Remembering an Evil Nation

Question

Dear Rabbi,

I saw somewhere that we will soon read about remembering Amalek in the synagogue on Shabbat. Who or what was Amalek and why should we remember it?

Thanks!

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    The Torah says: “Remember what Amalek (a certain nation) did to you on the way when you left Egypt, that he met you on the way and killed all those straggling behind you, while you were fatigued and weary — and he did not fear God. When God shall grant you peace from all your enemies around you in the land that God your Lord has given you as a heritage, obliterate every vestige of Amalek from beneath the heavens — do not forget!”

    We do not find such a commandment regarding any other enemy of the Jewish nation. So, what is unique about Amalek?

    Amalek displayed great evil and also caused us great harm. They displayed evil by coming from a very distant land, crossing through five nations, to attack weak stragglers of the weary Jewish nation who posed no threat to them. Moreover, by seeking to destroy the nation that God had just acquired for Himself, they showed that they did not fear Him, even after He had revealed His power and awesomeness to the world through the miracles of the Exodus. Their wicked attack included contaminating their victims through sodomy and severing their signs of circumcision, which they cast up heavenward in gross blasphemy.

    They also caused us more harm than any other nation, for all the nations of the world were scared to fight with the seemingly invulnerable Jewish people, until Amalek “cooled the boiling water” with their impudent attack. It is therefore a mitzvah to hate and eliminate this evil enemy of God and His people.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team