Kahana column likens modern anti-Israel hostility to Balaam and Balak

The article argues that hostility toward Jews has long taken the form of lies, curses, sorcery and coordinated campaigns by nations, and says that God repeatedly turns those attempts into blessing. Using the Torah portion Balak, it describes how Moab and Midian joined forces against Israel, even though Israel had passed nearby without harming them, because they were forbidden to attack Moab or Ammon and only fought Sihon and Og afterward.

It says the elders of Moab and Midian came to Balaam with divination in hand, and presents two classic interpretations of Balaam’s behavior. According to Rashi, he first tried to time a curse and later searched for Israel’s sins in hope that God would punish them; according to Ramban, he initially relied on magic and only later turned to prophecy when sorcery failed. In either reading, the third blessing, including the verse "How good are your tents, O Jacob," is portrayed as a higher stage than the earlier attempts.

The piece says Balaam’s methods included curses, divination, searching for moments of divine anger, and recalling Israel’s sins, and adds that his later advice to Balak led to Israel’s sin with the daughters of Moab. It then broadens the argument to the long exile, saying Jews suffered blood libels, incitement, harsh decrees, discriminatory laws, physical abuse, theft, murders and massacres.

Turning to the present, it says that as Israel builds the land, develops its economy, science and society, and fights for its survival, the nations again gather and discuss how to harm Israel through open and covert propaganda. The writer says Israel still needs God to turn curse into blessing, but also has a duty to explain its moral case to the world and act without hesitation against enemies, citing the Talmudic maxim, "If someone comes to kill you, rise early and kill him first." It warns against any agreement with extremist Islam that would amount to surrender, says the world must stop that threat now, and ends by praying that God will incline world leaders to recognize the danger and bring the nations to follow Israel’s lead.