To watch the 2018 World Cup as a Jewish American is a strange phenomenon. We have no skin in the game, neither Israel, who have never made it, nor the United States, who are in the outside looking in for the first time since 1986, are in this year’s premiere soccer tournament. And, yet each match is fraught with past or present offenses against us.
I caught a glimpse of the German-Iran game, and just felt dirty. The opening game – Egypt-Russia – was no better. And there were others as well, Spain-Portugal, how could you watch it without considering hundreds of years of inquisitions? Even Mexico-South Korea was awkward given current global politics. I felt guilty just turning on the TV.
This week’s Torah Portion, Balak, features a character that is nationless. His name, Bilaam, or Bli Am, literally means without nation. At first he uses this to his advantage offering his prophetic skills to the highest bidder. His lack of national loyalty is potentially profitable. But God steps in and reveals Bilaam’s vulnerability. He has no God or nation to protect him and ends up only as a pawn in a war he has no stake in. To use soccer terms, he is neutral.
More than almost any other Biblical character, Bilaam is us. He gets poked fun of, slammed against a cliff, and generally maligned. While surviving the ordeal, he is forced into an untenable situation, and takes a hit to both his pocket and his reputation. There is a reason why watching the World Cup is hard for Jews. Having lived everywhere, we are never truly neutral.