ABSTRACT
Contemporary writing about antisemitism often focuses on its mystery, asking where this hatred comes from and why it is so intractable. Again and again the authors hear about how antisemitism makes no logical sense and is the product of minds that have been influenced by conspiracy theories, fantasies of Jewish malevolence, and other false beliefs. Antisemitism is viewed as a central example of an unnatural society, since the natural, healthy way is a world without any prejudices. What is striking in Rashi’s comment, from a modern perspective, is the assumption that Jewish actions are what precipitate antisemitism, with the additional point that if Jews were to stop these separatist behaviors, and mix with the nations, there would be no reason for the antisemitism. Rabbi Elhanan Wasserman adopts the more theological perspective, explaining that antisemitism is God’s tool to punish the Jews.
