With such varied and assorted rationales, it seems there is no shortage of creativity when it comes to hating the Jew. The cause of the hatred doesn’t matter. The only thing that really matters is that people truly hate them.
What Rashi is teaching us is that there is no plausible reason for anti-Semitism. It can’t be explained because it makes no sense. When you look into every cause, not only doesn’t it answer the question as to why, you quickly find another circumstance where that cause wasn’t present, yet the hatred was still there, as powerful and pervasive as ever.
The pattern that emerges is that there is no logical reason for anti-Semitism until you focus on the real cause – that the Jew represents Hashem. We are Hashem’s people. When a non-Jew looks at a Jew, he sees Hashem, and that image is not always attractive to him.
This concept carries a huge lesson for us. While we may forget our holiness and our destiny, the nations of the world are always there to remind us: we are different, and our role is unlike that of any other nation.
If we recognize and live up to our role, we are exalted, revered and respected. When we fail to recognize our unique destiny and absorb the cultures of the times, we are sent reminder after reminder of our unique place among the nations.