Not Reckoned Among the Nations
Family Edition

The Summary

● This summary is adapted from the essay written by Rabbi Sacks in 2012, available here

The dark history of antisemitism begins in this week’s Parsha, Balak. Strangely, some of the most beautiful things ever said about the Jewish people came from Bilaam, a man hired to curse them: “How beautiful are your tents, Yaakov, your dwelling places, Israel! … A star will come out of Yaakov; a sceptre will rise out of Israel.”

Yet Bilaam was no friend of the Jews. When he failed to curse them, he found another way to harm them. He advised the Moav women to seduce the Israelite men and lead them into idolatry. The result was a plague that killed 24,000 people. So why did God arrange for Bilaam to be the one who blessed Israel? The answer is in a verse from Mishlei: “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.”

Tanach is not a self-congratulatory literature of any nation. Most of the stories teach us through our mistakes. The prophets mainly rebuke Israel. So it was important that the praise come from an outsider, one who did not like them. Moshe reprimanded the people. Bilaam, the outsider, praised them.

But what did Bilaam mean when he famously said “It is a nation dwelling alone, not reckoned among the nations”? Some modern interpretations have taken this to mean that Jews are destined to be hated and isolated forever. But that is not what the prophets said. Zechariah foresaw a time when “ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew... and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” Antisemitism is not written into the Jewish destiny. So what does Bilaam mean?

Ibn Ezra said it means Jews do not assimilate. Ramban said Judaism stays pure, not a mixture of other traditions. The Netziv added that if Jews stay distinctive, they will remain strong, but he warned that if they try to become like everyone else, they will lose their uniqueness, and risk everything.

Another answer is this: Ancient Israel was founded on a covenant, and is therefore a nation with the soul of a religion. The Jewish people were defined not by land, language or politics, but by a shared covenant with God. Even after being scattered across the world, speaking different languages, living under different rulers, Jews still saw themselves, and were seen by others, as one people.

How exactly did they become one people? The answer comes from Rav Saadia Gaon: “Our nation is only a nation in virtue of its laws (torot).”

Jews were bound not by geography but by Torah. They received their laws before entering the land, and even in exile remained a nation through their religious obligations.

Unlike other nations, in Judaism religion and nationhood coincide. Unlike other nations, Judaism is both a religion and a nationhood. Most nations have many religions; most religions span many nations.Only in Judaism are the two intertwined. Without Judaism, there would be nothing uniting Jews around the world, except antisemitism. And without the Jewish people, Judaism would lose its very nature: a covenantal faith of shared responsibility. Bilaam was right. The Jewish people are unique. That’s also why it’s a mistake to define Jewishness as just ethnicity. Jews come from many ethnic backgrounds. And if Jewish identity were only ethnic, conversion would be impossible - but it isn’t.

What makes Jews “a nation dwelling alone” is not our race, culture, or land, but our creed. If we forget this, God sends reminders - sometimes from unexpected voices like Bilaam’s - to show us what we should already know: Judaism is the source of our singular contribution to the heritage of humankind, a living example of a nation among the nations, made distinctive by its faith and way of life.

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Bilaam - a hostile outsider - is hired to curse Bnei Yisrael, but then, against all odds, he speaks some truly beautiful praises of the Jewish people, revealing a deep truth: sometimes it takes an enemy to voice what a friend cannot.

Bilaam’s declaration that Israel is “a nation dwelling alone” has often been misread as a curse of isolation, but Rabbi Sacks flips this around, allowing us to view it in a completely different way.  Why do we live a different lifestyle, and why do we gravitate towards dwelling in Jewish communities? It’s not for negative reasons, but because our unique identity rooted not in land, race, or culture, but in Torah and covenant. We are therefore stronger when we are together, and we love to support one another in this unique way of life. We are community-driven and covenant-driven.

Unlike other nations formed by geography, politics or shared language, Jews are bound by a sacred mission and moral code. This distinctiveness is not a tragedy, but a calling. When Jews forget their spiritual purpose, history - and even antisemites - remind them of who they are meant to be. But as Rabbi Sacks says, “We should not need such reminding.”

