Why do they hate us so much? (Hint: the answers might be quite inspiring) |
Recently, I received a phone call from my Bubby’s younger brother, Sol Waxman. Over the years, we have had a number of conversations about the pogroms his parents went through in Europe after World War One. However, this time my Uncle started the conversation by telling me that the Anti Semitism that his parents fled from is now affecting his children and grandchildren as well. Recently, he told me, his granddaughter had visited Spain and Portugal and out of fear, she felt a need to hide all Jewish symbols. So it appears that Anti Semitisim, the age-old scourge, has made quite a comeback recently. As the Jewish people are in the midst of one of the most important wars in modern Jewish history, perhaps now is a good time to step back and reflect a bit upon this conundrum: Why is it that they hate us so much?
So in order to deal with this question, we need to divide Anti Semitism into three categories: 1.) Secular Anti Semitism 2.) Religious Anti Semitism 3.) Modern Day Anti Semitism in the wake of the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
While some Anti Semites will justify their venum with silly cliches ( e.g. why are all the Jews rich, or the Jews are responsible for Korona or other forms of blood libels), in truth there are some deeper dynamics at work here.
1.) Secular Anti Semitism: The motivation for Secular Anti Semitism was probably best expressed by Hitler in his best selling work “Mein Kampf” when he condemns the Jews for imprisoning the world in the “shackles of the soul”. Secularism, by its very definition, desires a world devoid of divinity ( chalila) and the subsequent moral responsibility that a God centered reality entails. This desire for independence from the divine can often lead to a conflict with the only nation that expresses the divine ideal as its unique mission statement. Now, even though modern day secular thinkers eschew the approach of Hitler, they still resonate on some level with his motivation to free the world from the shackles of the soul. The racial designation of Jews is not accepted in most of those circles. However, the deep seeded hatred for any Jew who expresses the authentic divine values of Judaism is still very alive. This deep hatred can be covered up in many costumes. However, at the core, the proud Jew who expresses his nation’s divine values is completely at odds with the secular person’s worldview. This causes Anti Semitism.
2.) Religious Anti Semitism: This form of Anti Semitism is much more ancient. Chazal in the Gemara in Tractate Shabbos (89B) give us some understanding of this matter when they analyze the name of Mount Sinai. The mass revelation at Mt Sinai on the 6th of Sivan 2448 is the most important event in world history. Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, in his work Kuzari, and many others, explain this event as the foundation of the Jewish worldview. Over 3 million people experience a divine revelation! No other religion can make such a claim. Therefore in this vain Chazal explain that Mt Sinai is also called “Choreb” from the Hebrew word ” Churban” which means destruction, as the mass revelation at Sinai serves as a “Churban” destructive force for other religions. The Gemara explains that this is also why Sinai is connected to the word “Sinah” which means hate, since from Sinai emerged the hate of the nations for the Jewish people. A hatred built on jealous for what they did not receive’/. The absolute inability for Christianity and Islam to offer anything even remotely comparable to the mass Sinai revelation instilled within those religions a deep seated but correct inferiority complex that hovers in the subconscious of these people’s souls and though history emerged consciously in the form of crusades and pogroms.
To illustrate this dynamic, let us imagine a parable of a young boy with weak mathematical skills who was told during his upbringing that he is a math whizz. Maybe at the beginning he believes them. However, when he finally meets someone who is a real math whizz he confronts a real dilemma. Or he admits his weakness or he covers up his weakness and instead reacts to the real math whizzes with hate and derision as they threaten his illusory prestige. So too, deep down, the nations and other religions know who God took out of Egypt and who received the Torah at Mt Sinai. However, this truth is too difficult for some of them to integrate. So it expresses itself in vile hate.
When Mohammed wanted the Jews in Arabia to follow his new movement, they told him that if you can do for us something like what Moshe ( Moses) did for us, we will follow you. Not surprisingly, he was not able to. Mohamed’s inability to compare with Moses led to incredible hate on his part, a hate that was passed down to many of his followers.
3.) Modern Day Anti Semitism in the wake of the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel: For many people, Jew and non Jew alike, the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel serves as one of greatest modern day expressions to express the truths of the Bible. Here we have a nation that was trampled for almost 2,000 years and treated like garbage by almost all of its neighbors. And yet, they have returned to their ancestral homeland and managed to become a regional superpower. Even a cursory read of the Biblical narrative of history, shows that this is all part of the Bible’s plan for the Jewish people, which even though they were exiled were always promised that one day they will return. Now, there are many non Jews ( such as 600 million Evangelical Christians) who find this very inspiring, as the return of the Jews to their ancestral home after so many years in line with the Biblical promises, fills them with awe and respect.. However, for many others the return of the people of Israel to the Land of Israel is quite irritating. From a secular viewpoint, it is an expression of the divine in modern day history-something that is absolutely anathema from the secular perspective. And for religious non Jews, the return is also problematic as it expresses the unique status of the Jewish people-something which can be painfuly humbling for other people.
So from the revelation at Sinai to the return to Zion, there are major historical events that tug the wrong way at many Anti Semites. They may not all be fully aware of this but the results express themselves all too clearly. May we merit to turn their hate into respect as the Jewish people fulfill their ultimate mission which is to reveal the light of Hashem to the entire world!
Ariel
arielgalian613@gmail.com