There are many hypotheses as to what causes people to voice their anti-Semitic feelings. One well-known theory is that so long as the Jews keep under the radar no one will bother them, but once they start raising their heads and becoming too successful, they have to be put in their place.
We see this to be somewhat true in this week’s Torah portion, Balak.
Balak, the king of Moab, became afraid of the Jews when he saw that they were becoming too successful at war, and he wanted to silence them. He was afraid to fight them by conventual means so he approached Balaam, a prophet, to curse the Jews. Balaam, who knew that G-d would not give him the power to curse the Jews, attempted to do so anyway.
Why did Balaam want to curse the Jews instead of explaining to Balak why he could not do so?
Let me ask you a question: Who is the bigger anti-Semite, Balak or Balaam?
On the one hand, Balak’s anti-Semitism could be explained. He was afraid that the Jews would become too strong. He hated them enough to not allow them to pass through his land; after all, “what will all my neighbors say” was a very scary thought for him. He was too scared to fight since he knew he would lose. So he ran to the prophet for spiritual help.
On the other hand we have Balaam. His anti-Semitism was so strong that it made no sense at all. He hated the people of Israel just because he hated the people of Israel. It made no difference whether G-d would allow him to curse the people or not. All he knew was that there were Jews in this world and that he had to do whatever he could to rid the world of them. If not with might, then with words.
As much as we might not have liked Balak, who actively searched for a way to rid himself of the Jews, his anti-Semitism was somewhat tempered compared to Balaam’s, who did not look to kill the Jews, but once he was approached, did not leave a stone unturned. Interestingly, that is why once he tried to curse the Jews, he was only able to bless them! Not only that, it was from his mouth that prophesies about the coming of Moshiach is hinted at in the Torah!
From this account we learn that we have nothing to fear from even the worst anti-Semites, because it is from their mouths that G-d turns their curses into the greatest blessings for the Jews.