Why Has Antisemitism Lasted for Thousands of Years?

As the forces wishing for Israel's downfall become more demanding and sophisticated, new threats emerge over past ones. Indeed, antisemitism is nothing new. An inner hatred toward Jews runs through the pages of history, and each time it assumes a different wrapping.

Why is this our destiny, the fate of the people of Israel?

“Behold, it is a people that shall dwell alone” (Numbers 23:9).

We, the people of Israel, are a unique nation. Perhaps we would be glad to rid ourselves of this uniqueness and live quietly among the nations, but the nations of the world do not let us rest. There is a simmering feeling that the Jews are guilty of the world's troubles, and it exists even in people who have never even met a Jew in their life.

While many point out Israeli policy as the problem, that is a grave mistake. Even if there were no Jewish state at all, the hatred would still pursue the people. Why? It is because such hatred is rooted deep in the nature of creation.

To understand what this is about, we need to revisit our nation's roots. Here it helps to use the wisdom of Kabbalah, which investigates reality's hidden forces. It reveals those forces operating in creation, the system that governs reality, and the reason and purpose for the world’s existence. That is a goal toward which we are all advancing, unconsciously for now. When we see the whole picture and Israel’s place within it, we understand what needs to play out in order to bring peace upon us, and to humanity as a whole.

The uniqueness of the people of Israel begins from our very beginnings as a nation. Abram son of Terah the Babylonian, before he became well known as Abraham our forefather, was a persistent researcher. In his days, there was a great surge of human egoism, the desire to enjoy at the expense of others, which is described in the story of the Tower of Babel. People stopped understanding one another, and as the Midrash states: “Half the world there fell by the sword” (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 27).

Abraham studied human nature, the nature of the world, and the general direction of evolution. He discovered that one force operates in nature, and that humanity, at its peak, is destined to be united, i.e., connected by threads of love, in a single bond, like all parts of creation that together complete a marvelous tapestry. Abraham tried to tell everyone what he had discovered, but people were too busy dealing with ego games and power struggles.

Nevertheless, thousands still joined Abraham, learning how to positively connect above their differences and divisions. They gathered from the nations of the region into a distinct community called “the people of Abraham’s household.” From them our people was later formed, as Maimonides describes in Sefer HaMada (The Book of Knowledge). In other words, one unique factor about the people of Israel is that we were never a biologically linked people, but a people formed by a shared ideology that united us above differences.

Our direction was Yashar-El, “straight to God,” the single force that has a nature of bestowal and goodness, love and giving. Our role was also defined as the group that would prepare humanity for a higher form of development, so it too would want to live by the principle of “love your neighbor as yourself.” This process has two stages: first, to realize such a life among ourselves, and second, to pass it on to others.

Since the ruin of the Temple, due to unfounded hatred, we dispersed throughout the world. The difference between the original Israelite foundation of unity and love, and the natural egoistic perception that drove humanity’s evolution as a whole, continually aroused hatred against us.

Even if people could not explain why, they felt that Jews held some secret, that they were unlike everyone else, and that if misfortune struck, it must be somehow connected to the Jews. Of course, we ourselves did not understand the demand upon us. Still, throughout the generations, there was an unfolding of inner mingling, where seeds of connection became sowed among the nations. These are preparations that will help, when the time comes, create a harmonious and peaceful connection among humanity. As it is written in The Book of Zohar: “Why were Israel enslaved among all the nations? It is so that the world might be elevated through them.”

Toward the end of the 19th century a process of return began. In the early 20th century, Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) turned to the Jews of Warsaw and tried to organize a group in order to move together to the Land of Israel. He explained that in the Land of Israel, there needs to arise a model society that would demonstrate how to live together in a positive connection that is fueled by nature's force of love and bestowal. As he wrote in his article, “Introduction to Panim Meirot uMasbirot”:

“When the children of Israel are complemented with the complete knowledge, the fountains of intelligence and knowledge shall flow beyond the boundaries of Israel and water all the nations of the world.”

Today, the world is returning to a state similar to ancient Babylon. Everyone is connected in a small global village, but each one’s ego rises to the heavens. Ears are shut. We cannot understand one another, and cannot see beyond ourselves. This is the root of the world's myriad problems that threaten world peace, from ecological and international levels, through economic and social crises, down to the interpersonal level. More and more marriages collapse, families break apart, and workplaces become battlefields. Everyone is suffering in one way or another, and we have entered an age where so many people live with a dependence on various pills.

Moreover, technological advancements bring about developments of increasingly powerful weapons, and it seems as if humanity is a few button-presses away from destroying itself. If in Babylon people could still scatter around the planet, today there is no such way out. We need to learn how to get along, otherwise we will all sink together.

The people of Israel are those who can and must save the situation. Why specifically us? In general, we have no idea that this is our mission, and the state of our own relations is far from exemplary. The world senses us as the source of all that is evil and negative in their lives. As the tides grow ever stronger against us, then even our most advanced weapons might not suffice if another major war breaks out.

True salvation will come when we understand our place in creation and begin to connect "as one man with one heart," i.e., in love above all rejection and hatred. Also, such connection among us must not be exclusive. It should rather be intended from the outset as a way to bring about the positive connection of humanity.

Despite the declining trajectory the world seems to be heading in, the future world is one where a harmonious and peaceful connection among people, nations, and nature will blossom.

Theoretically, it is easy to understand that a perfect connection among people and nature would bring about a much brighter existence, but practically, no one knows how to get there, or more specifically, how to correct the underlying factor that stands in its midst: human egoism. We, the people of Israel, have the method of how to positively connect above the ego. It is the same method Abraham taught. When we begin to become aware of that and apply it, with a complete practice suitable for daily use by all layers of society, the world’s attitude toward us will change.

Then, Israel will be felt as a beacon of hope, as a pioneering nation that is developing the code for the best possible life. Those who now hate Israel will find that the hatred within them subsides, and the desire to eliminate Israel will shift to a desire for closeness. They will root for us, gather to support us, and will wish to emulate our success in creating a unified society.

“And all nations shall flow unto it.” (Isaiah 2:2)

“And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4)

A higher force of love will flow through the open hearts of all, illuminating the world like a lamp.

This is our destiny, and the time has come to start implementing it. The sooner we do, the sooner we will see a fateful shift from the increasing hatred flaring toward us, to support and encouragement for a people who bring a unifying light to the world.

Based on "New Life 83 - A Talk on Emergency Situations, Part 1" with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman, Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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