• What are some instant connections you make when you begin to speak with a Jewish “stranger”?

Just a few days ago, during Operation Rising Lion, a siren sounded in the city of Lod while the children were at school. In that moment, nobody knew what would happen next. Yael Bieneffeld shared her story in Sivan Rahav Meir’s WhatsApp group:

One of my sons called me in tears, terrified, begging me to come get him. I was too far away, so with my hand clutching my phone I tried everything I knew - calm words, breathing exercises, empathy - but nothing worked.

As a last resort, I said to him, “You are part of Am Yisrael, a people full of courage. What lived in Avraham, in King David, in the Maccabees - it lives in you too. You carry that strength in your soul.”

I ended with a verse from this week’s Parsha: ‘Behold, a people rises like a lioness and lifts itself like a lion.’

And just like that, he calmed. “Okay, Mom,” he said. “I’m going back to class.”

This wasn’t just a child finding courage. It was a reminder of who we are. Jewish strength isn’t only in our history books. It is alive in each of us, passed from generation to generation.

We are not just a people with a past. We are a people with a mission, carried by an identity rooted not in fear, but in faith.

• Do you see yourself, or any of your family members, like a lion? In what ways?
• Do you know anyone whose name means lion?
• Which aspects of being Jewish make you feel proud?

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Micah 5:6 – 6:8

This week’s Haftara highlights God’s expectations for His people, contrasting empty ritual with genuine faith (a theme we have seen many times in the Haftarot!).

Micah 5:6 speaks of a powerful leader, a shepherd-king from Jacob who will protect and shepherd His people, symbolising the role of Mashiach. In chapter 6, God confronts Israel’s hypocrisy, questioning the value of excessive sacrifices when they fail to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Micah 6:8 famously summarises God’s requirements: to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God, emphasising ethical behaviour and a true relationship with God over mere outward religious practices.

     Here is the verse:

“You have been told, O mortal, what is good and what God requires of you:
Only to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

• How do you understand the phrase “to walk humbly with God”?

This week’s Parsha details the hiring of Bilaam - by King Balak - to curse the Children Israel, and how these curses ultimately turn to blessings. There is no comparable story to be found in the books of the Prophets.

So how did we come up with a Haftara for Parshat Balak?

The Haftara was linked to the Parsha due to a verse near the end of the Haftara. In Micah 6:5 we read, “My people, remember what Balak, king of Moav, plotted and what Bilaam son of Beor answered him [remember what Hashem did] from Shittim unto Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

We can also see a link to the Parsha in the opening lines of the Haftara: “And the remnant of Yaakov will be found amid countless peoples as dew brought down from the Lord, as ample rains shower upon grass; they will not look to any man, nor place their hopes in humankind. The remnant of Yaakov will be among nations, amid countless peoples, like a lion among wild beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep whom, as they pass, he tramples and rips to pieces; there is no one to save them.”

There are similarities in the imagery and messages in the following lines that Bilaam says in our Parsha: “A people that dwells alone; not reckoning itself among nations” (Bamidbar 23:9). “A people – see – rises like a lioness, lifts itself up like a lion. It will not lie down until it eats its meat and drinks the blood of the slain” (Bamidbar 23:24).

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Rabbi Sacks often references the book of Micah (Micha, in Hebrew), particularly Micah 6:8 (which we read in this week’s Haftara) in his teachings. This famous verse, which calls on us to act justly, love mercy, and walking humbly with God, is a cornerstone of his ethical and religious philosophy. He saw it as a concise summary of what God expects from humanity.

This verse, for Rabbi Sacks, includes some core Jewish ethical principles:

Beyond Ritual
Rabbi Sacks often contrasted this verse with mere ritualistic observances, arguing that true faith involves concrete actions that reflect these values in the world.

Active Faith
He viewed the verse as promoting an active faith, one that engages with the world and strives to make it a better place.

Universal Application
While rooted in Jewish tradition (particularism), Rabbi Sacks saw the message of Micah 6:8 as universally relevant and applicable to all people.

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