CHASSIDIC PEARLS BY RABBI LAZER BRODY ON PARSHAS BALAK

"It is a nation that will dwell in solitude and won't be considered among the nations" (Bamidbar 23:9). Against his will and contrary to his hopes, the wicked Bilaam was forced to bless the Nation of Israel. Bilaam of course intended the above utterance as a curse; he wanted the Jews to be considered outcasts and never accepted by any society. Non-believers throughout the ages have tried to rescind Bilaam's intent by assimilating and trying to forcibly gain acceptance by the other nations. Yet throughout Jewish history, the slightest deviation from Torah and Torah values – let alone total assimilation – has always led to tragedy. Fortunately, Bilaam's curse isn't the decisive factor. Hashem extracts a wonderful blessing for the Jewish People from Bilaam's venomous words. Nothing is better for the Jewish people than dwelling in holiness and solitude, without the spiritual contamination of outside influences. In his classic interpretation of the Passover Haggadah, the great Abarbanel writes that in addition to the fact that our people preserved our traditional dress, language, and names in Egypt, by virtue of the separate Jewish settlement in the Goshen area of Egypt, there wasn't a single case of assimilation and the Jews were therefore redeemed from bondage. Bilaam's apparent curse is a blessing on a much deeper level as well, with import spiritual ramifications. He says that Israel "won't be considered among the nations". Rashi interprets that Israel has an entirely separate account from the nations of the world. The Zohar and the Midrash say that Israel exists on a totally different spiritual plane from the other nations. Whereas the other nations receive their abundance by way of an exhaustive hierarchy of messengers that are clothed within nature, Hashem personally and directly feeds the Jewish people, especially those who dwell in the Land of Israel. Our sages teach us that while the nations of the world are subjugated to the laws of nature, Israel – Hashem's chosen people – are not, on condition that they observe His commandments and devote their lives to Torah and prayer. Since Torah and prayer are above nature, those who cling to them also defy nature.