Bilam is hired to curse Israel and blesses them instead. Sometimes G-d protects us through the mouths of our opponents.
The story is almost comic: a professional curser, a talking donkey, a king who keeps changing hilltops. And every time Bilam opens his mouth, a blessing comes out.
The parshah's quiet claim is that our reputation is not always in our own hands. Something larger is often at work, turning even the hostile toward the good.
This week, worry a little less about a hostile voice. Do your work. Let the blessing surprise everyone.