In this week's parsha Balak outside of Israel, we read about the evil Bilaam who was hired to curse and destroy the Jewish People. Hashem showed him that whatever any curse he tried to utter against the Jewish People, he was unable to verbalize and instead of cursing he ended up blessing the Jewish People.

The president of the USA visited Israel this week and it was reported that during one of his speeches he referenced one of the blessings that the wicked Bilaam stated. The verse he quoted states that the "Jewish People are a nation that dwells alone"  (the continuation of that verse is "and they are not considered among the nations") he made a commitment that the Jewish People will not be alone as long as the US exists.

It is important to clarify though the true meaning of the verse. The statement that the "Jewish People are a nation that dwells alone" is a blessing not a curse. It is a promise from Hashem that we in fact are alone, we are a unique nation, and we will remain alone. We have a special relationship with Hashem and are His Chosen nation. When we deny our unique destiny, when we think that we are like the other nations or we act like the other nations this has always been the beginning of our troubles throughout history. We should be proud of our heritage, history and unique spiritual connection to Hashem. We should hold our heads high that we in fact are a nation that dwells alone!

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath