As published on AskMoses.com by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg

There have been many books written on this topic, and many theories have been offered to explain the centuries-old phenomenon of anti-Semitism. What is so incredible about anti-Semitism is that it is a hatred which is so resilient; it has lasted from the backwards times of the medieval ages through the Renaissance, through the secularization of the majority of the Jews and even continues today in the most progressive, liberal societies. After all, the United Nations, the conscience of the world, is shamelessly anti-Israel.

So any reasoning which is offered cannot fully explain the hatred. For example, you can't say that they hate us merely because of our power, because they wanted to kill us even when we were in the ghettos without a trace of power or influence. You can't say that they hate us because we are different and don't want to assimilate into the nations where we reside, because the Holocaust originated from Germany, the capital of Jewish assimilation.

It really seems that anti-Semitism defies any logic or rationale.

Our sages tell us that (Sifri, Behaloscha 9:10), "It is a known rule, Esau hates Jacob." Similarly we are told (Talmud, Tractate Shabbat 89a), "Why was [the mountain] called Sinai? Because from there hatred [in Hebrew, the word for hatred is "sinah"] spread to the nations of the world."

In other words, it is part of G-d's master-plan for us to be hated by the rest of the world. The adversity is what keeps us unique, separate and focused on our mission. As Balaam said (Numbers 23:9) - when he was blessing us - "Behold it is a nation that will dwell in solitude and not be reckoned among the nations.”