Illustration Credit: Chaim File
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
One of the blessings Bilam ends up giving Benei Yisrael is:
הֶן עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן
They will be a people who live alone
What does this mean? And what’s so good about living alone? Here are two ideas:
כִּי רָאָה בְּחָכְמָתוֹ שֶׁתַּעֲמֹד זֹאת הָאֻמָּה לְבַדָּהּ וְלֹא תִּתְעָרֵב עִם אַחֶרֶת מִתְגַּבֶּרֶת עָלֶיהָ לַעֲזֹב תּוֹרָתוֹ.
For Bilam saw in his wisdom that Benei Yisrael will stand alone and will not be mixed with others who might overpower them to abandon their Torah.
For Ibn Ezra, the important thing about being alone is being not influenced by others. Living too close to other nations can make it tempting for Jews to stop keeping the Torah.
- The people around us often have a strong influence on our behavior. This can be called peer pressure—it’s “pressure” because it can feel like we’re being pushed to do something, even if we don’t want to. Can you think of a time when you needed to separate yourself from something or someone else in order to not be influenced? How did this feel?
- What are some ways that Jewish people can protect their loyalty to the Torah and avoid being tempted to stop keeping it?
- Are there also downsides to keeping apart from other nations?
מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָרֵא כְּלוּם יוֹשֵׁב בָּדָד וְאֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ חֲבוּרָה.
Someone who doesn’t fear anything can live alone and doesn’t need a group.
For Bekhor Shor, a nation is able to stay alone and independent if it is unafraid. If it’s afraid for its safety, though, then it will need to make pacts with other nations for protection. Bilam’s promise is that the Jewish people will not have to worry about their safety.
- Why might Benei Yisrael feel so safe? Who would be protecting the Jewish nation if other nations aren’t?
- Can you think of a time when you felt completely safe and secure? What was that like for you?
- What might enable a person or a nation to feel safe and secure? Would you rather have a world with no threats and nothing to be afraid of, or a world where you are simply strong enough to beat every threat? Why?
- Even if you don’t need help or protection from others, is there value in working together anyway? Is there a difference between being independent and being alone?
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