On Being Unique Biblical Commentary Num 23:9

On Being Unique

leon

Jerusalem Tuesday, January 02, 2007

For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him; lo, the people shall live alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. (Numbers 23:9)

The above verse means that Israel will keep its distinctiveness as a separate nation while living in the midst of a foreign nation; it won't be living on its own land, like other nations, yet it will be distinctive as a nation and not be absorbed into the culture of the host nation.

The above statement was made by the foreign prophet, Balaam, who king Balak sent to curse Israel.

He obviously regards it a curse for Israel to be a distinctive nation while living in the midst of a foreign nation.

This Jewish characteristic of national distinctiveness is so strong it's axiomatic:

If one is Jewish one is not going to be like the other people in the nation where the Jews are living.

Just as each man has unique characteristics that set him apart from other men so the Jew has unique characteristics that set him apart from other nations. Man is alone and there's nothing we can do about it.

Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote a book entitled "Man is not alone". Balaam saw the opposite; man is alone.

Trying to change this situation leads to disaster; nations of identical people.

Being alone doesn't mean being lonely. This is a mistake that many people make. In fact the opposite is true. When we don't feel unique, when we feel that we are like everybody else, just another number like all the other numbers, then we feel most lonely.

Being unique requires the presence of other people and other nations in the world. Being unique, man procreates and multiplies. Being the same, man eliminates and reduces population.

Feeling unique is vital to man's existence. When man feels ordinary, just another number among the innumerable number of objects in the world, he feels disposable Communicating our unique ideas and customs to other human beings is the only way an individual or a nation can really experience his uniqueness.

When I feel you and you feel me I become unique and we cause each other to feel unique. If I lived isolated from other human beings it would be impossible for me to be aware of my uniqueness. I would feel that my existence isn't noticed by anybody. I would feel that my existence isn't important to the smooth functioning of the world.

Yet when a man feels unique then he's an essential part of the world. He feels that he's been put on earth for a purpose and that he should devote his life to fulfilling that purpose.

Retaining his uniqueness is the most important task man has on earth. The only way to carry out this task is to make others feel unique. You do this by loving other people and so make them feel unique.

Uniqueness makes life worthwhile; you give and receive it by loving someone.

Be unique! Love someone today.

Wishing you a good day, a good year, a good life.

Yours sincerely. Leon.