A few months ago, my son asked me if he could read Hitler's Mein Kampf. His reason: "Abba, I need to know our enemy. I want to know why they hate us."

This week, we returned from Israel to a New York City mayor calling Jewish organizations and their supporters "monsters" — the same word Hitler used for Jews in his manifesto.

Same hatred. Different century. 

In this episode, I explore the oldest mystery in Jewish history: why are we hated, and why does the language never really change? And I turn to Parashat Balak — where a pagan prophet hired to curse Israel can only bless us — for a 3,000-year-old answer.

They called us monsters. But We Are Lions.

Which one are you going to be?

Shema Israel. Rise like a lion.