Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair was the father-in-law of Rabbi Shimon. He was a miracle worker.
He had a donkey that the kabbalists say was a reincarnation of Balaam.
He served Rabbi Pinchas faithfully. There is a story that he didn’t eat the food given to him even after making sure it was clean and proper for him. After investigation, they found out that they didn’t give a tithe from that food. After the separate the tithe, the donkey ate the food.
In Numbers 23:10, we read that after Balaam couldn’t curse Israel, he blessed them and asked to have a righteous death. He knew that a man from Israel would kill him. Such a death would be a significant correction for him and save him a long time in Gehennam. Pinchas and Tzilia chase Balaam and even though Balaam flew in the air, Pinchas and Tzilia could ‘ground’ him. Pinchas gave Tziliah the instruction to kill Balaam with his own source to benefit from death by a sword of Israel.
His reincarnation in the donkey of Rabbi Pinchas tells that he turned good after the cleansing process and reincarnation.

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