Today is the song of the donkey. חֲמוֹר אוֹמֵר/The donkey says,
לְךָ יְיָ הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח וְהַהוֹד כִּי כֹל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ לְךָ יְיָ הַמַּמְלָכָה וְהַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא לְכֹל לְרֹאשׁ: (דברי הימים א' כט יא)
To You Hashem is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the shining, for everything in the heaven, and the earth is Yours. To You is the kingdom, and, (as the Gemara explains) You are the one that gives the positions to everybody.
Why is this the song of the donkey?
The Sefer Lekutei Amarim says that the donkey carries heavy loads, more than any other animal, as it says in the pasuk, Yasachar is a hamor. And Rashi in Bereshit 49, 14 tells us that the donkey is bony and he's able to carry the yoke of Torah, like the hamor that's strong, and you could put on him a heavy load. Yisachar, who learns Torah, is compared to the donkey. This donkey that has such strong bones and can carry such a heavy load, testifies, I don't have the strength, I'm not the source of the strength. You are the Source of everything.
The lesson here is to learn humility and not think that you're in charge and you're able to do it. Praise the One that gave you your strength.
As we mentioned previously, the donkey symbolizes humility, the sefer Hakol Yishavchucha on Perek Shira quotes the Zohar (page 242) that says, why is Yisachar compared to a donkey? Because the Donkey carries a load and doesn't kick at its master like other animals. Other animals start fighting when you put a load on them. But the donkey doesn't fight, and the donkey does not have arrogance. And so too, Yisachar, who toils in Torah, carries the yoke of Torah, doesn't kick at Hashem and like the donkey, doesn't have the arrogance. He is not concerned with his own honor, but rather with the honor of his Master (as per the Zohar).
So we see from here the trait of the donkey, and that's why he is the one to say Lecha Hashem HaGedolah. The Zohar says he's different than all other animals in that he carries the yoke and is humble.
One might ask that if that's the case, why is he an unkosher animal? Because ,as we mentioned in a previous class, you need to have a balance of humility, and at times, also arrogance. You can't have no opinion.
Rav Chaim Kanievsky adds a proof of how the hamor symbolizes a subservient and humble creature. Firstly, the people of Canaan are called Am HaDomeh L'Hamor They're considered slaves; a nation that's compared to donkeys. Why ? Because donkeys naturally serve their master and accept willingly. Furthermore, the Gemara in Avodah Zara 5B says,
You have to place yourself like a cow for your yoke. Cows have yokes. And for a donkey to carry a load, which is the load of Hashem. We're supposed to accept His yoke. So the cow has a yoke donkey has a load therefore that's his song. That's all on the theme of being a servant.
But the Sefer Lekutei Amarim has a whole different explanation. There is a Gemara in Berachot that says, whoever sees a donkey in a dream should look forward to a salvation. What salvation? Mashiach, because it says He's is going to come on a donkey, and therefore the donkey symbolizes the future coming of Mashiach. As we said, Mashiach rides the donkey. And with that, God's glory will come back.
The Yaavetz says, Therefore the donkey's song is
הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח וְהַהוֹדetc. because the donkey is going to be the one, so to say, to announce this great message of Mashiach, that Hashem is in charge.
Finally, we're not Kabbalists, but our rabbis tell us about the words of this pasuk, הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח וְהַהוֹד.
כִּי כֹל has the numerical value of yesod. Then we have הַמַּמְלָכָה
These are the seven traits of the seven Ushpizin Avraham is Gedulah, Yitzhak is Gevurah,Yaakov is Tiferet, Moshe is Nesach, Aharon is Hod, and then we have Ki Kol, which is the numerical value Yesod, is Yosef HaSadik who it says is connected to the Shamayim V'Aretz, And lastly, David Hamelech is Mamlacha, so this is the full gamut of praise, and that's the Song of the Donkey. The song of Mashiach.