other prophecy occurs to humans, and it involves the human aspect as well, which means the physical.
Moshe’s response to Korach’s rebellion was (Bamidbar 16:15): “I have not appropriated a single donkey for myself.” The simple reading is, I did not take any inappropriate benefit from office, and why are they accusing me of self-interest? However, according to Tzafnas Pa’aneach, Moshe is also saying that I did not let my physicality bias my judgment or my leadership; I did not take the “donkey,” letting materialism affect me. According to this interpretation, we could understand what Rabbi Tarfon was musing about. He was wondering if somehow his judgment became biased as a result of being influenced by the “donkey” of physicality. If so, he was saying, “Rabbi Tarfon, your donkey ran off.” That is to say, you might have let your physical needs get hold of you and take over.
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Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com