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Drash for Shabbat Balak By Judy & Lefty Lefton - June 29, 2007 When we visited Israel years ago, our tour guide, Reuben told us Tel Aviv was 100 percent Jewish. "Wow," I said. "What a warm feeling, I've never been in a place where it's 100 percent Jewish." "Don't get so excited," Reuben said. "In America, you're a Jew. But in Israel, you're an American." Being a minority no matter where we go may not be the best part about being Jewish, but this week's reading offers a glimpse into why each of us should stop worrying about fitting in and start celebrating in our own uniqueness. In the parsha, an evil sorcerer, Balaam, tries to curse Israel but instead is forced by God to bless Israel, saying, "Behold it is a nation that will dwell in solitude and not be reckoned among the nations." Rashi, the Jewish scholar, says this means Israel "will be spared God's retribution when the final reckoning is made to punish the nations." The Midrash HaGadol says the blessing is a "repudiation of Balaam's hope that Jews would assimilate with other nations and be left with neither religion nor renown." So despite the Jewish people's isolation, discrimination, rejection, expulsion and genocide -- or perhaps because of them, we have survived. But what is our greater purpose? In his second attempt to curse the Jews, Balaam instead is compelled by God to say words of praise so significant they are included in every Saturday morning service: "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel." Rashi said the meaning is that Balaam realized their tents' openings did not face one another, indicating the Jews respected privacy, had learned to live together in peace despite their close proximity, and had created a community without sacrificing their individuality. In his Aish.com commentary, Israeli Rabbi Ari Kahn says Balaam's blessing of the Jewish tents shows that "when we remain a unified nation, all working toward a common goal, but retaining individuality and holiness, we know that no nation, no magic, no curses can harm us." The story of Balaam teaches us that when we preserve our individuality, our religion survives. And when we create connections to each other, and to God, by praying and studying and performing acts of kindness and generosity, our community thrives. Shabbat Shalom.
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