“Israel, Stay Out of “Entangling Alliances”
There is a story in the Torah of the “professional curser” Bilam (see the Book of Numbers). Seeing the Jews leave Egypt and march toward the “Promised Land”, get attacked and defeat a few groups along the way, King Balak of Midian decides on a new national defense strategy. Rather than direct confrontation with Israel, he hires Bilam to curse the Jews. Bilam, not wanting to admit that he’s just your run of the mill “bad mouther”, tells the king that he can only say what G-d tells him to. Appealing to G-d to help him curse Israel, Bilam is repeatedly told by G-d, “They are blessed.” Bilam three times attempts to curse Israel, but all that comes out of his mouth are more blessings.
In what traditionally has been a guiding national policy for the Jewish people, Bilam proclaims, “Hen Am Livadad Yish-kon, Uv’Goyim Lo Yit-Chashave” or “Behold! It is a nation that shall dwell alone, and shall not be counted among the nations.” (Numbers 23:9) Jews really don’t need to look beyond their own tradition for policy guidelines that warn not to get into “entangling alliances.” Traditional Jewish commentaries to these verses explain that the Jewish people get their strength and prosperity not from alliances with other nations and cultures, but from their single-minded adherence to their own unique Torah culture – Judaism – their single-minded worship of the G-d of Israel, their single-minded control over their own land and lives, and their single-minded defense of their own interests. In a nutshell, liberty, freedom and national independence.