The Roots of Amalek

Every year, on the Shabbat before Purim, we read Parshat Zachor, the Portion of Remembrance, reminding us of the obligation to wipe out the evil nation of Amalek.

The Torah tells us that the reason for this is that the Amalekites attacked us whilst they were in the desert, and consequently we are commanded to totally wipe out this wicked people. However, in order to develop a deeper understanding of what Amalek represents, it is instructive to analyze the individual named Amalek who taught his descendants to fight the Jewish people with all their might. How did this man develop such an intense hatred for people who genetically were his cousins?

It seems that two incidents involving the parents of Amalek contributed in generating such a virulent loathing. In Vayishlach the Torah writes about the descendants of Esav. It tells us about Esav’s son Eliphaz and his many immoral relationships: “And Timna was a concubine to Eliphaz and Eliphaz gave birth to Amalek…¹” The Talmud informs us of the background to this fateful occurrence. “Timna was a Princess, but she wanted to convert. She came to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov [to convert] but they would not accept her. She then became a concubine to Eliphaz the son of Esav. She said that it was better to be a maidservant to this nation rather than to be a powerful woman in another nation. [As a result] Amalek, who would cause Yisroel great pain, was born from her… “² It was this rejection of Timna that resulted in her turning to Eliphaz and giving birth to the ultimate source of evil, Amalek.

Rabbi Zev Leff discusses how this factor played a significant role in generating Amalek’s seemingly irrational hatred of the Jewish nation. He explains that when a person is rejected by someone else, he is very likely to develop a great dislike for that person. This is because the feeling of rejection is very painful and it can cause one to feel insignificant and worthless.

One of the ways (but certainly not a healthy way) of removing this feeling of rejection is by delegitimizing the source of that rejection. By viewing the ‘rejecter’ as being unimportant himself, the person can then eliminate his own feelings of worthlessness because the cause of this feeling is of no value himself! Thus, Amalek obviously knew of the rejection that his mother endured by the Patriarchs; the way that he could counter this rejection was by rejecting the Patriarchs and what they stood for themselves; by showing that the descendants of the Patriarchs were insignificant Amalek could assert his own feelings of self-importance.

Of course, there are far more healthy ways of asserting one’s self-importance in the face of rejection, such as recognizing one’s own intrinsic self-worth as being created in the Image of God. Perhaps it would have been possible for Amalek to take this healthy approach if not for the second defining incident:

The Midrash tells us: “[Amalek] asked [his father Eliphaz], ‘Father, who will inherit This World and the World to Come?’ ‘The Children of Israel,’ replied [Eliphaz]. ‘Go out and dig wells for them and fix roads for them. If you do so, your share will be with the lowly among them and you will enter the World to Come.’ When he heard this, he became the enemy and pursuer of Israel.’³

Had Amalek listened to his father’s advice of subjugating himself to the Jewish people then he could have attained the World to Come. Instead, Eliphaz’ words had exactly the opposite effect and caused him to hate the Jewish people and strive to destroy them. It would seem that Eliphaz’ point that Amalek would have to humble himself exacerbated the feelings of rejection that he already had as a result of Timna’s rejection by the Patriarchs. The two factors combined to cause him to feel that the only way he could assert his superiority would be to totally eliminate the Jewish nation with total disregard to the miracles that would accompany them in their history. This explains why the nation of Amalek attacked the Jewish people in the desert despite the fact that they had experienced open Divine Providence and it was highly dangerous to attack them. Indeed, the Amalekites were greatly weakened in this battle but that did nothing to stem their intense desire to wipe out the Jewish people.

This idea, that the source of Amalek’s hatred is his refusal to humble himself before the Jewish people, is brought out in a fascinating discussion amongst the authorities. They discuss whether it is possible for an Amaleki to change his beliefs to the extent that there is no longer an obligation to destroy them. They further discuss whether it is possible for an Amaleki to become a Ben Noach or even perhaps a full-fledged Jew. The Rambam and Raa’vad, two major early authorities rule that if an Amaleki becomes a Noachide Jew, then the laws with regards to Amalek no longer apply. ⁴ Many authorities learn from here that if an Amaleki wants to convert then all the more so he is allowed to do so.⁵

However, there is a Mechilta which seems to show that an Amaleki cannot convert. In the Book of Shmuel, we are told that a man came to King David to tell him about the death of King Shaul.⁶ In the course of the conversation it became clear to David that that this man was an Amalekite convert; the Mechilta tells us that at that time David remembered a law that was taught to Moshe; that we accept converts from any nation except for Amalek,⁷ He proceeded to have this man killed. This Mechilta seems to contradict the ruling of the Rambam and Ra’avad that if an Amaleki wants to become a Noachide Jew we do not kill him because he has shown that he no longer espouses the evil beliefs of the Amalekite nation. Given this, surely if he wants to go even further and convert, then he has demonstrated that he no longer endorses the Amalekite world view. Why then, are we still obligated to kill him?!

The Avnei Nezer offers an interesting resolution to this problem.⁸ He cites the aforementioned Midrash about the conversation between Amalek and Eliphaz that spawned Amalek’s intense hatred for the Jewish people. He explains that Amalek’s hatred stems from the refusal to subjugate himself to the Jews. In the time of the conquest of Eretz Yisrael those non-Jews who wanted to become Bnei Noach showed they were willing to humble themselves because they had to pay taxes and help the Jews in the way that Eliphaz told Amalek. However, if an Amaleki wants to become a full-fledged Jew then he does not prove that he is willing to humble himself because as a Jew he need not show any subservience to other Jews. Therefore, the root cause of the resentment that Amalek had may still be present in this Amaleki. Accordingly, he still remains an Amaleki in the eyes of the Torah.

We have seen how the cause of Amalek’s deep hatred for the Jewish people is not based on deep philosophical differences; rather its root is the fact that the rejection of Timna and the advice of Eliphaz created a bitter person who, instead of improving himself, sought to destroy who he perceived to be the cause of his insignificance. On a far lesser scale, each person faces the challenge that Amalek failed so badly. We all experience occasions when we feel rejected by someone. We learn from here that we should not waste our time and energy in trying to avenge that person. Rather, we should develop our own feelings of self-worth and recognize that we are intrinsically valuable as God’s creations.

1. Vayishlach, 36:12.
2. Sanhedrin, 99b.
3. Tana D’bei Eliyahu, Ch.24, Yalkut Shimoni, Beshalach, 268.
4. Hilchot Melachim, Ch.6, halacha 4, Ramban and Hagahos HaRaavad. See the commentaries there who explain how the Rambam and Raa’vad both have the same opinion despite the fact that the Raa’vad argues with how he understands the Rambam.
5. See Chazon Ish, Yoreh Deah, Simun 157, sk 5.
6. See Shmuel 2, Ch.1 for the full account of this incident.
7. Mechilta, end of Beshalach.
8. Avnei Nezer, Orach Chaim, Simun 508.

The post The Roots of Amalek appeared first on Aish.com.