“What are you doing, Shloimie?” Elimelech asked his little brother. “Why are you mixing your chanukkah neiros with a spoon?”
“Mommy told me to add water to the oil and it’s not mixing in properly, so I’m trying to mix it with a spoon!” answered Shloimie.
“Oy gevalt!” said Elimelech, “you’ll never manage to put oil together with water! They just don’t mix!”
Klal Yisrael and the other nations are like oil and water. We just can’t mix! B’nei Yisrael thought that the way to protect themselves in Mitzrayim was to be similar to the Mitzrim. That was a big mistake! They didn’t realize that there’s no such thing as the Jews mixing with the Goyim.
If we’re not using the mitzvos to keep ourselves different, Hashem makes the Goyim hate us as a different way to keep us apart. If we want to get along with the Goyim, the only way is to be as different as we can! (Based on the Beis Halevi)