Every nation in history has been affected by the way it treated the Jews. The evidence is endless and clear.
By Rabbi Ari Enkin, Rabbinic Director, United wtih Israel
This week’s Torah portion is Balak (Numbers 22:2-25:9), and in it we read how Balak, the evil King of Moav, hired the evil prophet/wizard Balaam to curse the Jews. Balaam was hesitant to take on the job as God appeared to him several times, telling him, “You must not curse that people, for they are blessed.”
After much persistence, God allowed Balaam to take the job, as long as he would only pronounce upon the Jews what God would put in his mouth, as it says, “Go with the men. But you must say nothing except what I tell you.”
Nevertheless, Balaam made good efforts to try and curse the Jews, but he failed each time. Indeed, he eventually admits, “How can I curse whom God has not cursed? . . . Who can count the dust of Jacob, number the “dust-cloud” of Israel? May my fate be like theirs!”
Balaam tried and tried, but ultimately failed. “When He blesses, I cannot reverse it. The Lord their God is with them.” Balak then fired Balaam…he was useless!
Many readers might realize that the story of Balaam is reminiscent of Genesis 12:3. “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” The world continues to try and curse the Jews. But it always backfires. We have it “in writing” from God that it always will!
Genesis 12:3 has been tried, tested, and retested year after year for thousands of years. The ending is always the same. The Torah announces to the world, “Bless Israel and the Jewish people and you will be blessed. Curse Israel and the Jewish people and you will be cursed.” There’s no running from it.
Harry Truman’s presidential win is widely attributed to Genesis 12:3. Apparently Truman was responsible –against the advice of Secretary of State General George C. Marshall and US Ambassador to the United Nations Warren Austin – for the US recognizing the independence of the State of Israel a mere 11 minutes after it was announced. Truman’s efforts on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people are remembered and appreciated to this day. Truman was a man of the Bible, a man of faith.
The Examples Are Endless
Let’s look at Genesis 12:3 throughout history. The examples are endless.
Back in the Bible, when Abimelech “took” Sarah for his pleasures, God turned against him. But once he returned Sarah to Abraham, he was blessed.
Pharaoh was warned with 10 plagues to let the Jews go. He didn’t make the right decisions. It didn’t end well for him.
The Amalekites were the first nation to attack the Jewish people after the Exodus from Egypt. It didn’t end well for them either. Do YOU know any Amalekites today? I sure don’t.
Rahab saved the lives of her two Jewish guests in Jericho. She was the only one to survive the conquest of Jericho.
Ruth’s “Your people will be my people and your God my God” served her quite well.
Stalin, a horrible anti-Semite, suffered a stroke on February 28, 1953. That day was the Jewish holiday of Purim, which commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Iran from Haman’s plot to destroy the Jewish people. Stalin was the Haman of his time.
Let’s talk about Britain. Under the leadership of the Jewish Benjamin Disraeli (1804 – 1881), England thrived. It was during the 19th and 20th centuries that Britain prospered and even dominated world trade. And then in 1917 the British Foreign Office famously announced: “His Majesty’s Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” This became known as the Balfour declaration. The 1920 San Remo Peace Conference gave Britain a ‘Mandate for Palestine’ based upon the Balfour Declaration and this was formalized in 1922 by the League of Nations.” The primary purpose of the Mandate was to grant political rights in Palestine to the Jewish people.
But Britain reneged on the Jews. The Peel and Woodhead commissions of 1937/38 recommended partitioning Palestine into a small Jewish state and a large Arab state – against the promises and intentions of the Mandate. And then there was the British White Paper of 1939, which essentially blocked Jewish immigration to Palestine. These policies repudiated the Balfour Declaration and Britain’s commitments when the Jewish people needed it most.
But there’s more. The “Exodus” ship of July 1947 with over 4000 Jews, mostly Holocaust survivors, was attacked and seized by the British Navy as it prepared to dock in Palestine. The passengers were rounded upon and forcibly put on ship headed back to Europe.
Could it be that Britain was a recipient of “those who curse you will be cursed” for her treatment of the Jews? It sure looks that way! Let’s see.
Britain’s status began to decline quickly, especially after she handed over the mandate on Palestine to the League of Nations. For example, Britain used to have the most enviable navy in the world, with over 800 destroyers in 1945. But by 1950, just five years later, the navy was reduced to 250 destroyers and continued to decline.
Britain used to control 25 percent of the planet, but the number of people under British rule went from 700 million in 1945 to less than five million in 1965. Britain’s influence declined big time. The once famous saying “The sun never sets on the British empire” is little more than a joke nowadays.
Donald Trump and Israel
Let’s take a look at one of Israel’s best friends in the world today: Donald J. Trump.
In May 2017, President Trump, on the advice of his advisers, delayed the planned move of the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The months that followed were very turbulent times for Trump and his presidency. Indeed, after the Charlottesville fiasco, there was question whether he would even serve out his term.
But then he recognized Jerusalem on December 6, 2017. Two weeks later he signed his tax cuts into law with a razor-thin win of 51-48. These cuts led to one of the strongest economies America has ever experienced,with unemployment down to 3.6 percent. God was clearly blessing America.
Every nation in history has been affected by the way it treated the Jews. The evidence is endless and clear. No, Israel is not perfect. The Jews are not perfect. But the world must realize that they should align themselves with God and the Jews, and they too will be blessed!
So, do your part: stand with Israel, pray for Israel, and support Israel. You’ll be happy you did! God promises it!